7 Helpdesk tips from the greatest Wizard of all time
Sanjeev NC
Marketing @ Stitchflow.io | Bootstrapping Supermeme.ai ($50k ARR) | MicroSaaS Builder | B2B SaaS Comedy
1. “Help will always be given at a Helpdesk for those who raise a ticket"
While the Helpdesk agents are awesome, they are often tied down by multiple things at the same time. Hence, a ticket(not an email, not a text, not a sticky note, not a Howler) really helps them to track, prioritize and resolve your issue on time!
2. “Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.”
As tempting as it may be, “Pending” is a status that should only be used when necessary. While it may stop the SLA clock on your Helpdesk, customer’s clock is still ticking. The next time you think of assigning a ticket to “Pending”, remember Dumbledore’s advice to Harry when he gave him the Invisibility Cloak “Use it well”
3. “Solutions can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to document the Knowledge Base.”
The knowledge of a Helpdesk Agent is worth Galleons...if it’s shared among the team. A really strong knowledge base ensures that every member of the team is equally equipped to handle any support question. Populating the Knowledge Base as and when you resolve tickets is something Hermione would do if she was a Helpdesk agent! Afterall, "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure"
4. “It was important, Dumbledore said, to resolve, and resolve again, and keep resolving, for only then could tickets be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated. . . .”
A Helpdesk agent can dream of a day with no tickets but alas, it does not do well to dwell on your dreams. To realize this dream, the agent must deeply analyse his tickets to prevent the issue from occurring ever again. It is always better to upgrade your Server rather than resolve 10 “Server crash” tickets a day!
A really good Helpdesk is the one that focuses on avoiding tickets, not resolving them
5. “But of course, Harry, it is yours forever, until you pass it on!”
Like Olivander says, “A ticket chooses its Agent!” It is an unwritten agreement between Agents to not look at each other’s tickets. Hence, if you want your colleague to take care of your ticket in your absence, re-assign it to them or the ticket is yours forever!
6. “Of course it is happening inside your mailbox, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not a ticket?”
Each Helpdesk has a favorite Agent who takes the support to the next level by providing assistance from his email. Sometimes, it’s unavoidable to prevent users from emailing you directly but you can definitely convert it to a ticket once you’re done helping them! A ticket ensures that the conversation gets documented and can be used by anyone in your team! Not everyone knows the password to your mailbox (unless it’s 'Pig Snout’)
7. “After all this time?” “Always.”
It is easy for a ticket to lay forgotten inside a Helpdesk for various reasons(the customer hasn’t responded, the Agent has left the team). It is natural to feel reluctant to follow up or resolve a ticket that’s as old as Nicolas Flamel. Not resolving a ticket because of it’s age is not an excuse.
It does not matter how long a ticket has been open, you ALWAYS resolve them.
“Isn't seven the most powerfully magical number?”