Effective communication on the service desk

© 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk
Effective Communication
on the Service Desk

Objectives
 Understand what customers feel is important
 Learn to apply the WIN approach
 Understand the importance of following documented
processes and procedures
 Understand the importance and value of effective
communication skills
 Review how we currently provide customer service
 What’s teamwork all about?
 Learn about the importance of satisfying customer
needs and how to maintain customer satisfaction –
continual service improvement

The role of IT
 Single point of contact (SPOC)
 Timely, responsive, courteous and high quality
service
 Adaptable, flexible, rise to new business
challenges
 Meet commitments
 Provide regular feedback
 Deliver return on investment (ROI)
 Identify and implement continual service
improvement (CSI) activities
 Integrate IT goals with business goals

A customer service attitude
Ownership
Willingness to help
Positive attitude
Respect and courtesy for all
Customer focus
Business focus

Effects of a good attitude
Setting customer expectations
Positive impression
Customer confidence
Good attitudes are contagious

Where do you operate from?
Do you dim
people down or
brighten them
up?
DIM – MEDIUM - BRIGHT

Customer expectations
 Confidence that IT support is in control of their
request
 Professional expectation management
 To be kept informed
 No nasty surprises
 To understand – no jargon!
 Reasonable timescales for resolutions
 Consistent and courteous service
 Value for money

Our part in all this
Every member of IT support is
responsible for recognising
and understanding the effect
of commitments made
(no matter to whom)

Psychological needs
Important and valued
‘Cuddles’ vs. ‘no-nonsense’
Customers are not just VIPs - but MIPs

Attributes, Skills and Knowledge
Attribute:
A quality or characteristic that someone or
something possesses
Skill:
An ability to do an activity or job well through
learning and practice - often enhanced by
natural ability
Knowledge:
Understanding of or information about a
subject which has been obtained by
experience or study

Responsibilities
IT service and support teams
IT service and support professionals
Customers
Never forget that ‘Perception Equals Reality’
To customers and colleagues alike

WIN – What’s Important Now
Understand what’s important to your
customer (or colleague) NOW
‘We are what we repeatedly do –
excellence, then, is not an act but a habit’

What is world class service?
Listening
Empathy and understanding
Recognising customers/colleagues needs
change
Following documented procedures
Meeting customer needs

WIN with a KISS
What’s Important Now
Keep It Simple & Straightforward

Standing out from the crowd
No self-respecting IT
department can operate
efficiently and effectively
without the right attitude,
the right education and
support from
management.

Quality of service 1

‘Support staff who succeed and excel at
their jobs rarely do so because of technical
skills alone – they also have the ability to
deal with people effectively.’

Company policies
Service ethics
Working to processes and procedures

Process management
‘The accomplishment of tasks that are
measurable, definable and that can be
tested, reported and improved on.’

Processes and procedures
Processes should empower us - not inhibit
Processes define how we’re supposed to
be doing our work
They should make life easier!

Communication skills
 Your role as a support
professional falls primarily
into 2 areas:
Support
Communication

FACT
To succeed, IT requires the right PEOPLE
with the right SKILLS, supported by the
right processes and the right technology

Elements of communication
Ways in which we communicate include:
Verbally
Non-verbally
Written word
Via technology

Communication
Remember
If someone fails to
understand us – it’s
OUR fault, not theirs

More about communication
1. Call differentiating
2. Formal and informal communication
3. Barriers to communication
4. Ineffective communication

Face to face communication
Words used
How said
NVC
Source: Albert Mehrabian
7%
38%
55%

Listening skills
Hearing is a faculty –
Listening is a skill

Active listening
Helps replace body language when we are
on the ‘phone
How do we do it?
Verbal acknowledgements
Staying focused
Listening carefully – to words and feelings
Asking questions
Using the person’s name

Benefits of active listening
Increased customer satisfaction
Better rapport
Opitimises call time
Reduces misunderstanding
Potential for better resolution times
Understand customers ‘emotional state’

Effective listening – barriers and pitfalls
Barriers
Speed of thought
Distractions
Personal bad listening habits
Pitfalls
Rationalising
Transforming details
Changing the sequence of events
Omissions

Paraphrasing
Using our own words to repeat what the
customer says to us

Written communication
Never forget that call logs are business
documents too
Well written documentation =
positive impression
re-useable data
Use spell and grammar checkers
Avoid acronyms; smileys and slang
Don’t make dubious comments

Text and IM etiquette
Commonly used in the business
environment today
The same rules apply!

‘Phone etiquette – a reminder
 Avoid eating whilst on the ‘phone
 DO speak clearly
 Don’t answer whilst still speaking to someone
else
 Background noise
 ‘On hold’ issues
 Avoid multiple transfers
 Avoid asking for repeat info
 Don’t use slang, endearments, acronyms or
jargon

Call ownership
 2 types – perceived and actual
 Our responsibility is to ensure customers are
kept informed of the status of their request
 Customers psychological needs must be met
 Clear benefits:
 Improved customer satisfaction
 Improved IT productivity and consistency

Customer Relationship Management
To manage
relationships
successfully, we
must understand
other people’s
needs and
manage their
expectations

The BIG question
Would YOU be happy doing business
with you - or with your team?

A professional approach
“People buy from other
people – for their reasons,
not ours”

Working with other teams
1. Establishing effective relationships
2. Work relationships
3. The rules
 Avoid blaming
 Treat others as you like to be treated
yourself
 Treat others in your department as if they
were your customers

Good practices
1. Professional standards of behaviour
2. Industry standards and guidance
3. Making and meeting commitments
4. Fairness
5. Meeting expectations

Some typical customer expectations
 To feel confident that the Service Desk is in control of
what is happening with their incident or request
regardless of who they speak with
 For their expectations to be set clearly and managed
fairly
 To be kept informed and up-to-date with what is
happening - no nasty surprises
 To be spoken to in plain and understandable language
 For their issue to be resolved within an acceptable
timescale
 To be provided with good, sensible data and valuable,
valid feedback
 To receive consistent and courteous service
 To receive good value for money

Your Organisation's
Continual Service
Improvement Programme
Worldwide IT Service
Management Standard
& Good Practice
Framework

Benefits of following good practice
Identify and understand areas for
improvement
Validate commitment to service quality
and consistency
Improvements in satisfaction and morale
Projects are managed cost- and time-
effectively

Conclusion
 Applied common sense
 Understanding our customers’ business; needs;
requirements
 No-one is exempt from delivery of service
excellence
 Effective communication is key
 Right people, right skills
 Understanding what makes excellent customer
service
 Continual service improvement is essential

Effective communication on the service desk

Effective communication on the service desk

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