The help desk agent position at any IT Service Management (ITSM) operation is the fundamental pillar for success. Service desk agents require several skills since they are the ones in charge of bridging the gap between users and the company by acting as a point of contact for inquiries or problem-solving from a technical standpoint. Most of all, they are outstanding listeners, practical thinkers, and crystal clear communicators who can manage to successfully represent the company’s values through their help desk.
Here we will explore an agent's roles and responsibilities, focusing on which basic skills and qualifications are needed to fill this position. So, if you are looking to get hired for the job or are in the process of recruiting for this fundamental help desk role, you've come to the right place.
Let's get started!
Agent roles and duties
Help desk agents are the point of contact between the customer and the help desk. They take care of responding to their inquiries and solving issues promptly and effectively and managing the help desk tickets throughout their whole lifecycle.
They are also in charge of escalating issues as needed when a swift solution is not within grasp of their tier. How and to whom these issues should be escalated depends on the analyst’s level and the issue’s complexity. Often times tickets can be elevated up to level 3, where analysts pertinent to this level look into structural problems that might be causing trouble. Otherwise, a tier 1 analyst should be able to deal with most complications.
An agent’s day-to-day activities don’t start and end when a user has established contact. Far from it, that’s where they begin. One of the most overlooked tasks analysts need to carry out is organizing and maintaining file systems. Since user’s issues are expected to be fully solved, analysts need to monitor, organize and file all complaints and issues so as to better follow each case.
Additionally, if tickets are actually elevated to higher-level agents, reports detailing the troubleshooting that has already been tried are essential. Though it may seem indirect, this is indeed another sign of someone who’s an organized and efficient team member.
Finally, assuring Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are met is paramount to any kind of service, but with service desk agents this is one of the defining factors (amongst other help desk metrics) that will quantify how well they are doing. Most companies have support groups dedicated to analyzing performance but of course meeting SLAs is a goal all agents should strive for every step of the way.
Help desk agent skills
We've seen their responsibilities and duties, but let's take a look at what skills make a good help desk agent. Basically, they are problem solvers. So, the performance-driven part is a synonym of aligning work with strategic goals and meeting them in a timely manner. This also means agents are expected to look for ways to improve and promote quality through creative solutions such as translating concepts into simpler and broadly-known terms like images, graphs, or reports, just to name a few.
When effective communications skills are brought to the table, it’s easier to think of these as “people skills” or soft skills. You want to sound friendly and have a conversational but resolutive disposition. This ties into being confidential, which means that agents have to uphold the company’s values and security protocols.
Abby Sininger came onto our IT podcast, Ticket Volume, and highlighted these skills as a fundamental part of her success as a help desk agent. So, go and check out episode 68 if you want to hear more about her story getting started in the IT industry.
Last but not least, customer-oriented candidates know that customers are integral to any successful entrepreneurial endeavor and are always able to find nuanced ways of making the customer experience as smooth as possible.
Help desk agent job description
More often than not, job descriptions can be a little hazy or too wide in scope as to what they really need from service desk agents in most job-seeking websites.
For that reason, we have put together a detailed run-through of what you might encounter in most job opening descriptions posted on high-transit job-seeking websites. If, on the other hand, you have to design an open position to find candidates, you can also take from this template and adapt it to your company's needs.
Here is an example of a help desk agent job description:
IT Help Desk Representative
Tyrell & Deckard Hardware Solutions.
We are looking for a performance-driven candidate with effective communication skills to join a brand new team of service desk operators in our rapidly-expanding company based in Miami, Florida.
A candidate who could thrive in this position must also be customer-oriented, confidential, and be able to generate creative solutions.
Responsibilities:
- Respond to and investigate customer/end-user inquiries, concerns, and issues via logged phone calls, mail, and e-mail in a timely and courteous manner.
- Escalating issues as needed and maintaining communication with the customer and Technical teams through resolution and assuring SLA’s are being met through support groups.
- Organize and maintains file system; files correspondence and other records.
Qualifications:
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs including Excel, Word, and Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, ABS, and iSeries/ AS400 preferred..
- Experience with ticketing systems.
- Bilingual (Spanish / English).
Agent job qualifications
In terms of qualifications, we’ll keep it nice and simple, especially because of how jargon-filled some help desk agent job descriptions can be.
Times might change but MS Office tools continue to be of great help in IT circles, so knowing how to work with these tools is pretty much the standard for any IT-related job. You’d better know there inside out, since more of then than not, you’ll have to do some troubleshooting and support work with these. Additionally and particularly in the case of reports and briefing, internal cloud networks might be used for in-company filesharing.
As someone who’ll be constantly working with ticketing, knowing how ticketing systems work is an important plus. To put it briefly, a ticketing system is a management tool that processes and catalogs customer service requests. Tickets, also known as cases or issues, need to be properly stored alongside relevant user information. Though of course, managerial duties will largely be in charge of -you’ve guessed it: Service Desk Managers.
The bottom line
Although several skills are needed to become a help desk agent, the job description typically includes the following as the most important:
- Performance-driven mindset
- Communication skills - or soft skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Creativity
- Organization
When searching for a job as a service desk agent or looking to hire, it’s important to know what this position entails. We hope this quick guide has provided insight and can be of aid to guide you through the process.
