Do you sometimes feel society has become one big help desk? Think about it. You call one when your computer crashes and another when you need assistance cooking your Butterball® turkey. The need for domestic violence crisis hot lines has increased in direct proportion to economic downturns and many libraries set up help desks to assist kids with their homework. Regardless of the reason you've been put in charge of jump starting a help desk office, there are many things you can do to make your life easier while it's being put into place and after the phones start ringing.
Hire staffers or recruit volunteers who are highly-trained to answer questions posed by callers or recruit "people magnets" who possess the patience and people skills to respond appropriately to requests for help. Draft a set of "client expectations" that define the parameters of responses staff may offer. Importantly, train workers to know the limits to which they will be expected to respond to a caller before a supervisor should be engaged.
Find office space to accommodate the number of employees or volunteers projected. Work with an interior designer to design work stations with an eye toward privacy, so whether a responder is advising a women on medicating her child or talking a widower through his grief, there's enough breathing room on both ends of the conversation.
Work with call-takers one-on-one when instituting the help desk to help guide staff or volunteers through proper responses and offer suggestions for better communication skills. Shadow staff or volunteer workers at regular intervals thereafter to be certain they maintain a high level of service excellence. Ask responders to keep a log of frequently posed questions and share that information with the rest of the crew. Draft policies to deal with issues if they can't be resolved or are outside the boundaries of the services the office is committed to providing.
Establish a funding source to launch your help desk. Budget for computers, tables, chairs, soundproof partitions, rent, power and your lines of communication. Shop phone and Internet services to get the best deals for both, opting for an all-in-one plan for continuous services at one set price per month, if possible.
Strive to establish a great communication network between staffers or volunteers so if someone can't modulate their voice while helping a caller figure out why their computer crashed and burned, neighbors will feel comfortable asking them to dial it down rather than suffering in silence.
Staff your help desk deeply at peek times so responders aren't overwhelmed if they're flying solo. Offer regular breaks and don't dismiss the benefits of a soothing environment that starts with softly colored walls, excellent lighting, comfy chairs and reassurance from senior staffers that they'll be there to back up those on the "front lines."
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