The IT help desk may seem a world away from the executive spotlight, but that doesn?t mean management should be oblivious to it?s effectiveness – namely in the 5 key help desk metrics executives should know about.
Money wasted on inefficient processes is money that can be recouped by effective management, and when it comes to IT help desk it?s all about processes. Understanding how your organization takes care of IT issues is the first step in making sure those processes are as effective as they can be both financially and technologically.
- Satisfaction – Are the customer?s of your IT help desks leaving happy? If not, they should be. In the era of ?the customer is always right,? this is a key element for executives to know pertaining to their help desk processes. Unhappy customers could be due to a flaw in the system – and likely means they won?t stay customers long.
- Volume – An executive can?t ensure an effective process if they have no idea how much it handles, and IT help desk are no different. Understanding the IT ticket volume, or how many requests come through over a given time, is one of the first steps in understanding the entire help desk process. Proper metrics should be able to show how this number fluctuates given different variables, such as hours worked per project, time of year or project type, that will help narrow down improvement possibilities later on down the line.
- Ticket Response Time – The time it takes to complete a ticket, or ticket response time, directly coincides with efficiency and customer satisfaction, which means it?s one of the metrics executives should keep their eyes on. Lower ticket response times means quicker outcomes for customers and clients, which leads to happier clients overall. It?ll also free up more time for your employees to be working on other projects. If your customer satisfaction is low, and your ticket response times could be improved, this may be one of the first variables to work on for improvement.
- Channel – How does your team receive the brunt of their IT tickets? With organization?s using new methods of customer outreach such as social media or web chats, IT help desk support can receive help tickets in numerous ways. Knowing which channel is the most – and the least – effective is important in prioritizing changes to improve IT help desk efficiency.
- Ticket Classification – Perhaps the most important help desk metrics executives should know is specific types of the problems at hand. Finding trends in popular or upcoming problem areas can provide insight for a savvy manager to move ahead of the curve, leading to improved response times, increased customer satisfaction, and elevated brand loyalty from your customers.
In today?s tech savvy world, metrics are the new gold standard for improvement. Tracking these metrics, either within your own team or with the help of an IT partner, can help improve operational efficiency and increase customer appreciation, which is what?s going to continue to drive sales later on down the line.