When I first sat down at the help desk and picked up the phone, before the caller said a word, I thought nothing could be simpler: people would be calling me for help, and I would help them. I'd answer questions, maybe walk them through a thing or two--no sweat. The year was 1995, the Internet was about to go from learning to crawl to a full-fledged sprint, and I had no idea what I was getting into.
Flash forward over ten years, and I am now the manager of a technical support organization within a major telecommunications company. Between that first call on the front lines and today, I have lived the world of the help desk from many perspectives, gradually refining my understanding of what makes a great help desk tick. In some ways, back in 1995, I was right: a help desk is simple--customers call, the help desk answers.
But of course, there is so much more to it than that. Like an intricate puzzle, it takes great planning, effort and execution to build the foundation of an excellent support organization. And once that foundation is built, constant care and feeding are required to allow a help desk to flourish.
Some of the roles I have played include first, second and third tier technical support, network operations, team leadership and full-fledged management. Each position has given me a unique viewpoint on the support process, teaching me about how to best weave tools, technology and best practice into a seamless and satisfying experience for the customer.
I am also the co-author and technical editor of several books on network security. Compared to dry technical writing, being an author of a blog about HelpDesks is a welcome change, and I look forward to the flexibility and frequent publishing ability of this medium, not to mention the opportunity to write about a topic I am so passionate about.
I also look forward to you contributions through comments; time has shown that no two experiences are the same, and I am eager to share in yours as well.
"Thank you for calling HelpDeskNotes. Have a great day."
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Great to see you posting, Dan. Excellent job! Welcome aboard. I look forward to your posts--I know they'll be solid.
Posted by: Dan Smith | February 28, 2006 1:05 PM | Permalink to Comment