Devoted to Help Desk and Technical Support personnel and applications

I have always felt that there are two types of good mentors on helpdesks.  Mentors are always well-seasoned professionals obviously, and let’s face it, not all experienced help desk techs make good mentors.  All mentors need to be committed to their work, but today I am going one step beyond to divide the cream of the crop up a little further. 

The day a new hire walks in the door they need to recognize how important customer service is.  I like to let each new person train with one person who is strong in customer service skills first.  Making the customer feel comfortable and happy is a priority, and that should always be first and foremost.  A help desk is much like a complaint department.  People don’t often call when there is nothing wrong, and techs need to turn that around with every call.

The second mentor should be strong in technical skills.  I like to refer to this person as the technical guru.  The guru knows all the tricks and is happy to pass the knowledge along to the newbies.  They know how to solve problems quickly, and they have the skill and patience to give guide others.