Why the Biggest "Myths" About IT Service Desk May Actually Be Right

People love to make fun of people who work in the IT Help Desk. It all started with some popular TV programs like The IT Crowd and it made them believe in strange things like all IT Help Desk employees fumble all the time or they have almost zero knowledge about the product. But nothing could be farther from the truth. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making fun of IT Help Desk support staff if people do it on good humor or if it makes people feel happy. But the problem with these TV shows and related films is that they are perpetuating some myths about IT Help Desk industry that are totally absurd and don’t reflect the very nature of the business model of the IT support industry.

But on the other side, some myths about IT Help Desk Software industry might actually be true. Yeah it might catch you off guard but the truth is IT Help Desk Software industry, just like any other industry, faces crisis time to time. Now, to make your job easier here we are going to analyze some myths to figure out whether there is any truth in it –

1. IT Service Desk Is a Bring Job

IT Desk job is not easy. Some may argue that IT Help Desk workers don’t have to write code or do something creative, but that is not true at all. IT Help Desk job is not another boring data entry job where you just to switch off your creative side and keep on entering data for hours. Here you need to deal with customers, escalate their issues to relevant departments so that their problems get fixed fast and they are also responsible for keeping a liaison with other teams within an organization so that the business can continue to operate like a well-oiled machine.

So, it is a challenging job and since the software or the application that IT desk workers use to serve their customers get updated every now and then, they will have to bear with the additional responsibility of keeping themselves updated with all the latest technology. It is definitely not a dead-end job, even far from it. But of course, there is extreme work pressure at times but the same is true for almost all professions, right?

But at the same time, some organizations put extreme workloads on IT desk workers making it impossible for the employees to learn new skills. If you are one of those few IT desk workers, your career may meet a dead-end for sure. So, there is some truth in it for sure.

2. IT Service Desk Workers Lead a Nocturnal Life Away from Human Beings

Save some exceptional people, almost all IT Service Desk professionals love to work in a livid and exciting workplace. But since IT Service Desk software is a 24x7 profession, some guys have to work in night shifts otherwise, there will be significant delays in problem resolution. Dealing with customers and resolving their issues might sound like a fun and easy job but it is not. It is tiring and stressful at times and therefore, some IT support guys want to work in a comfy and lonely place away from other workers so that they can concentrate on their jobs and resolve customers issues without any delay. IT Service Guys are fun loving and they love to interact with people but the problem is that they are interacting so many people on so many levels and via so many different platforms that they want to take a break and love to spend few minutes alone rather than interacting with employees from other teams.

3. IT Service Desk Workers Don’t Know Anything About The Product

This is one of the most annoying myths that keeps pestering IT service professionals. You need to understand the fact that IT Desk workers have nothing to do with product development or service. So, how on earth anyone can expect them to know every single aspect of the product? Moreover, the product gets updated every now and then. New features get included and some features get removed. Keeping a track of all these is a nightmare. Most service desk agents are expected to have a basic understanding of the software and its usages. They can help you fix issues that are faced by a good number of people on a regular basis. But how can you expect them to have a deeper understanding of the application or knowing something that demands a clear and through understanding of the product? They get trained by professionals and product development specialists so that they can resolve simple issues. For complex issues, they will raise ticket and assign that ticket to a person with specialization. Shouting at them or name calling would not make any difference here. So, it is a fact that IT service Desk agents don’t have a deeper understanding of the product but that does not mean they know nothing about the product.

4. They Know Everything

On the other side of the spectrum, some people tend to nourish a strange notion and that is – IT Service agents know everything. IT Desk Agents are amazing. They can guide you through the installation process, can help you resolve complex problems and can raise tickets for problems that demands special attention but that doesn’t mean, they know everything about the product. So, stop treating them like Gods. They are not electricians and therefore, there is no point calling them if the alarm system of your home is acting up. Ask them relevant questions and be patient while doing so. They are handling hundreds of customer requests every single day so sometimes they can get slow while processing your service request; you just need to bear with that.

5. They Are Reading A Script and Nothing Else

Every organization sets up some rules and regulations related to customer service and the IT desk agents have to abide by it. There is nothing wrong in following a script because it helps in the standardization of the process. Without a proper guidance or script, there will be total chaos in the floor. Moreover, following script has its share of advantages. It allows for quicker resolution and adds to higher customers happiness index. It saves time and allows IT help desk agents to increase their productivity. As explained earlier, IT help desk agents are not the Jack of all trades and we can’t expect them to be. So, it makes sense why organizations encourage IT desk agents to follow a script as it ensures fewer mistakes and faster resolution.

6. IT Service Desk Agents Can Identify Your Fibs

Most IT service desk agents have been dealing with clients for a long period of time and therefore, they can easily sense lies. So, if you try to vehemently deny something that you have obviously done, they can easily see through your lies. They have been dealing with similar issues for a long time and probably have handled customers lying through their teeth and that means, there is no way you can dupe them. It will just elongate your problem and make the resolution process overtly complex. So, just accept your mistake and done with it.

Vaishali Gopi is an enthusiastic Digital Marketer who has keen interest towards customer support management and related stuff and voices about it frequently.