Help Desk Reporting Metrics | SERVICE SUPPORT



Use monthly reports to evaluate and compare monthly activities and high-frequency problems as well as to track cost reduction and call avoidance measures. For example, you could identify a piece of hardware that is breaking down on a regular basis and proactively replace the hardware. At a minimum, track:
  • Costs per user
  • Calls per user
  • Cost per call
  • Abandon rate
  • First call resolution
  • Calls by type
  • Call volume by day and time
  • Calls by agent
  • End-user satisfaction
Do not just produce reports; use and analyze the reports to take actions to reduce your support costs. Getting trends on calls allows you to determine root causes and proactively solve issues. Also, use reporting metrics to view staff performance.

Knowledge Management and User Self-Service

Creating a database of frequently needed solutions and workarounds assists help desk agents to be more productive by quickly solving the same problems over again. Use resolution templates and scripts to address recurring problems, or better yet, fix the root cause of the those problems. Providing users with access to this database of knowledge management empowers employees and helps them solve their own problems, thereby reducing calls and costs. Through interviews, some companies report that self-service capabilities allowed them to reduce calls by 10 percent. If the cost to service a person with self-help is 15 to 20 percent of the cost of traditional calls, it results in an overall cost savings for the help desk of 8 percent. Self-service solutions must be easy to use, easy to navigate, easy to understand, and quick They need to be faster than picking up the phone and making a call to the help desk. To generate savings, publicize self-service tools and options.

Help Desk Software, Call Logging



There have been significant improvements in tools available for the help desk that are usable for all sizes of companies. Additionally, there are many examples of help desk software such as Track-It and Heat. The software tools vary in cost from free to very expensive and elaborate. They typically have scalable price points. By using improved tools in the automation of support, you can reduce the costs and size or increase responsibilities of the help desk.
Companies that track all calls and incidents, complete a regular analysis of types of calls, and implement changes to reduce calls are able to realize significant cost savings. Several companies mentioned doing a Pareto chart to find the most common help desk calls to then determine solutions to those problems and drive down future calls. For example, one company found the largest percent of calls was to fix or replace printers. They took a proactive approach and ordered 400 printers over a two-month period resulting in reduced calls and huge savings. Another company found the majority of calls was for password resets and implemented password reset software.
Centralizing all calls to a help desk reduces costly interruptions of expensive resources focused on other projects and work. Receive requests for help via the phone, web, or e-mail. If you can log calls into a database where end users will see their status, you can automatically notify them of changes to their issues. This reduces calls back to the help desk by end users seeking status checks. Prioritize and classify incidents to focus on the high-priority items rather than on a first come, first served basis. Make sure you have a procedure for dealing with high-impact incidents as well as escalation procedures. Formal end-user feedback through automatic surveys when tickets are closed provides useful information to improve services and ultimately reduce costs.

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