What problems arise when managing a technical support department?

Question

Helpdesk

Hello!
I'm trying to help my colleagues with putting things in order in the technical support department. We are thinking about how to rebuild it in order to increase the number of processed requests.

In this regard, it became necessary to understand what problems we do not see with the management of the department, but which we have to deal with in practice. Those. what can stop us.

If you are familiar with this topic, I will be very grateful for advice on what needs to be changed in the technical support department and why.

Answer 1

Hello!
I'm trying to help my colleagues with putting things in order in the technical support department. We are thinking about how to rebuild it in order to increase the number of processed requests.

IMHO, you need to think about how to reduce the number of EMERGING requests, and not how to process more :)

In this regard, it became necessary to understand what problems we do not see with the management of the department, but which we have to deal with in practice. Those. what can stop us.

Everything is simple here and depends on whether
1) does your current technical department only troubles or can it somehow influence the state of affairs in IT? In other words, is there a concept of a 1-2-3 line and division by direction (PC, server, network, database, etc)
2) Do your users know how and what is "arranged in IT". Those. is there a vision as a whole, instructions, knowledge base, description of processes, etc., etc.
3) What tools does the department / IT_as a whole have for:
- monitoring
- PC/server centralization (updates, software, etc.)
- inventory / asset management and Software
- acceptance / distribution / accounting of applications. Analytics of the entire kitchen of "applications"
4) what does everything have with information security

If you are familiar with this topic, I will be very grateful for advice on what needs to be changed in the technical support department and why.

It's hard to tell something without knowing half of your kitchen!

Answer 2

As usual, weak points are at the junctions of something with something. (for example, see paragraph 2.3. https://forensics.ru/InFuWo.htm#c0203 ) In this case, this is:
(a) a problem of interaction with users;
(b) the problem of interaction with management.

Answer 3

Your "department" has only one problem - an incompetent leader (also known as an "effective manager").
Already as its consequence - the invitation of the incompetent consultant.
For starters, both read ITIL.
Then try to pull it on your organization.
As a result, you should have a "vision" of the technical support processes of your organization.
and implement it