Certificate in Customer Helpdesk Skills Online Course

Helpdesk Basics

What does it take to be a star at the helpdesk? In this lesson, we'll look at the technological and "soft" skills that translate into helpdesk success. In addition, we'll explore the basic terminology you'll use as a helpdesk representative.

Developing a Winning Attitude

Today you'll discover just how important a positive attitude is—both to your own career and to your company's future. We'll talk about ways to maintain a good attitude when you're dealing with challenging calls, and you'll learn how to use positive language to create happy outcomes for customers.

Success at the helpdesk depends not just on what you say, but also on how you say it. In this lesson, you’ll find out how to avoid grammar landmines, master a smooth delivery, and use active voice to reach your customers more effectively.

Putting it in Writing

From e-mails to online chats, writing is a big part of a helpdesk job. Today we’ll talk about how to hone your writing skills by polishing your written grammar, avoiding jargon and “bloat,” and setting just the right tone in your messages.

It’s time to get down to the details of helpdesk work, and we’ll start now by talking about getting the most from your issue entry and tracking system. In addition, we’ll discuss issue severity and priority, and talk about ownership of an issue.

Collecting Data

Do you like a good mystery? Good--because helpdesk work is all about collecting clues and solving cases. Today we’ll look at the three types of information you’ll gather during your detective work: customer information, system information, and error information.

In this lesson we’ll move from investigating problems to solving them, and look at three important troubleshooting techniques. First, you’ll learn why the simplest approach should be your first. Next, you’ll discover how to use flowcharts to speed your work and create a resource library. And last, we’ll talk about your role in Root Cause Analysis.

Research Skills and Resources

Uh oh. Your customer has a question . . . and you don’t know the answer. But don’t panic! Today we’ll look at how you can refine your research skills using three different tools: your own library, knowledge bases and FAQs, and the Internet. In addition, we’ll talk a little about the etiquette you’ll want to follow when asking your coworkers for help.

When you can’t solve an issue yourself, you’ll need to take the next step: calling in the cavalry. In this lesson we’ll look at the art of escalation, exploring how and when to bump a problem up to the next level. We’ll also talk about monitoring the issues you escalate, and using tickler notes to make sure they don’t get lost in the shuffle. Finally, you’ll learn how to keep your customers updated (and calm) while you’re searching for solutions.

Issue Resolution

Helpdesk work is all about mind games: solving puzzles, turning facts over and around and sometimes upside-down, and even playing guessing games. And that’s why today’s theme is games! First, we’ll talk about the “sandbox”—a place where you can play around with customer’s issues safely, especially if you’re in IT. Then we’ll look at actual games such as jigsaw puzzles and crosswords, and see how they can get your creative juices flowing. And finally, we’ll examine ways to take the “guess” out of guesswork.

It’s a satisfying feeling to close an issue—but be careful not to close it too soon! In this lesson, we’ll look at how to report your solution to customers, your management team, and other departments affected by it. In addition, we’ll talk about keeping track of the resources you use in solving a problem. And finally, we’ll discuss the importance of keeping an eye toward the future as you report the issues you’re closing today.

Customer and Issue Follow-Up

Your issue is closed, over, finished. Everyone’s happy. So your job is done—or is it? Today, you’ll discover that following up with your customers after you solve a problem can increase their satisfaction (and give you great clues about your service). We’ll talk about customer surveys and follow-up notes, and look at easy ways to personalize your messages to customers by using templates.