Online Class: How to Run an Effective Help Desk

In this course, we will cover all the topics necessary to run your Help Desk, including drafting a plan, determining which services to offer, when to outsource, how to measure performance, how to effectively deal with senior management, which tools will aid you, and how to ensure that your customers are receiving value.

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  • 15
    Lessons
  • 17
    Exams &
    Assignments
  • 895
    Students
    have taken this course
  • 6
    Hours
    average time
  • 0.6
    CEUs
 
 
 

Course Description

Unlocking the Power of an Optimized Help Desk: A Blueprint for Success

In the intricate tapestry of modern businesses, the Help Desk often emerges as an unsung hero. While not directly generating profits, it plays an indispensable role in bolstering company value, seamlessly amplifying productivity, and solidifying customer loyalty. But how do you transform this essential service hub into an influential powerhouse that truly aligns with your organization's vision and objectives?

Dive into our comprehensive course, "Unlocking the Power of an Optimized Help Desk: A Blueprint for Success." This dynamic program unravels the secrets to crafting a Help Desk that not only functions efficiently but also actively drives company success.

While constructing a skyscraper without a blueprint is unimaginable, so is developing a Help Desk without a strategic plan. This course underscores the importance of that blueprint - detailing the nuances of drafting a coherent mission, demystifying the art of service selection, and spotlighting the significance of aligning your Help Desk's goals with your company's overarching objectives.

Explore the intricacies of service prioritization, ensuring that each issue is addressed in sync with its importance and urgency. Immerse yourself in discussions about when and how to outsource, ensuring that every decision contributes to your bottom line. Equip yourself with a data-driven approach to measure performance, and master the tactics to communicate effectively with senior management, securing their buy-in and support.

Furthermore, in a landscape replete with tools and technologies, this course will illuminate the most impactful ones, ensuring your Help Desk remains a step ahead. Beyond mere functionality, we'll delve into cultivating a customer-centric ethos, ensuring every interaction reaffirms the value your organization brings to its clientele.

In essence, our course promises a holistic journey, transforming your Help Desk from a mere functional unit to a strategic asset that continually adds unparalleled value to your organization. Enroll now, and embark on a transformative voyage, elevating your Help Desk to new pinnacles of efficiency and excellence.

  • Completely Online
  • Self-Paced
  • Printable Lessons
  • Full HD Video  
  • 6 Months to Complete
  • 24/7 Availability
  • Start Anytime
  • PC & Mac Compatible
  • Android & iOS Friendly
  • Accredited CEUs
Universal Class is an IACET Accredited Provider
 
 

Course Lessons

Average Lesson Rating:
4.57 / 5 Stars (Average Rating)
"Extraordinarily Helpful"
(800 votes)

Lesson 1: Establishing a Help Desk

11 Points
In order for your Help Desk to add value, it must be established with the proper mission, it must offer the right services, and it must achieve its objectives. We will start with these fundamentals.
  • Lesson 1 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Reasons for Taking this Course
  • Complete Assignment: An Introduction
  • Assessment: Lesson 1: Establishing a Help Desk

Lesson 2: Building Your Customer Profile

10 Points
In this lesson, we will focus exclusively on one ingredient in all business plans, which is a customer profile.
  • Lesson 2 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 2: Building Your Customer Profile

Lesson 3: Help Desk Organization

10 Points
The organization of your Help Desk is another aspect of the planning process. Your organization or structure will depend on your mission, objectives, and types of services.
  • Lesson 3 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 3: Help Desk Organization

Lesson 4: Staffing Needs

10 Points
In this lesson, we will discuss staffing in more detail including the different types of employees you will need, the skills they need to possess, how to plan for employee departures, and the proper training required for your staff.
  • Lesson 4 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 4: Staffing Needs

Lesson 5: Issue Management: Establishing Priority and Severity of Issues

10 Points
When a customer calls the Help Desk, it usually means they are not able to perform their job to the fullest extent or in some cases, not at all. There are varying degrees of importance for each call. You cannot use "first come, first served."
  • Lesson 5 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 5: Issue Management: Establishing Priority and Severity of Issues

Lesson 6: Issue Management - Procedures

10 Points
In this lesson, we will focus on procedures, their importance, and how to create them.
  • Lesson 6 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 6: Issue Management: Procedures

Lesson 7: Logging Support Calls

9 Points
Every time a support call comes into a Help Desk, that call must be logged and tracked. The issue's status and progress also must be tracked throughout the entire life cycle of the issue.
  • Lesson 7 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 7: Logging Support Calls

Lesson 8: Help Desk Tools - Forums, Collaboration, and Communication

10 Points
In the daily operations of your Help Desk, you will use many tools. In the next two lessons, we will devote time to discussing which tools to use, why they are used, and how to use them effectively.
  • Lesson 8 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 8: Help Desk Tools: Forums, Collaboration, and Communication

Lesson 9: Help Desk Tools - Problem Resolution and Help Desk Management

10 Points
Many of the tools used by a Help Desk involve problem resolution and Help Desk Management. Examples for problem solving include knowledge bases, expert systems, and diagnostic software.
  • Lesson 9 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 9: Help Desk Tools: Problem Resolution and Help Desk Management

Lesson 10: Your Help Desk and the Internet

10 Points
There are varying degrees of opinion on both the internet's usefulness in business and its impact on our daily lives. But one thing is a fact, that it is an incredible, vast array of information, available to Help Desks worldwide.
  • Lesson 10 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 10: Your Help Desk and the Internet

Lesson 11: Establishing Your Help Desk's Online Presence

10 Points
Your Help Desk has a choice about its online presence. You can have an intranet site, which typically only is accessible by people within your own company, or you can have an internet site, which is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.
  • Lesson 11 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 11: Establishing Your Help Desk’s Online Presence

Lesson 12: Help Desk Metrics

10 Points
If you are a member of a Help Desk and especially if you are managing one, you must keep a close watch on performance. This course gives you the details on how to run an effective Help Desk but how will you know if you are effective?
  • Lesson 12 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 12: Help Desk Metrics

Lesson 13: Marketing Your Help Desk

10 Points
Although many Help Desks operate as part of a much larger company or within a company, your Help Desk should be considered a business. You have products and services, and you have customers who need them. Management is not going to automatically fund you.
  • Lesson 13 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 13: Marketing Your Help Desk

Lesson 14: Return on Investment and Value

10 Points
As we have learned in previous lessons, senior management will be involved in many aspects of your Help Desk, and the budget is the one area where you likely will see the most input.
  • Lesson 14 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 14: Return on Investment and Value

Lesson 15: When to Outsource Work

83 Points
Most Help Desks have two distinct perspectives about outsourcing work: It is either a great idea that will ultimately save money for the company or it is a ridiculous idea that only will add expense and overhead to a company.
  • Lesson 15 Video
  • Lesson discussions: End of Course Poll; Course Comments; Course Comments
  • Assessment: Lesson 15: When to Outsource Work
  • Assessment: The Final Exam
223
Total Course Points
 

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  • Describe the processes establishing a help desk.
  • Demonstrate building your customer profile.
  • Describe help desk organization and staffing needs
  • Establish priority and determine the severity of issues.
  • Demonstrate management issue procedures.
  • Demonstrate the process of logging support calls.
  • Summarize available help desk tools and how to put them to work.
  • Describe your help desk and the internet.
  • Recognize, implement, and review help desk metrics.
  • Describe marketing your help desk and calculating the return on investment and value.
  • Determine when to outsource work.
  • Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
 

Additional Course Information

Online CEU Certificate
  • Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
  • Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
  • Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
  • View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
  • Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media
Document Your CEUs on Your Resume
 
Course Title: How to Run an Effective Help Desk
Course Number: 8900088
Lessons Rating: 4.57 / 5 Stars (800 votes)
Languages: English - United States, Canada and other English speaking countries
Availability: This course is fully available online in all 50 states, including California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, and Georgia. It’s also offered in major English-speaking countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Ireland.
Last Updated: February 2024
Course Type: Self-Paced, Online Class
CEU Value: 0.6 IACET CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
CE Accreditation: Universal Class, Inc. has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
Grading Policy: Earn a final grade of 70% or higher to receive an online/downloadable CEU Certification documenting CEUs earned.
Assessment Method: Lesson assignments and review exams
Syllabus: View Syllabus
Course Fee: $120.00 U.S. dollars

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