Introduction to Help Desk Concepts and Skills

Rating:
Summary: Good Content and Relevant Information
Review: I'm in the process of setting up a 10 person help desk. I found this book thorough and comperehensive in introducing me to many of the concepts required to plan, set up, and run a help desk. The enclosed software (HelpSTAR) and exercises as well as help desk simulation are well thought out.

The book is positioned as a college-level text, but I found it practical for my own self learning.

Rating:
Summary: If you run a helpdesk then you need this for your employees.
Review: One of the hardest things to learn in the IT industry is how to deal with customers. Learning good skills is often an ongoing process. Learning how to communicate ideas and concepts can often be very difficult.

Having run 2 help desks I know that good agents are hard to find. Susan Sanderson has put together one of the few book on help desk that take it from the beginning and give you information that will help in everyday life. I have already found several things in here that I can use in the classes I teach as well as the customers I visit.

There are 10 chapters and each one builds on each other. You have practice labs and even review questions. This book can be used as a self paced course or in the formal classroom setting.

One of the things I liked best was the cd that is included; this cd has Help Desk Software included for practice. The big plus of the cd is the sample recording of actual calls so that you can hear what the customers is saying and learn several techniques for communicating and listening.

Overall this book is very helpful and seems to have just about everything included.

Rating:
Summary: Practical Help Desk implementation
Review: This Book is ideally suited to those looking for guidance on the concepts and skills required for the setup and implementation of a World Class Help Desk.

Along the way, you get in-depth analysis and exercises, giving you a balanced insight into the way a Help Desk should be set up, and operated, providing both the End-Users, and Employees of the Help Desk with the best of both worlds.

Also, there are numerous examples of ways to both run the help desk itself, and the management of it's personnel, but particularly useful are the audio examples of a number of typical situations the Help Desk Staff can find themselves dealing with.

The book wraps up with a useful simulation including help desk software to give you hands-on practice in solving problems.