Those folks on the help desk sure are nice, but they’re not always, well, helpful. A recent study by Forrester Research found that while users are happy with their PC, e-mail and office productivity software, they’re less satisfied with their help desk and internal communications from IT. Close to half (48 percent) of the 2,138 technology users surveyed said they’re “on the fence” or dissatisfied with help desk support and services at their companies. Users are most unhappy with the timeliness of updates regarding their issues, with 51 percent of respondents reporting they aren’t completely satisfied. That could spell trouble for CIOs because, for many users, their help desk experience may be the only interaction they have with IT. While the help desk staff is viewed as courteous, their expertise and ability to resolve requests in an appropriate time frame are questionable in the eyes of end users. Meredith Morris, a consulting analyst with Forrester Research, believes that the poor marks for expertise may pertain to the help desk’s knowledge of specific business unit applications, processes and needs, in addition to overall technical knowledge. Among survey respondents who use custom-developed software, only 42 percent said they get adequate training. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe The study concludes that because user satisfaction is a prevalent measure of the IT department’s value and success, improving both internal SLAs and the perception of IT support must be a priority for CIOs. Best Practices1] Keep users in the loop. Head off frustration by communicating the status of users’ issues or call tickets and providing estimates of the time it will take to resolve each problem.2] Check in with users. Conduct periodic user satisfaction surveys. Meredith Morris, an analyst with Forrester Research, suggests checking in with users after call ticket or issue resolution, or after a project that the help desk staff was involved with, such as PC deployment or application upgrades. 3] Talk IT up. Build confidence in IT by promoting the status of projects, milestones and success stories more frequently. Describe your level of satisfaction with your company’s IT help desk in the following areas? Satisfied Dissatisfied On the fence Courtesy 76% 1% 22% Availability 55% 6% 38% Expertise of the help desk 53% 7% 41% Timeliness of updates regarding your issue 49% 10% 41% Ability to resolve requests in a timely manner 53% 7% 40% Ability to resolve requests the first time around 51% 8% 42% SOURCE: “HOW DO USERS FEEL ABOUT TECHNOLOGY?” APRIL 11, 2005, FORRESTER RESEARCH. PERCENTAGES MAY NOT EQUAL 100 DUE TO ROUNDING. Related content news CIO Announces the CIO 100 UK and shares Industry Recognition Awards in flagship evening celebrations By Romy Tuin Sep 28, 2023 4 mins CIO 100 IDG Events Events feature 12 ‘best practices’ IT should avoid at all costs From telling everyone they’re your customer to establishing SLAs, to stamping out ‘shadow IT,’ these ‘industry best practices’ are sure to sink your chances of IT success. By Bob Lewis Sep 28, 2023 9 mins CIO IT Strategy Careers interview Qualcomm’s Cisco Sanchez on structuring IT for business growth The SVP and CIO takes a business model first approach to establishing an IT strategy capable of fueling Qualcomm’s ambitious growth agenda. By Dan Roberts Sep 28, 2023 13 mins IT Strategy IT Leadership feature Gen AI success starts with an effective pilot strategy To harness the promise of generative AI, IT leaders must develop processes for identifying use cases, educate employees, and get the tech (safely) into their hands. By Bob Violino Sep 27, 2023 10 mins Generative AI Innovation Emerging Technology Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe