The Help Desk Evolution: Three Trends Affecting IT Support

According to a study by Robert Half Technology and HDI, IT support services are evolving rapidly. Learn about the top three changes that affect the help desk and the skills you need to stay one step ahead.

Thanks to trends like cloud computing, mobility and BYOD (bring your own device), IT support services need to be more responsive. To complement these new technologies, help desk service professionals need to find new ways to manage privacy, security, and storage to keep up with the ever-increasing influx of new devices.

Below are three workforce trends that confuse IT support services, outlined in Robert Half Technology and HDI's collaborative research, future tech support centers, and implications for IT tech and support professionals. ..

1. Mobility

Help desks manage their assets thanks to the proliferation of mobile devices and Wi-Fi networks, many of which are public or unsecured, allowing employees to work beyond the traditional office boundaries. There are more challenges in doing so. For many organizations like OfficeMax in Naperville, IL, mobility essentially triples the number of physical assets under IT service management.

A way to control this rapid influx of mobile devices? We will have a dedicated technical support team, just like AIG. Global insurers have established internal mobility organizations to centralize the management of mobile devices and ensure secure integration.

2. BYOD

Like mobility, BYOD continues to raise concerns for IT support professionals. Business users not only want the option to work from anywhere, they also want to choose which device to use. However, organizations were reluctant to follow BYOD trends due to security concerns. In fact, according to our research, only a third of organizations allow employees to use their personal devices to access the corporate network.

But is that the best action plan? Perhaps employees work on their devices, whether companies like it or not. BYOD is still there and users will leave IT behind if the business doesn't adapt. The business of IT is to enable users to connect, share and collaborate in a secure environment with unlimited freedom.

3. Real-time Support

Longer waiting time for a week to remedy incidents. In many cases, even the day's wait times seem excessive. Today, users demand access to IT support anytime, anywhere. If there is a problem, they wait for an immediate solution.

Today's users are constantly exposed to Internet services that offer instant results (think social media, text messages, status updates in real time). Now they expect the same quality IT experience. To meet this demand, IT must be highly accessible, available, and secure. And to be accessible, available, and secure, IT support teams must collaborate and innovate, not just "catch and dispatch."

What Does This Mean For IT support Staff?

As more companies embrace virtualization and cloud services, many of today's technical support and support features change. IT is no longer considered a cost center, nor does it function as a cost center. The technical support team helps organizations find new ways to use technology to streamline operations, reduce costs, and better meet end-user needs. However, to do this, support professionals must stay up-to-date on mobile device and app trends.

And collaboration is key. Mobility, BYOD and permanent access requests require further collaboration from the technical support team. Therefore, you need more efficient problem management. Being able to identify past trends and avoid future problems benefits both the IT support center and the business.

Stay Sensitive - The Most Demanding Tech Support Skills

As your help desk evolves into a future technical support center, focus on the skills that make your business successful. Customer service, problem-solving, and communication skills are more important than ever in today's support environment.

The following are the top five support skills according to a survey of 403 technical support professionals by Robert Half and HDI.

• Customer service mindset; passion for customer service (88%)
• Wants to continue learning about technology and trends (80%)
• Social intelligence; understanding of human connections in the digital world (75%)
• A proactive approach to solving the problem. Efficiency (71%)
• Strengthening collaboration with staff inside and outside the Technical Support Center (71%)

Please note that most of the skills necessary to succeed in future technical support centers are interpersonal skills, not technical. This indicates that the focus of support in the Technical Support Center is greater than ever.