5 Most Common Help Desk Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Everybody makes mistakes. Even the most seasoned help desk professional is not above making a simple blunder. Whether you're a help desk rookie or have been in the game for a number of years, there are some common help desk problems that often crop up and can make for a less-than-pleasant workday.

Many of these typical help desk problems can be avoided or easily solved.

Here are five of the most common help desk mistakes and how you can sidestep them like a champ.

Mistake #1: Not Getting Enough Info from the Customer

Sometimes, a problem may seem so simple that a help desk professional doesn't prod the customer to offer enough info.

Asking the right questions and getting the customer to give you some more of the subtleties of the issue at-hand may make it easier – and faster – to solve a problem.

Listen closely to what the customer has to say to try to pick the right cues that can help you solve the problem.

Mistake #2: Going It Alone When the Going Gets Tough

Or, you may need to make the hand-off to a different department altogether. When you're on the clock, put your ego to rest. Everyone can have an off-day and no one person can solve all help desk problems. Sometimes, you need to call for a little back-up.

Chalk it up to pride in one's work or just pride in-general, but sometimes, you just can't tackle a support desk problem on your own. It may require reaching out to colleagues who are more experienced in dealing with more advanced problems.

Mistake #3: Not Getting Enough Info from Teammates

It can also save the customer frustration from having to start from square one and reiterate all steps of the problem. Giving your teammate notes in great, albeit concise, detail can help solve problems faster and with less aggravation for all involved.

Good interpersonal communication is essential for those times when you have to hand-off a problem to another teammate. Accurately taking notes and having an established system in place for logging common details of help desk problems, as well as more unique complaints can go a long way to saving a teammate time and trouble in resolving a customer's issue.

Mistake #4: Losing Your Cool

Difficult problems – and difficult customers – can often make for a frustrating day at the help desk. Although a solid bank of technical knowledge is part of a help desk professional's background, customer service is also an integral part of the job, too.

Above all, listen and make sure that the customer feels that he or she is being heard. You may be missing key elements of a problem that the customer feels hasn't been investigated. If the customer continues to hurl angry words, don't hesitate to call in your supervisor to speak with the person and assist in resolving the issue.

Very often, help desk personnel receive the brunt of a customer's anger. If a problem is not solved as fast as a customer had hoped, things can get ugly. Rather than lose your temper and fire back at an angry customer, take a deep breath and choose your words carefully.

Mistake #5: The "Keep 'em Moving" Mentality

Sometimes, there may be multiple factors that are the cause behind a particular customer's problem. Digging deeper and taking time to fully address issues can help keep what should be a "one and done" call from becoming a frustrating and time-consuming repeat error.

"Slow your roll" and get all of the facts from the customer to make sure the problem is not as simple as it initially appears. Hang up only when you know the customer has had the issue satisfactorily resolved or when you may have to hand them over to another department who can better address their issue.

As a help desk pro, you probably like solving problems and solving as many of them as possible. Some problems, however, just aren't that simple. Some customer service calls just aren't as simple as referring a customer to an FAQ or pre-existing database to (essentially) solve their problem themselves.