When your hotel runs into IT issues, you want to ensure that your hotel’s IT Support partner will resolve the issues as quickly and efficiently as possible. One of the best indicators of a company’s reliability is how their service desk runs. In this article I will discuss the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other important characteristics that you should expect your IT Support to practice.
Time to Respond
Time to respond is the time it takes between a customer making a request and an engineer opening a ticket. This is a critical metric in measuring the effectiveness of a service desk; you want to know that your IT Support is quick to pick up your issues, even if it will take a while to find a complete resolution. It shows that you, as a customer, are important and that solving your problems is their number one priority. A customer should be able to view their request status and see when a ticket has been opened and is in progress. A high performing service desk will communicate effectively with you and keep you informed.
Time to Resolution
Whilst time to first response is important, if it takes an unreasonably long time to find a resolution to the problem, that metric is negated. After all, the most important thing to you is that the problem is solved as quickly and efficiently as possible. Time to resolution is, of course, the time it takes for the problem to be completely resolved. Although this is usually straight forward, it can sometimes be difficult to measure, for example, if an issue requires further input from a customer or third party. Ultimately, if a company’s metrics show that they are consistently taking a long time to solve uncomplicated issues, it is a clear sign that their service desk is not performing at a high level.
Process
Following on from time to resolution is process. Although not a measurable KPI, a service desk with an established process will usually have a shorter time to resolution. A competent help desk will have processes in place to ensure that tickets are directed to the appropriate people, and if the first line engineer is unable to solve the problem, that it is escalated. It will have a system in place for out of hours emergencies and will ensure that your IT issues are resolved as quickly as possible so you can continue running your business.
Service Desk Tools
A high performing service desk will have invested in tools which are designed to save time, help them with organisation and create a more professional environment. At a basic level, they will have a ticketing system which will allow you to report issues and follow the status of that issue until it is resolved. They will have a database with your company information so that you don’t find yourself repeating everything to every engineer you speak to. These tools are imperative to any service desk so if you are dealing with a team who don’t seem to have these, you should question their competence.
Technical Skills
Although you can’t expect every issue to be resolved over a five-minute phone call, there are some problems which do not require a complicated process. You should be confident that the engineers you’re dealing with have a basic level of skill and can solve simple issues without having to ask their supervisors. It almost goes without saying, but the importance of continuous training and certification can’t be stressed enough. Your service desk needs to be able to work with the technology you have and they should be able to solve your problems without stumbling on basic points, such as interpreting reports.
Focus on Customer Service
As a customer you should feel valued and taken seriously. You want to know that your service desk has your best interests at heart and that resolving your issues is their priority. The engineers you speak to should be polite and have a pleasant telephone manner. They should explain things to you without using too much jargon which can be confusing. All of these things seem so obvious, but if a service desk falls short on any of these, the likelihood is that you won’t feel comfortable working with them. Customer service is about going the extra mile without being asked and having genuine care and concern.
Feedback
Finally, an indicator of the accomplishments of a service desk is the feedback from previous customers. If businesses similar to yours have used the service desk and were happy with the service they got, you can usually assume that you too will have a positive experience. If the company specialises in a certain area, like hotels, then they usually will have seen similar problems to yours before and they should be experienced in solving them. Whilst one or two negative reviews doesn’t necessarily mean the service desk is inadequate, if there are consistent negative reviews picking up on recurring problems, they might not be the appropriate service desk for you.
Cardonet’s service desk engineers are available 24/7 to assist you with your hotel IT challenges. With 20 years’ experience in the hospitality field and engineering bases in the United Kingdom, Europe and Southern California, we are ready to assist and ensure your hotel infrastructure is running smoothly 24/7.
If you are spending too much time dealing with hotel technology issues and if those issues are affecting your guest experience, call us on +44 203 034 2244 or +1 323 984 8908 Alternately, you can contact us online. We will be happy to help you overcome your hotel IT challenges so that you can improve your guest experience and set your hotel apart in what is a competitive landscape.
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