A helpdesk is an organizational system which is managed by a set of employees with guidelines from a manager. It can be part of many organizations. There are two types of job profiles depending on their area of interest. The internal help desk job is mainly concerned with the internal problems and errors that occurred within the organization. The problems can be related to hardware failure, system crash, damaged devices, computer viruses, software problems, printers running out of pages, and a lot more.
In contrast with these problems the department supplies necessary support by either repairing something or replacing it with a new one. The external help desk handles all the problems of the customer after a sale. They provide these services either on the phone through a toll free service or may even be contacted directly by the consumer. The online helpdesk service promises to serve the consumer 24/7.
A person choosing helpdesk as a career needs to have a through knowledge of the system they are going to work on. For handling errors and problems related to software the professional should be an IT expert. The lower level employee who mainly deals with hardware failure and other device errors should have enough knowledge to understand the problem and act accordingly.
For an external helpdesk job the professional should have knowledge on technicalities and problems related to them, as well as very good communication skills in order to effectively contact the customer. These will surely enhance their probability of getting the job.
As far as academics are concerned a Diploma holder or a professional from an engineering background with some training on dealing with problems and errors is highly recommended. The helpdesk staff which manages small problems like the replacing of machine parts and fitting papers in printers just needs training to mange these. There are no specific academic requirements for them.
Training is by far the most important thing to pursue for a career in the helpdesk area. Training plays a vital role in providing the base and skills so as to efficiently mange the errors and problems. The helpdesk staff members who directly contact the consumer should get training in handling the customer. They should also train themselves to improve their communication skills.
The career prospect is very high in these fields as every organization faces such a situation every now and then. The recruiters always look for good professionals with prior experience in the respected field. The salaries of a helpdesk staff may vary anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 annually depending on their level and designation in the organization.
According to research, the demand of helpdesk work is going to increase in future years, which will make this career a great option to go for.
