Start my first service desk job on Monday

I'm 18 and I start my first service desk job on Monday. It's a contract based position that I secured through an agency, all of the service desk team are basically contracted by this agency, but some have been there for over a year. It is working for my local government so I will be supporting about 6.6k users between 7 guys. I'm quite nervous, does anyone have any tips or advice. I'm also worrying about freezing while on the phone even though I have good toehnciao knowledge, I sometimes tend to get a bit nervous and freeze up. Just looking for some advice for my first day? Thx for reading

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volfkhat

i bet you a $3-banknote,
they wont let you anywhere near the phones.
they will most likely have you shadow, at first.

Relax, and have fun :]

and think about getting an AS from your local community college...

kalimuscle

take it easy

fun and enjoy

You dont get a second chance at making a first impression !

yoba222

Make sure you communicate often and clearly. Even more important have a good attitude with everybody. All the other stuff you'll learn as you go.

Dakinggamer87

Congrats on the new position!!

Be eager to learn, listen, and take lots of notes to help you remember technical information in a notepad or journal.

TheFORCE

Start reading on the manual on how to use the Cisco phones.

I remember when i was at the helpdesk, I would use that mute button so often just because I couldn't stop laughing from the silly questions they were asking lol.

So just have fun, make notes, create a spreadsheet with all the extensions of the important people and the various people.

Cisco Inferno

Its absolutely a good thing to let the user know you do not know something. BSing over the phone is a sure way to get hated. Both by users and your peers who can hear you. If you don't know something, ask to put them on hold and ask a peer. Learn that solution once, write it down or look into it and never ask again. Save your next questions for something better.

EANx

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

If you don't know something, ask to put them on hold and ask a peer. Learn that solution once, write it down or look into it and never ask again. Save your next questions for something better.

And when you start, ask if they have some sort of knowledge management archive for frequently-encountered issues.

NetworkingStudent

The technical skills come pretty easy. It's the customer service skills that are hard to master. I would say practice your customer service skills. I listed some videos below that will help:

IT Customer Service:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL58D8B118DED1097A

Dealing with Difficult People
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNthKQjbSSCHISBwEv7QGsSk6gkFUaPaa

As far as the freezing goes, I do have a few tips...

Go to the store today, and just ask where something is hammer, soap ,ect

This will force you out of your shell.

Also, when you're paying for gas or groceries practice just talking to the cashier........How's the weather, how is your day going ect..

A few more tips:

Show up on time!! If you're going to be late for whatever reason, then call your manager, and possibly your recruiter.

Good luck!!! I think you will do fine

Nik 99

NetworkingStudent wrote: »

The technical skills come pretty easy. It's the customer service skills that are hard to master. I would say practice your customer service skills. I listed some videos below that will help:

IT Customer Service:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL58D8B118DED1097A

Dealing with Difficult People
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNthKQjbSSCHISBwEv7QGsSk6gkFUaPaa

As far as the freezing goes, I do have a few tips...

Go to the store today, and just ask where something is hammer, soap ,ect

This will force you out of your shell.

Also, when you're paying for gas or groceries practice just talking to the cashier........How's the weather, how is your day going ect..

A few more tips:

Show up on time!! If you're going to be late for whatever reason, then call your manager, and possibly your recruiter.

Good luck!!! I think you will do fine

You are a well spring of useful info and links sir. I should probably look at this stuff too in all honesty.

ImYourOnlyDJ

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

Its absolutely a good thing to let the user know you do not know something. BSing over the phone is a sure way to get hated. Both by users and your peers who can hear you. If you don't know something, ask to put them on hold and ask a peer. Learn that solution once, write it down or look into it and never ask again. Save your next questions for something better.

I agree that in general BSing is a good way to get disliked by peers and users, however there is one BS tip I used when I was on the Service Desk that I found actually worked. When I thought I could find the answer to the question quickly I would sometimes say "give me a moment while I look over my documentation" and if my notes or documentation didn't have it I would google it.

There is absolutely no harm in putting someone on hold and asking coworker/team lead (unless you constantly ask the same questions or didn't try at all before asking), but at least once you get a bit more experience try to figure/find stuff out on your own before jumping right to asking somebody. And if you need to escalate show that you tried by listing what you found and tried.

At first you may feel like you don't know anything, are underqualifed, or in over your head but you will probably be getting bored with how easy the job is after a few months. Which of course brings be to my most important tip (assuming you want to move up and not stay at Service Desk) which is try to get off Service Desk

. Learn as much as you can, get some certs, and provide good hard work.

greg9891

Congrats on the job. like everyone said enjoy yourself, relax and try to learn as much as you can. Study, take certs and when the opportunity comes to move on up one day. Smile

and take it.

Cisco Inferno

Google and Customer Service.

top 2 skills in service desk.

tmtex

Don't be a douche. Also if asked by a co worker hey do you know how to do X. Don't say yes and have no clue what it is.

Ben1373

Great First day. Colleagues seem really nice and friendly. Spent most of the day getting setup and reading through appropriate documentation. Finished the day off with getting involved with some of the simpler tickets, such as email releases. It was very very busy though, I'll say that..

Shane2

Busy is good. Learn as much as you can. Don't do just enough, understand the problems and the solutions.

You'll do great!