1. Chapter 8: Teams and Team Players in a Help Desk Setting
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional
Second Edition

2. Objectives Describe the characteristics of a successful team
Describe the stages of growth that teams go through
Understand how successful teams manage the inevitable and normal conflict in a team setting
Understand your role in the help desk and in your company’s support organization
Understand how to contribute to your team’s goals
Develop the skills needed to have positive working relationships with your teammates
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

3. Teams and Team Players in a Help Desk Setting
In a technical help desk, no single person can know everything about all the products supported and provide all the support customers need
Team - A group of people organized to work together toward the achievement of a goal
Team player - A person who contributes to the team’s success by cooperating freely and communicating openly with his or her teammates
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

4. Working as a Team
Technical support lends itself to a team setting for the following reasons:
The sheer number of available products
The integration of products and systems
The constant and pervasive rate of technical change
The need for business knowledge
The increasing complexity of the business world
The need to use resources efficiently and effectively
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

5. Characteristics of a Successful Team
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

6. Characteristics of a Successful Team (continued)
A clear sense of purpose:
The mission and goals of the team must be clearly defined and accepted by all of the team members
Mission - A written statement of the customers the help desk serves, the types of services it provides, and how it delivers those services
Help desk goals - Measurable objectives that support the help desk’s mission
Individual performance goals - Measurable objectives for people who support the help desk’s mission
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

7. Characteristics of a Successful Team (continued)
Diversity:
The most successful teams are made up of people who have unique skills and exhibit varying approaches to teamwork
Each player must at times be a leader, and at other times follow the leader
Team players must be willing to work together to achieve the team’s mission and goals
Companies want to ensure new hires will fit into the company’s corporate culture and into the culture of the hiring team
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

8. Characteristics of a Successful Team (continued)
Openness and trust:
Communication within a team setting is just as important as communicating with customers
Team members must be willing to:
Share their knowledge
Give and receive constructive feedback
Freely express their feelings
Talk, but also listen
Team members must be able to:
Rely on each other to get the job done
State their weaknesses and look to teammates for strength
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

9. Characteristics of a Successful Team (continued)
Positive relationships with other support groups:
Team members are accountable to:
Other members of the team
The “greater team” that constitutes the service delivery chain within their company
Level two support groups, the training group, the Sales and Marketing department, external service providers
The help desk must rely on these groups to provide knowledge, tools, and credibility
Without support, the help desk’s potential may not be realized and its contribution recognized
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

10. Characteristics of a Successful Team (continued)
A team leader to whom members are loyal is another characteristic of a successful team
A successful team can work around a poor team leader
An effective leader enables the team to achieve its full potential by:
Removing obstacles
Sharing leadership responsibilities as needed to get the job done
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

11. Building a Solid Team
To perform at maximum efficiency and effectiveness, each team member, including the leader, must embrace the characteristics of a successful team
A clear sense of purpose
Diversity
Openness and trust
Positive relationships with other support groups
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

12. Building a Solid Team (continued)
A group of people cannot become a team overnight. It takes:
Time
An open, pleasant working environment
A willingness to work through the stages of growth that all groups experience on their way to becoming a team
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

13. Building a Solid Team (continued)
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

14. Building a Solid Team (continued)
Forming:
Team members are selected and the process of becoming a team begins
The team’s mission and goals are defined along with team member’s roles and responsibilities
Team members often experience a range of emotions
The team leader is actively involved and provides the direction and resources the team needs to progress
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

15. Building a Solid Team (continued)
Storming:
The team begins to face the reality of turning its mission and goals into executable action plans
The polite façade begins to fade and team members are more willing to disagree
The team leader coaches and counsels the team and repeatedly reminds the team to stay focused on its goals
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

16. Building a Solid Team (continued)
Norming:
Team members begin to take ownership for the team’s performance and to have confidence in the team’s abilities
They feel a sense of camaraderie and begin to exhibit team spirit
Team members accept and welcome feedback rather than view it as criticism
The team leader steps away from the team and gets involved only when the team asks for support
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

17. Building a Solid Team (continued)
Performing:
The team is achieving its goals and the team’s members are participating fully in team activities
A spirit of cooperation and collaboration prevails
Team members trust each other and their leader
They feel a sense of pride and satisfaction
The team has become a close-knit community
The team leader serves as head cheerleader and encourages the team to avoid complacency and continuously improve
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

18. Building a Solid Team (continued)
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

19. Building a Solid Team (continued)
Some teams never make it to the performing stage
For example, they avoid conflict during the storming stage and never develop the ability to deal with negative issues or achieve a consensus
Consensus - An opinion or position reached by all of a team’s members or by a majority of its members
Conflict is inevitable in a team setting
Successful teams learn to work through it in a fair and constructive manner
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

20. Managing Conflict in a Team Setting
Conflict is a normal part of human interaction
When approached positively, it can actually produce very creative and innovative results
In a team setting, conflict usually results from team member’s varying perceptions and expectations
Conflict can also arise simply as a result of the stress that is inherent in a help desk setting
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

21. Managing Conflict in a Team Setting (continued)
An issue is typically at the heart of a conflict
The best way to handle conflict is for team members to focus on the issue not the personalities of teammates
Team members must also be honest about their feelings, while striving to understand the feelings of their teammates
Engaging in conflict is not a pleasant experience
It is better to resolve the issue than avoid it and allow it to turn into something even bigger
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

22. Managing Conflict in a Team Setting (continued)
When faced with a conflict, remember that:
The person on the other side has a point of view that is legitimate and reasonable
Listen actively and strive to understand
The other person may be just as uncomfortable talking about the conflict
Find an agreeable way to resolve the situation
Keep to the issues of a discussion
Avoid making comments that attack your teammate’s personal character or question his or her motives
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

23. Managing Conflict in a Team Setting (continued)
Saying the same thing over and over will not resolve the conflict
When necessary, state your point of view in a different way, or try presenting your point of view from the other person’s perspective
Little can be gained by discussing or debating the past
Try to determine what can be done now and in the future to eliminate the source of conflict
The other person may be willing to accept a solution if you can make it sufficiently attractive
Try to identify a middle ground you both find acceptable
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

24. Managing Conflict in a Team Setting (continued)
It is okay to change your mind
Should you discover that you were misinformed or simply wrong, graciously acknowledge your teammate’s point of view
When appropriate, apologize for causing or prolonging the conflict
There are times when it is appropriate to delay discussing a difficult situation
Choose a time when both you and the person can calmly discuss the issue and seek a resolution
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

25. Being a Team Player Being a team player requires Team players:
Personal commitment
A willingness to put the needs of the team ahead of your personal goals
Team players:
Contribute by cooperating freely and communicating openly with teammates
Do not have to abandon personal goals
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

26. Being a Team Player (continued)
The most successful team players seek out a team setting that enables them to work toward their personal goals while contributing to the team’s goals
The greatest job satisfaction comes when:
Skills are fully utilized
Your personal working style is acknowledge and accommodated
A successful team is made up of a mix of people who contribute a variety of skills and personal working styles
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

27. Understanding Your Role in the Help Desk
For a team to succeed, all team members must understand that they have a unique role to play
The role a person plays is a sum of his or her skills, knowledge, experience, and personal style
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

28. Understanding Your Role in the Help Desk (continued)
Team player styles:
Challenger - Serves as the devil’s advocate. Questions goals, methods, and procedures
Collaborator - Goal-oriented. Willing to do what is needed to get the job done
Communicator - A good listener. Encourages others to participate in team discussions
Contributor - Task-oriented. Does everything possible to provide the team with the skills, knowledge, and information it needs
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

29. Understanding Your Role in the Help Desk (continued)
Each shines brightest at different times:
Forming stage - Challenger pushes team to set high standards. May question validity of goals
Storming stage - Communicator facilitates discussion. Encourages conflict resolution
Norming stage - Contributor helps team stay organized. Does the research the team needs
Performing stage - Collaborator encourages team to stay focused or revisit goals when needed in an effort to continuously improve
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

30. Understanding Your Role in the Help Desk (continued)
Each style can become ineffective if a team player:
Overemphasizes his or her contribution
Fails to acknowledge the contributions of others
Team players must be sensitive to the needs of the team and the needs of their teammates
Most people have one style that predominates
People are capable of exhibiting all of these styles
People may exhibit different styles in different situations
Your challenge as a team player is to determine your personal style and use the strengths of that style to contribute to your team
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

31. Understanding Your Role in the Help Desk (continued)
Team players who embrace the diversity that a team setting offers are invariably happier and more successful
The most successful team players value the opportunity to work with others who are equally unique
These feelings of mutual appreciation and respect extend beyond the help desk to the entire support organization
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

32. Understanding an Analyst’s Role in the Company’s Support Organization
The help desk, as a team, has a role to play
The help desk’s mission and goals define that role
The role of most help desks is to serve on the front-line between a company or department and its customers
Customers form opinions of the entire company or department based on their interactions with the help desk
The help desk’s performance also influences how efficiently and effectively other support resources are used
Each member of the help desk team must embrace the help desk’s mission and achieve his or her individual performance goals for the team to achieve its goals
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

33. Contributing to Team Goals
Team members unique skills and personal style are only of value if they enable the team to achieve its goals
Sample help desk goals include:
Achieve an average 4 out of 5 rating on the annual overall satisfaction survey
Provide each analyst 8 hours of training each month
Resolve 80% of reported problems at level one
Reduce contact to the help desk by 5% within 6 months
Reduce support costs by 5% by year end
Maintain a cost per contact at or below the industry average
Team performance is only as good as the performance of analysts on the team
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

34. Contributing to Team Goals (continued)
Analysts must achieve their individual performance goals for the team to achieve its goals
Data are needed to measure and manage both team and individual performance
Analysts create the needed data by using tools
Without data, management will measure performance based on what they perceive an analyst has accomplished
By capturing data and learning to use data to create information, analysts can:
Maximize their contribution to help desk goals
Communicate that contribution to management
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

35. Contributing to Team Goals (continued)
Help desk tools that may be used to create individual performance metrics include:
Automatic call distributor (ACD)
response management system
Incident tracking and problem management system
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

36. Contributing to Team Goals (continued)
Metrics captured with an ACD include:
Availability – The length of time signed on to the ACD compared to the length of time scheduled
Average call duration – The average length of time required to handle a call
Time idle – The average length of time an analyst was idle during a given period of time
Wrap-up time – The average length of time an analyst was in wrap-up mode during a given period of time
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

37. Contributing to Team Goals (continued)
Metrics captured with an response management system include :
Average handle time - The average length of time required to handle an
Average number of exchanges - The average number of exchanges required to resolve an incident
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

38. Contributing to Team Goals (continued)
Metrics captured with an incident tracking and problem management system include:
Reopen % - Incidents an analysts opens back up compared to the number closed
Resolution % - Incidents an analyst resolves compared to the total number handled
Application of training investments - A comparison of an analyst’s resolution % and reopen % before and after attending training
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

39. Contributing to Team Goals (continued)
Other tools used to capture individual performance metrics include:
Customer satisfaction surveys
Monitoring
Metrics are an excellent way for management and staff to know whether they are achieving goals
You can suggest additional metrics and supply other information that further demonstrates your contribution to the team’s goals
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

40. Communicating Effectively in a Team Setting
The way people communicate in a team setting influences their relationships with their teammates and the effectiveness of the entire team
Team players:
Originate and propose new ideas and actively encourage others to contribute their ideas
Articulate the team’s goals and help clarify the team’s goals as needed
Regard conflict as a normal part of team growth and strive to resolve it in a positive way
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

41. Communicating Effectively in a Team Setting (continued)
Team players:
Actively encourage teammates to participate in team activities and assert the right of each and every teammate to be heard
Express their feelings about issues in a positive way and seek to understand how teammates feel
Assume responsibility for guiding the team when their expertise or team player style is needed
Encourage team growth by describing the benefits to be gained by making a change
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

42. Communicating Effectively in a Team Setting (continued)
Feedback - Communication from one team member to another about how the member’s behavior is meeting the expectations of the team
Feedback is appropriate when:
A person does something well
A person’s behavior does not appear to be aligned with the team’s mission or goals
A conflict needs to be resolved
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

43. Communicating Effectively in a Team Setting (continued)
To be effective, feedback must be:
Delivered in a considerate, humane, and helping fashion
Specific and and provide the recipient with a clear understanding of how his or her behavior affects the team
It is the responsibility of the person providing feedback to ensure the recipient received the correct message
It is the recipient’s responsibility to receive the feedback in the spirit with which it was delivered
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

44. Communicating Effectively in a Team Setting (continued)
Even positive feedback can be received negatively
By listening actively to your coworkers you can get a feel for their feedback preference
Everyone must participate in the feedback process:
Employees must provide feedback to other employees
Employees must provide feedback to supervisors and team leaders
Supervisors and team leaders must provide feedback to employees
Supervisors and team leaders must provide feedback to other supervisors and team leaders
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

45. Communicating Effectively in a Team Setting (continued)
Communication in a team setting can occur formally or informally
Teams that communicate effectively strive to use the most appropriate method of communication for each situation
Effective communication enables teamwork
Ineffective communication can cripple a team and damage the relationships that exist between team members beyond repair
It is the responsibility of each and every member of the help desk team to do all he or she can to enhance communication
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

46. What to Do When You Are New to a Team
You have to earn your place in a new team
Working hard
Show a willingness to work with others
To get settled into a new team:
Meet and get to know your teammates
Try to gain an understanding of the “big picture”
Learn the lingo
Determine exactly what is expected of you
Volunteer
Know not only what you are supposed to do, but what your teammates’ roles and responsibilities are as well
Ask questions
Learn how your contribution fits into the bigger picture
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

47. Developing Positive Working Relationships With Teammates
To build the respect and trust that is needed in a team setting:
Get to know your teammates
Extend common courtesies to your coworkers
Listen with interest to your teammates
Inquire about and acknowledge their feelings
Share your feelings openly and honestly
Be willing to learn and teach
Recognize your teammates’ achievements
Ask for help when you really need it
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

48. Developing Positive Working Relationships With Teammates (continued)
If you want to work on a successful team:
You cannot be an inactive or ordinary team player
You cannot leave it up to the team leader or to the other members of the team
Each and every member of a team has to contribute
Know your role and know your strengths
Get clear on what is expected of you and do your best to give the team what it needs
There is no “I” in team!
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

49. Chapter Summary
Technical support lends itself to a team setting because no one person can know everything or provide all of the support customers need
Successful teams share:
A clear sense of purpose
Diversity
Openness and trust
Positive relationships with other support groups
Being a team player requires personal commitment and a willingness to put the team’s needs ahead of your own
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

50. Chapter Summary (continued)
The help desk’s mission and goals determine the role the help desk plays within the support organization
Each member of the help desk team must embrace its mission and achieve his or her individual performance goals for the team to achieve its goals
The ways people communicate in a team setting influence their relationships with their teammates and the effectiveness of the entire team
Team members must freely share information, thoughts, and opinions and encourage their coworkers to share as well
To you want to work on a successful team you have to contribute
There is no “I” in team!
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

51. Challenge #1
Determine what each of the three items listed below have in common.
Customers
Working out
Your boss
Common denominator:
Check your answer with the instructor to receive Challenge # 2.
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

52. Challenge #2
Solve each of the following brain teasers by determining the phrase depicted, then see the instructor for Challenge #3.
1. PICTURE
2. PEAK PEAK
3. 2 cents
3 cents
4 cents
5 cents
4. KOOL
5. account
drawn
lorn
ban ana
8. aghiddenenda
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e

53. Challenge #3
Unscramble the four words listed below. Determine the word that does NOT belong.
SIMSON
ALASBBEL
LIFCNOCT
RDYTVIEIS
Answer:
Be the first team to provide the correct answers to the instructor and receive the bonus points.
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e