A service desk analyst provides technical assistance to a company’s customers and employees.
A service desk analyst is a professional who provides technical assistance to customers and employees. In most cases, he or she is an information technology (IT) professional who specializes in troubleshooting and repairing all computer and telecommunications systems used by a business. A service desk analyst can be an internal employee hired directly by a company or a member of an IT company hired by a client company.
A computer service technician may provide hardware installation on a computer, as well as perform data recovery and software troubleshooting for a client.
One of the most important functions of a service desk analyst is to organize user complaints and concerns. Generally speaking, an analyst can communicate with users by phone or through a web-based interface. When a user calls, an analyst may be responsible for recording data related to a problem in an appropriate database. In some cases, help desk software can be used to expedite phone calls. For example, a service desk analyst could use a computer-generated script that allows them to automatically log technology problems while answering a call.
A web-based user interface is a software feature that allows users to write directly to a service desk analyst. For example, if a user is having trouble using the technology she purchased, she can go to a manufacturer’s or vendor’s website, access a service desk interface, and describe her complaint. A Service Desk Analyst may engage in an online chat with a user, write the user an email, or, in some cases, contact a user by phone.
In addition to documenting user issues, a service desk analyst also inspects equipment when issues are reported and resolves them when possible. In some cases, an analyst can diagnose and resolve basic issues by communicating with users via phone or web interface. When basic troubleshooting steps do not resolve a problem, the analyst has several options. If the user experiencing problems is an employee located at the same facility, an analyst may personally inspect their software or hardware and resolve a problem or request a repair or replacement. By helping a user remotely, an analyst can recommend service centers.
A service desk analyst is in a position to analyze customer satisfaction and operational issues. For this reason, he or she may be responsible for meeting with IT management to report recurring problems. This responsibility makes the analyst a potentially important part of any customer-facing model. By accurately reporting the areas where users are facing problems, an analyst can guide managers and designers to produce new technologies without the same shortcomings.