Autopilot is easy – it’s the comfort zone of responding to a service request, fixing it and then moving to the next (probably similar) request. Invest some time in educating your users and cut the number of calls.
Stop drifting along and think carefully when the next service request arrives. What will you be explaining to the customer? Will you show them how to resolve the issue they have reported?
Assuming that it is reasonable to do so, you could be saving yourself considerable effort and at the same time empowering someone to work more independently having learned a new skill.
Here are my recommendations for reducing repeat service desk calls:
- Explain how the problem arose – what caused it and is it something the user can both comprehend and fix?
- Explain what you are going to be doing in order to fix the problem, assuming of course, that the user is able to understand the explanation.
- Where appropriate, demonstrate to the user how they can prevent the problem from occurring (and that’s very different form just fixing it)
- Finally, if it could happen again, even with preventative steps, show the user how they can fix it without needing to call for assistance. They will thank you for it!