What is the job of technical helpdesk?

In your IT job, if you helpdesk staff members in person, are you expected to be pro-social, follow norms, and give "good" customer service?

• My workplace has told me that people don't ask me questions or ask for help because I'm not approachable and because I'm intimidating. The irony of the matter is I find ...show more

• Answer:

  The following information is courteously offered, no criticism or offense intended. Interaction between individuals in the workplace are always like walking through a minefield. Some individuals come to work so they can see their 'friends' and socially converse while others come to work to get the job done, their demeanor focused and serious. The technical side of an office is often viewed as mysterious and, because they have access to every computer, slightly threatening. Working in IT desktop support means you are recognized as a co-worker, but not someone they interact with daily. When IT arrives at a workstation to do an upgrade or to fix a problem, the user of the desk feels their area is invaded. The user of the desk must exit the area, and give IT access to their desk, chair, and the equipment. Their day is now totally disrupted, and questions concerning when they can get back to work are often given vague responses from IT. Standard operating procedure for IT personnel working a repair ticket, but it makes the interrupted co-worker uncomfortable, sometimes even a little angry. As a male working in a female dominated office, caution is the best approach to each co-worker encounter to avoid misunderstandings. These suggestions are for actions you might already follow or may want to incorporate into your encounters with co-workers. There is no need to totally alter how you act, just a need to smooth some sharp edges. You are right to not engage in small talk while working on the equipment, or invite them into extended conversations which might be misinterpreted. Even the wrong smile might cause problems, so keep the action quick, the smile small with no teeth showing, but do make quick eye contact. This indicates social civility without friendliness. When encountering co-workers in hallways or at their desks, do not look away or avoid eye contact. Agree with you that saying "Hello" is not required, but try for a small head nod with a bland expression; no smile required. As you already do, stay on target and speak only when you need to and then only of the technical task needing to be done. While courtesy rules whether the office is small or large, sometimes IT personnel are best served by using "ma'am" and "sir" during interactions between co-workers instead of direct names. Even some titles like "Director" can be safer choices. Always throw in a "thank you" where appropriate or when you have completed the fix and are departing their work space. These are all small shifts intended to influence positively co-workers perception of you as you move about the workplace, competently doing your assigned tasks. ADD'L... As an individual working on the applications side of a company, and needing to interact daily with co-workers at all levels, do not like to have IT mess with my assigned computer. Every fix, change, or update seemed to lead to new problems requiring another call to technical support. So for me, a visit from IT was never social, but often an opportunity to learn by observation and/or questioning what was the problem, what action was being taken to correct the problem, and why it occurred originally. A tense encounter for all involved, made worse for me when IT took my assigned laptop and departed down to their floor. Having the technician competently repair or correct the issue is what has always mattered to me, and that the interaction remained civil from both sides.