Facilities Help Desk: Optimizing to Exceed Client Requirements

One of the most important, and sometimes overlooked, pieces of any on-going FM project is the implementation, coordination, and management of the facilities help desk.  Similar to service desks utilized for human resources or technical support, a facilities help desk is on standby to assist clients with issues affecting their workplace environment.  The types of issues raised through a facilities help desk can range from the mundane (replacing a light bulb) to highly prioritized situations (power failure).   Regardless of the type of request or the nature of the call, service to the customer and a speedy resolution to their issue should always be paramount. 

Business Integration Group, Inc.’s (i.e. BIG) Facilities Help Desk serves as one of the chief components of our Professional Services.  Managing the needs of customers while ensuring the client-specific processes are adhered to is a fast-paced and ever-evolving process.  For over 10 years BIG has been providing technology and services for a wide-range of customers; diverse in size, culture, industry, and geography. 

Along with a strong commitment to customer service and quality assurance, BIG’s Facilities Help Desk incorporates a number of practices to adapt to changes in the workplace and the challenges they present:

• Exceeding Client Expectations: No two customers are the same and, as such, their needs and expectations will vary.  A well-managed facilities help desk is one that ensures that each client is given the level and style of service that delivers effective results.  In many cases, clients will seek to have standard language and greetings in place to synchronize all their service platforms (whether they are in-house or managed by a 3rd party).  BIG’s Facilities Service Desk creates a seamless methodology by employing customized messages, scripts, and processes that are in line with the customer’s expectations and incorporated into the BIGCenter application.  This customization ensures that each customer‘s request is carried out in accordance with each client’s specifications.
• Managing Externalities:  Often customers will call into the Facilities Help Desk with requests that are outside of the facilities management purview.  In such events, the Facilities Help Desk attempts to provide the caller with the information they need or point them in the appropriate direction.  By maintaining up-to-date process documents, the Facilities Help Desk agents have the ability to provide callers with relevant information and provide them with quality service, even though the issue is not regarding facilities management.  As internal client policies change, BIG’s Facilities Help Desk continually collaborates with clients to maintain accurate referral information. 
• Handling Prioritized Issues: Prior to going live with the Facilities Help Desk, each client establishes a set of priorities for each type of facilities-related issue.  Beyond processing the call and dispatching the request out to the appropriate service provider, BIG’s Facilities Help Desk personnel work to ensure that issues are channeled appropriately and escalated as directed. Much like the referral process, the escalation process requires regular review in order to ensure that calls are correctly dispatched in a timely manner. A further step in the service methodology comes from Facilities Help Desk agents seeing prioritized calls through to acknowledgment; providing updates to the request and notifications to the customer when necessary.
• Facilities Management is Customer Service:  The most fundamental component of a Facilities Help Desk is service to the customer.  Each caller dialing into the Help Desk is looking for a resolution for a particular issue.  BIG’s Facilities Help Desk agents approach each call with a customer-first approach.  This means ensuring that the appropriate information is gathered, probing questions are asked in order flesh out any information that will be helpful in remedying the issue, and that the customer is provided with a friendly and knowledgeable voice on the other end of the line.