Retail surgery: We want to improve how quickly calls into our store service desk are resolved. What can we do to make the biggest difference?

This is a hot topic for retailers, as increasing first-time call resolution, especially of calls about IT problems, not only reduces costs but can improve customer service in stores.

Dan Smith, managed services director for retail-only solutions and services company Retail Assist, gives the following advice to make sure your helpdesk is actually trying to solve problems rather than just record them. “Ensure the helpdesk employs analysts and not call loggers - fast call pick-up time is no good if they just take your name and say that someone will call you back. You need to speak to a professional straightaway who empathises with the problem and can resolve it.”

He adds that a good helpdesk - whether it is in-house or outsourced to a third-party specialist - will be proactive, and not just reactive.

Smith adds: “The best way to get out of trouble is not to go there in the first place. The fastest resolved calls are those that do not happen - if there is a start-of-day problem, then it is likely that the cashing-up and banking from the night before is wrong.”

And he warns retailers to be wary of third-party providers who claim to work to service management standards without actually having the accreditation. “Many people quote: ‘Working to ITIL principles’, and this has become a cliché - you need proof that they have been audited to the IT Service Management Standard, ISO 20000, to prove that they do what they claim,” he warns.