hdi support center team lead participant handbook

HDI®

Support Center Team Lead release 4.1.0

PARTICIPANT HANDBOOK

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HDI Support Center Team Lead Certification Training

v.4.1.U.S.Stud.

Participant HandbookSample

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Version 4.1 Copyright © 2013 UBM, LLC All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN: 978-1-57125-005-6

HDI 121 S. Tejon Street • Suite 1100 Colorado Springs, CO • 80903 • US US and Canada: (800) 248-5667 www.�inkHDI.com

HDI assumes no liability for error or omission.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of HDI, with the exception of trade publications reporting on the data. In such cases, credit must be given to HDI.

HDI is a registered trademark of UBM, LLC. HDI is a part of UBM TechWeb, a division of UBM, LLC.

Portions of this document include information based on the ITIL and IT Infrastructure Library publications of the UK O�ce of Government Commerce. ITIL is a registered community trademark of the O�ce of Government Commerce, and is registered in the US Patent and Trademark O�ce.

Portions of this document include information based on the Knowledge-Centered Support publications of the Consortium for Service Innovation. KCS is a registered service mark of the Consortium for Service Innovation.

All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.

AcknowledgementsMany thanks to the following people and companies for their time and assistance in the latest revisions of the HDI Support Center Team Lead (HDI-SCTL) courseware:

• Rick Joslin, Executive Director of Training & Certi�cation, HDI

• Ingrid Bradford, Instructional Designer, HDI

• David Garcia, Instructional Designer, HDI

• Robert Last, Content Manager, HDI

• Scott Hanson, Art Director, HDI

• Kristin Robertson, KR Consulting

• Mike Rabinowitz, Certi�ed Instructor, HDI

• Paul Dooley, President, Optimal Connections, LLC

• Ray Marchand, Radar Solutions Group

• Simone Moore, Help Desk Association Australasia

• Virginia Scuderi, President, Competitive Advantage, Inc.

Copyright © 2013 ITpreneurs. All rights reserved.

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Welcome to HDI®.Thank you for selecting HDI for your professional development needs. By participating in this course, you will learn knowledge and skills based on the IT service and technical support industry’s best practices, frameworks, and methodologies with the guidance of industry experts and practitioners from the HDI community. HDI is the world’s largest membership association for IT service and technical support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry. This course has also been designed to assist you in preparing for the related HDI certification exam.

Why is industry certification important? It demonstrates that you—and your staff—are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to provide best-in-class support. Achieving HDI certification speaks to your personal commitment to excellence and your desire for continual growth. I challenge you to get HDI Certified and to promote yourself as a certified support professional.

HDI’s membership association is built by industry professionals like you. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for support center emerging trends and best practices. HDI offers a vast repository of resources to our members. Through our online community, you can connect with your peers and industry experts, access publications and information to help you with your support center processes and goals. If you are not a member, I personally invite you to join our community.

If you have suggestions on how to improve our offerings, or if you would like to become an active member in our community, please call us at 1-800-248-5667.

Best of luck in your journey to support excellence!

Regards,

Rick Joslin, HDI Executive Director of Certification and Training

WELCOME Letter

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TABLE Contentsof

Introduction Section 1: Getting Started .......................... I-2 Section 2: Maximizing Your Learning ....... I-5 Section 3: About HDI ................................ I-7

Unit 1: Support Center Overview Section 1: Evolution of the Support Center 1-2 Section 2: Role of the Support Center ........1-7 Unit 2: Role of the Support Center Team Lead Section 1: Role of the SCTL ......................2-2 Section 2: E�ective Leadership ..................2-5 Section 3: Emotional Intelligence .............. 2-8 Section 4: Managing Relationships ..........2-13

Unit 3: Business Planning and Strategy Section 1: Strategic Perspective ...................3-2 Section 2: Building a Strategy ................. 3-4 Section 3: Service Level Management ......3-10 Section 4: SOPs ........................................3-16 Section 5: Business Alignment .................3-18

Unit 4: Support Center Processes Section 1: Best Practices for Support ..........4-2 Section 2: Service Operations .................... 4-8 Section 3: Additional Processes ................4-18 Section 4: Knowledge Management ..........4-21

Unit 5: Technologies & Service Delivery Methods Section 1: Service Desk Infrastructure .......5-2 Section 2: Telephony Infrastructure ...........5-5 Section 3: Service Delivery Methods ......... 5-6 Section 4: Service Management Systems ..5-14

Unit 6: Workforce Management and Training Section 1: Workforce Management ............6-2 Section 2: Sourcing & Recruitment .......... 6-8 Section 3: Training ..................................6-16 Unit 7: Communication & Coaching Section 1: Communication ........................7-2 Section 2: Global Awareness ..................... 7-16 Section 3: Managing Con�ict .................. 7-18 Section 4: Coaching .................................7-22

Unit 8: Teamwork, Motivation, & Retention Section 1: Teamwork ..................................8-2 Section 2: Motivation, Rewards, Recog. .... 8-8 Section 3: Performance Management .......8-12 Section 4: Retention .................................8-18 Unit 8: Metrics & Quality Assurance Section 1: Metrics ......................................9-2 Section 2: Quality Assurance .................... 9-8 Section 3: Using Surveys ..........................9-14 Section 4: Performance Reporting ............9-18 Section 5: Promoting the Support Center..9-20

Conclusion ..................................................C-1

Appendices Appendix A: Exam Prep & Standard ........ A-2 Appendix B: Practice Test ..................... A-134 Appendix C: Additional Resources ........ A-142 Appendix D: Glossary of Terms .............A-157 Appendix E: Bibliography ......................A-169Release NotesSam

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Unit Contents

Section 1: Getting Started .......................................................................................................................... I-2

Section 2: Maximizing Your Learning Experience ...................................................................................... I-5

Section 3: About HDI ................................................................................................................................ I-7

INTROduction

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H D I S u p p o r t C e n t e r T e a m L e a d ( H D I - S C T L )

C o p y r i g h t © 2 0 1 3 H D I , V e r s i o n 4 . 1

Intro-2

INTROductionSection 1: Getting StartedCourse ObjectivesWelcome to the HDI Support Center Team Lead (HDI-SCTL) certification training course. This two-day course is designed for analysts and supervisors who require fundamental management and leadership skills due to current or future increased responsibilities. This course is intended to help you:

• Implement best practices for support center operations

• Develop effective leadership and management skills

• Coach team members using an eight-step coaching method

• Practice team building and motivational techniques

• Manage team stress and conflict

• Interpret and use key performance indicators

• Prepare for the HDI Support Center Team Lead certification exam


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I n t r o d u c t i o n


Intro-3

Course MaterialsYou are responsible for reading all of the materials you receive as part of this course. The course materials include:

• ParticipantWorkbook—This course manual is yours to write in or highlight as needed for future reference.

• Activities—Discussions and activities are part of the course to reinforce learning objectives and concepts.

• SlidePresentation—Instructors may present slides that are not in this manual. Taking notes is strongly encouraged.

Course AgendaThis course has been designed to cover material from general to specific. The following represents a typical agenda for the course. The instructor may modify the agenda to suit the individual needs of the class.

Day One• Introduction

• Unit 1: Support Center Overview

• Unit 2: Role of the Support Center Team Lead

• Unit 3: Business Planning & Strategy

• Unit 4: Support Center Processes

Day Two• Unit 5: Technology & Service Delivery Methods

• Unit 6: Workforce Management & Training

• Unit 7: Communication & Coaching

• Unit 8: Teamwork, Motivation, & Retention

• Unit 9: Metrics & Quality Assurance

• Conclusion

IntroductionsBe prepared to share the following information about yourself with the class:

• Name and company

• Brief description of your current position

• Your expectations from this course


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Intro-4

INTROduction

Site LogisticsTake a moment to note a few important details about the training facility, including the locations of restrooms, reception areas, telephone and data ports, and eating places. Your instructor will explain the basic logistical details of the course, including:

• Instructor’s name and contact information

• Daily start, finish, and break times

• “Parking Lot” for questions and ideas

• Facility restrictions on food and drinks in the training room

• Confidentiality of information in classroom discussions

Online Student ResourcesHDI Support Center Manager resources are available for download from the online student resources. To access the online student resources, login to http://www.thinkhdi.com/students and type in the password rose.


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Intro-5

Section 2: Maximizing Your Learning ExperienceThis course alone does not prepare you for the certification exam—you must also study the HDI Support Center Team Lead (HDI-SCTL) Certification Standard document. The certification exam for this course is based on the HDI-SCTL Standard. In this course, your instructor will highlight and cover the majority of the topics in the standard and the key concepts that are critical to your job, as well as provide you with a safe learning environment to practice important concepts and ask questions.

As you prepare for the certification exam, review the information you learned in this class and, most importantly, review and study the HDI-SCTL Standard. In Appendix A of this coursebook is the HDI Support Center Team Lead Certification Standard. The last column in the standard provides the page number where the competency is discussed within the unit. If a page number is not listed next to the competency, then it is not discussed in the course. You are responsible for reviewing and learning all of the competencies in the standard in order to prepare for the certification exam. If you have a question about a competency not covered in this course, please see your instructor during a break or send your instructor a message.

Your ResponsibilityYou will optimize your time here by applying yourself to, and being responsible for, mastering the concepts. Please be prepared to:

• Attend all classes

• Participate fully

• Take risks

• Take notes

• Ask questions

• Share your experiences

• Enjoy yourself

Note: As a courtesy to others, please set pagers, cell phones, and other electronic devices to silent/manner mode. Time will be provided at breaks to allow you to check for messages.

Learning ActivitiesThis course is designed to build skills and help you prepare for the HDI Support Center Team Lead certification exam. The experience you bring to this class is greatly valued, and we encourage your participation in presenting your challenges, successes, and ideas. It is critical that you understand and are able to apply the concepts presented in this course. Lectures, discussions, activities, and role-plays are designed to be an essential part of the course. These activities help make the course fun and will assist you in getting the most out of your learning experience.


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Intro-6

INTROduction

Personal Action PlanUse the Personal Action Plan at the end of each unit to integrate what you have learned in the course with your organization’s top priorities and strategies. As you take notes during this course, consider writing the page number and a short description on your plan to make future reference easier. When you return to work, review and execute your plan using the knowledge and skills you have learned.

HomeworkAfter today’s session, read the HDI Support Center Team Lead (HDI-SCTL) Certification Standard presented in Appendix A in the back of this manual. You will need to study the standard before taking the certification exam.

Course EvaluationAt the end of the course, all participants are encouraged to complete a course evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine strengths and identify areas for improvement. Your candid comments and feedback are greatly appreciated. Please complete and return your evaluation to your instructor at the end of the course.


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Intro-7

HDI Continuing Certification ProgramHDI professional certifications are globally recognized credentials distinguishing technical support professionals within specified roles. Some HDI certifications require support professionals to continue their professional development to maintain this recognition.

HDI Certifications with Expiration

Management and supervisory level certifications are valid for three years. In order to maintain certification, individuals are required to demonstrate their commitment to continued learning. The following HDI certifications are subject to this requirement:

• HDI Support Center Director (HDI-SCD)

• HDI Support Center Manager (HDI-SCM)

• HDI Desktop Support Manager (HDI-DSM)

• HDI Support Center Team Lead (HDI-SCTL)

HDI Certification for Life

Analyst level and process focused certifications are recognized for life as they are foundational credentials. These include:

• HDI Support Center Analyst (HDI-SCA)

• HDI Desktop Support Technician (HDI-DST)

• HDI Customer Service Representative (HDI-CSR)

• Knowledge-Centered Support Principles (KCS)

The KCS certification is based on a specific version of the KCS Practices Guide published by the Consortium for Service Innovation. This certification represents a person’s knowledge related to that version. Other certifications available through HDI are awarded by various certification providers and are subject to the policies of the respective providers.

Terms of the HDI Certification Policy

Effective January 1, 2013, all new HDI-SCD, HDI-SCM, HDI-DSM, and HDI-SCTL certifications will be valid for three years from the date that the individual earned the certification. Each individual must earn and report 60 professional development units (PDUs) over a three year period. If the individual does not apply for and satisfy the requirements of the continued learning requirements, their certification will expire.

To learn more about the HDI Continuing Certification Program, visit the HDI website at www.thinkHDI.com/certification.


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INTROduction

Section 3: About HDIHDI is the leading professional association and certification body for technical service and support professionals. Facilitating collaboration and networking, HDI hosts industry conferences and events, produces comprehensive publications and research, and connects solution providers with practitioners, while certifying and training thousands of professionals each year. HDI serves a community of over 120,000 members, followers, customers, solution providers, and contributors throughout the service industry, supporting sixty local chapters across North America. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the community’s premiere resource for best practices and emerging trends.

HDI Certification ProgramsHDI awards certifications to individuals and support centers. HDI certification programs include objectives and criteria for various levels of individual certification and site certification. HDI individual certification exams are based on open international standards developed and maintained by the HDI International Certification Standards Committee, which is made up support industry practitioners, experts and active members of the HDI community from across the world. Our training programs are developed to reinforce the information in the standard and to provide skills building for a variety of experience levels.


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Intro-9

HDI Customer Service Representative (HDI-CSR)

This course is recommended for front-line staff in the support center environment who are dedicated to providing outstanding levels of customer service and support. Course participants will be introduced to valuable information and everyday solutions for addressing the attitudes, behaviors, and relationships between customers and the support team. This one-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Customer Service Representative certification exam.

HDI Support Center Analyst (HDI-SCA)

This course focuses on support center processes, tools, and problem-solving techniques, while examining the skills needed for excellent customer support. Using real-world scenarios, analysts learn skills to manage the relationships between customers and their support team, thus improving individual performance and the overall efficiency of the entire support organization. This two-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Support Center Analyst certification exam.

HDI Desktop Support Technician (HDI-DST)

This course is designed specifically for IT professionals who provide support at the customer’s work location or home office. It focuses on support processes that improve overall support operations and the customer’s experience. This two-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Desktop Support Technician certification exam.

HDI Support Center Team Lead (HDI-SCTL)

This course is designed specifically for support center analysts, team leads, and supervisors that require fundamental management and leadership skills due to current or future increased responsibilities. This skills-building and certification course focuses on best practices for support center operations and how to effectively coach and lead a team. This two-day course will prepare current and future team leads for excellence in their changing roles and assist them in preparing for the HDI Support Center Team Lead certification examination.

HDI Support Center Manager (HDI-SCM)

This course is designed for help desk and support center supervisors, team leads, and managers who are responsible for day-to-day operations and have three to five years of experience. Successful support center managers must effectively manage relationships throughout their organization, while marketing the value of the support operation to the executive team. Knowing how to build and deliver on service level agreements, managing the strategic and tactical aspects of the support center, and building and retaining great teams are what set apart the best managers and leaders. In addition to skills building, this three-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Support Center Manager certification exam.


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Intro-10

INTROduction

HDI Desktop Support Manager (HDI-DSM)

This course is designed for desktop support supervisors, team leads, and managers who are responsible for day-to-day desktop support and services and have three to five years of experience. Successful desktop support managers must effectively manage relationships throughout their organization. Knowing how to build and deliver on service level agreements and operational level agreements, managing the strategic and tactical aspects of desktop support, and building and retaining great teams are what set apart the best managers and leaders. In addition to skills building, this three-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Desktop Support Manager certification exam.

HDI Support Center Director (HDI-SCD)

This course is designed for experienced support center managers, directors, and other management positions directly responsible for providing strategic leadership for the support organization. This course is designed to show support center leadership how to use their knowledge and communication skills to align their department with organizational goals; operate under constraints such as budget, resources, and increased expectations; and discover techniques to help market the value of the support center to upper management. This three-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Support Center Director certification exam.


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Intro-11

HDI Knowledge Management Foundations: KCS Principles

This course is designed for IT support professionals who are responsible for service improvements. Course participants will learn a set of practical steps for capturing, storing, and successfully reusing mission-critical knowledge that will shift your support center from a call-centric model to a knowledge-oriented one. This three-day course will assist participants in preparing for the Knowledge Centered Support Principles certification exam.

HDI Support Center Certification

The HDI Support Center Certification program provides the only globally recognized certification created specifically for support centers. The certification is an award that recognizes a support center’s commitment to excellence, efficiency, and service quality. The certification is based on the HDI Support Center Standard, an industry standard developed by an international standards committee comprised of more than 25 practitioners and experts from around the world. The standard was designed to conform to existing international quality standards, such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). It provides a framework for successful leadership, strategic planning, people management, resource and technology optimization, and service delivery that is designed to produce performance and satisfaction results. The standard is organized into eight categories representing five enablers and three results. Each category contains activities with four levels of maturity. In order to qualify as an HDI-Certified Support Center, a center must successfully complete the audit requirements and achieve minimum maturity-level scores in each category and overall as defined by the HDI International Certification Standards Committee.

For a complete list of certification objectives for each certification course, please visit us at www.ThinkHDI.com.


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Intro-12

INTROduction

HDI Membership Provides Unmatched ValueHDI membership brings you a value of belonging to a community bigger than yourself. Including discounts on the HDI Annual Conference & Expo, special events, training and certification, access to industry reports and publications, networking opportunities, online discussion forums, webinars, and more, HDI membership provides you and your organization with innumerable benefits and incredible value.

Here’s just a small sampling of what’s included in an HDI membership:

LocalChapterMembership

Network with professionals in your area when you participate in local chapter meetings and events. There are more than sixty local chapters located throughout the United States and Canada.

SupportWorldMagazine

HDI’s award-winning, service and support industry-leading magazine focuses on the latest strategies, best practices, people management, technologies, tools, and techniques in its six annual issues.

HDIIndustryInsidereNewsletter

Distributed bi-weekly to more than 45,000 subscribers, every issue of HDI Industry Insider contains crucial information on trends and developments, as well as tips and information to keep you up to speed in this ever-changing industry.


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Intro-13

SupportCenterPractices&SalarySurveyReport

This essential report for any support manager contains comprehensive research data gathered from support organizations around the world. Providing a first-hand insight on the industry, department structure, personnel, service request profiles, practices, and tools, it takes an in-depth look at compensation levels for the support profession and provides analysis and trending over several years, making it an especially invaluable tool for managers preparing budgets and forecasts.

DesktopSupportPractices&SalarySurveyReport

HDI is pleased to announce that in addition to our traditional Support Center Practices & Salary Survey, we’ve expanded our research efforts to focus on the desktop support community. The HDI Desktop Support Practices & Salary Report provides insight into current processes, technologies, metrics, staffing models, and salaries within desktop support.

HDISupportCenterSelf-Evaluation

The HDI Support Center Self-Evaluation is an online tool that enables you to compare your support center against the HDI Support Center Standard and learn what your rating might be during an HDI Support Center Certification audit. This tool is available free to HDI members with a gold membership or higher.

WhitePapers

Read about the latest practices and processes in the industry or become an integral part of the white paper library and share your knowledge through articles, templates, case studies, presentations, and research findings. The HDI white paper library offers information on a wide variety of topics, including SLAs, global support, processes, surveys, and more.

HDIConnect

HDIConnect.com is your direct line to the HDI community. Read and comment on blogs from industry experts and your peers, post questions to the message boards, and get feedback on your current projects or challenges.

Please Note: Membership deliverables vary depending on membership package.

We invite you to join the world’s largest network of technical service and support professionals. To join, call 1.800.248.5667 or visit www.ThinkHDI.com/Join


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INTROduction

HDI is a Member of the IT Certification Council (ITCC)As a member of the IT Certification Council (ITCC), HDI is committed to enhancing the value of certifications for employers, professionals, and IT certification providers. The ITCC, a consortium of industry leaders focused on IT certifications, has recognized the need for a qualified workforce to support the world’s technology needs and is committed to growing professional certifications. The ITCC is a resource for employers, government officials, academia, and individuals seeking information about the many benefits of IT certification. The council establishes industry best practices, markets the value of certification and exam security, and addresses other certification issues.

A partial list of ITCC members includes Certiport, Cisco, Citrix Systems, Inc., EXIN International, HDI, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Kaplan, Linux Professional Institute (LPI), Microsoft, Novell, Prometric, and Pearson VUE—all of whom are recognized industry leaders in IT certifications.

ITCC is developing an international standard for testing ethics and a means for employers to verify that professionals hold the IT certifications they claim on their resumes and transcripts. HDI is proud to be a member of ITCC, collectively we enhance the IT industry.


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Unit 1: Support Center Overview

Learning ObjectivesBy the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Identify the phases in the evolution of the support center

• Describe the role of the support center

• Describe the characteristics of a successful support center

• Explain the value of the support center to the organization

Unit Agenda

Section 1: The Evolution of the Support Center ...........................................................................................1-2

Section 2: The Role of the Support Center ...................................................................................................1-7

Unit Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 1-10

UNIT ONE

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1-2

UNIT ONE

Section 1: The Evolution of SupportIt is important to understand the evolution of support in order to appreciate the impact of advancing technologies and levels of service on customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and performance results. Understanding the past enables people to develop better strategies for facing the future.

The Evolution of the Support CenterThe support center has evolved from a message desk supporting batch processing to a single point of contact for the customer—supporting transaction processing, applications, and solutions. These transformations have dramatically changed the role of the support center and the skills required by a support center’s staff. What began as the message center for programmers, systems operators, and administrators has evolved into key, value-added services for IT and the organization.


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U n i t 1 : S u p p o r t C e n t e r O v e r v i e w


1-3

Past

The first computers were mainframes designed specifically for business applications. Business users had little access to the system, rather they relied on data entry clerks to run reports so they could analyze business conditions and financial results. When a user needed a report, they contacted the computer programmers or operators, who had to interrupt their normal operations to run the job. The programmers’ primary role was to write software and ensure that the mainframe did not go down.

Help desks started in the mid-1980’s as a reactive “back office” operation, with the introduction of desktop computing, for inexperienced employees needing technical assistance. The help desk developed as an afterthought, designed to assist internal customers with issues about the tools they were using day-to-day. These support centers were staffed with entry-level staff who could resolve technical issues over the phone or be dispatched to the customer’s desk to resolve issues.

As time went by and technology developed a pivotal role in the operation and growth of business, management started to recognize the value of the help desk as a vital resource and the support center took on a more proactive role. In the late 1990’s, the model for a support center changed significantly. The support center evolved into a single point of contact (SPOC) model, a problem-solving resource positioned at the center of all IT-related activity.

Present

In today’s support center, paper-based systems have been replaced with automation, resulting in significant changes in the support center environment. Support has grown from a transaction-based service with little input from customers to a proactive, integrated, and highly valued company asset. Users are customers of support, and new and advanced telephony and service management systems have resulted in advances in customer service and the establishment of standardized processes and procedures.

Today’s support centers are critical to the health and performance of an organization, and are increasingly seen as: the core of an organization’s technical proficiency; the barometer for the organization’s attitude towards customers, employees, and partners; and the hub for communication throughout the organization. The support center is a functional unit with specialized resources and capabilities.

Today, the role of the support center in the organization is to:

• Serve as the single-point-of-contact (SPOC) for end users and the business

• Handle all incidents and service requests

• Execute the Incident Management and Request Fulfillment processes (which will be discussed later in this course)

• Communicate with users in terms of providing information, advice, and guidance


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1-4

UNIT ONEThe support center must clearly communicate its role and responsibilities to the customer, as well as understand and provide for the technical support needs of its customers. Customer satisfaction is a key performance indicator for the support center today. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are clearly defined goals and objectives that are well documented, easily measurable, and are critical to the success of the support center. From these goals and objectives, the support center can clearly communicate its purpose and role to its customers. This will be discussed in more detailed later in the course.

The value of the support center to the organization is realized in:

• Improved customer service satisfaction with IT Services

• Increased accessibility through a single operational point of contact (SPOC)

• Improved teamwork and communication

• Enhanced focus and a proactive approach to service provisioning

• Reduced negative impact on the business through improved restoration times and reduction in interruptions leading to improvement in business productivity

• Improved usage of IT support resources and increased productivity of business personnel


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1-5

Future

The role of the support center continues to evolve in most organizations. The scope of support center services will continue to increase as new programs, intended to contain costs and improve customer satisfaction, are implemented. To meet these new challenges, support centers will need to reinvent themselves—implement new tools such as self-service and self-healing technologies, and enable business success through skilled people and streamlined processes.

Future support centers will have an expanded scope of services and be expected to provide a truly proactive approach that is both customer and business-centric. Metrics will be redefined with more focus on customer satisfaction, customer retention, and the revenue/profitability per customer and support center professional.

The evolving support center model will capitalize on valuable customer interactions with a central database (i.e., knowledge base) to share information throughout the enterprise. Thus the support team will effectively leverage information for the benefit of the entire organization—improving loyalty, profitability, and productivity.

Benefits of the Mature Support CenterThe support center provides a variety of benefits to the organization, many of which directly affect the bottom line and contribute to the return on investment in people, process, and technology.

Multi-channel Access and Decreased Costs

Multi-channel access provides more options for customers to contact the support center and helps to reduce abandoned calls. Support channels such as e-mail, instant messaging, or self-help provide customers with access to options that yield support their way, on their terms, when they want it, and how they want it. While traditional telephone support will likely never be replaced, services can be augmented for customers by offering multi-channel access. Additionally, operational costs are minimized by utilizing multi-channel access at lower costs per incident.

Total Contact Ownership

Total contact ownership is incorporated into all parts of the service management system. This ensures that all contacts receive adequate response and follow-through, and no issue is closed until the customer has deemed the resolution satisfactory.

Improved Analyst Productivity Through Knowledge Sharing

With proper knowledge management, support professionals have the resources they need to build experience and gain efficiency with every problem they encounter. Increasing the support center analysts’ access to knowledge will increase their productivity. A central database allows for information sharing in a standard, consistent format. Making all critical documents and information available from a central resource minimizes duplicate efforts, eliminating re-work, searching for lost files, or working with outdated materials. Anyone in the enterprise can simultaneously access the most up-to-date, accurate, and consistent information.


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1-6

UNIT ONE

Improved Organizational Productivity Through SPOC Response

Customers have one place to go for their issues, whether these are requests for information, or reports of defects in their systems or technology. Reporting and handling of issues is streamlined, allowing for faster resolution and minimal disruption to customer productivity.

As the SPOC for the customer, collecting regular customer satisfaction survey data, the support center is in a position to supply other company departments (e.g., development, marketing, etc.) with valuable information. This information includes the level of success with respect to new technology or product roll-outs, as well as reporting on customer satisfaction levels.

Improved Customer Perception and Personalized Support

With round-the-clock assistance through automated e-mail response, online self-help, and multiple channel access, eliminating the heavy reliance on telephone traffic, the support center analyst will be available to provide more customers with personalized service. Customers are left feeling that their support experience has evolved from a slow, unresponsive, and sometimes inaccurate back-office operation to a centralized, value-added support center.


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1-7

Section 2: Successful Support CentersAn effective support organization frequently positions its services and support as strategic leverage points to increase productivity, raise customer satisfaction, and improve business success. Characteristics of a successful support organization include:

• Clear direction, decisive management, inspiring leadership

• Vision and mission statements aligned with organization’s strategic direction

• Documented policies, regularly reviewed and monitored

• Roles and responsibilities defined for all positions

• Processes in place for determining resources necessary to provide services

• Integrated service management processes in place and regularly reviewed

• Meets goals consistently

• Regular employee satisfaction measures in place

• Customer satisfaction measures include support performance

• Performance results identified

• Quality assurance program in place

• Continual improvement program in place

• Benchmarking and certification to industry standards/programs


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1-8

UNIT ONE

Managing Support as a BusinessCreating an environment for success goes beyond an assessment and setting direction. The support manager needs to be responsible for establishing the culture and environment for support, and ensuring business alignment with the support center and the organization. The support center team lead will also greatly influence this.

In today’s economic climate, companies are taking an extremely focused approach at reviewing their business model for profitability and value. As the support center evolves, providing additional value-added services, its customer service philosophy must also be strengthened. To understand the importance of the support center, one must first understand the business it supports. To maintain a business focus, it is important that you understand the image of the support center, the organization’s company culture, and the business impact and urgency of each customer experience.

Business ImageThe support organization, which encompasses all support, acts as a business unit within an organization providing a service for internal and external customers. Therefore, the image of all the support groups must always be one of professionalism and efficiency. With every interaction, the support center projects a perception and a business image to their customers.


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1-9

Company CultureCulture sets companies apart from one another, and generally a unique sub-culture exists within every organization. Every support team must strive to recognize the differences between its culture and that of the company it supports.

Support professionals need to blend the culture of support with the culture of the organization. This cultural blending begins by gaining an understanding of the nature of the company’s business and values. As the support center team lead, you are responsible for providing compassionate leadership and encouraging open and honest communication, which contribute to a healthy and positive workplace culture.

Business ImpactThe traditional support team focuses on supporting technology or customer transactions, but the mature support team is one that focuses on supporting the business as a whole, understanding the business impact of each customer transaction. When any support professional interacts with a customer, the initial conversation should include the following questions:

“How is this incident impacting your ability to do your job?” and

“What is the time frame that we are up against?”

It is only through focusing on what is truly important to the survival and growth of the business that the support center is able to maximize its business value.

Take a moment and ask yourself the following questions about your support center, your business, and your customers:

• What business are you in?

• Who are your customers?

• Where does the revenue come from?

• Who drives revenue in the company?

• What are your company’s products and services?

• Which products and services are the most profitable?

• How can you best support the revenue streams?

• Do my team members understand the business?


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1-10

UNIT ONEUnit SummaryIn this unit, you have learned to:

• Identify the phases in the evolution of the support center

• Describe the role of the support center

• Describe the characteristics of a successful support center

• Explain the value of the support center to the organization

The support industry began without much planning and without a lot of thought. Unfortunately, that set the tone for how companies understood the function and potential of support organizations. Today, the support center plays a critical role in every aspect of the business. Support centers determine their role by keeping three factors in the forefront of the operation: business image, business impact, and culture. These driving forces are woven throughout a best-in-class support center.


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1-11

Unit Challenge1. Identify responsibilities of the support center.

2. How has support evolved?

3. How does support play a role in the business image, company culture, and business impact of the entire organization?


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1-12

UNIT ONE

HDI Support Center Team Lead StandardListed below are the standard competencies covered in this unit.

Standard Topic Number Competency

2.1.1 Identify the phases in the evolution of the support center.

2.1.2 Describe the role of the support center in the organization.

2.1.4 Describe the characteristics of a successful support center.

2.1.5 Explain the value of the support center to the organization.


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1-13

Personal Action PlanReflect on the information presented in this unit, and take time to record what you found most beneficial and what specific action(s) you plan to take based on that information. Use the following key to complete the Personal Action Plan:

Priority: High Medium Low

Complexity: Hard Easy Don’t Know

Action: Research Implement Delegate Contact (person)

Action Item(s) Page # Priority Complexity Action Taken

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.


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Unit 2: The Role of the Support Center Team Lead

Learning ObjectivesBy the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Explain the role of the support center team lead in the support organization

• Identify the characteristics of an effective leader

• Explain the differences between management and leadership

• Define emotional intelligence

• Explain the major components of emotional intelligence

• Describe emotional hijack

• Explain how to promote strong service ethics

• Explain how to manage relationships

Unit Agenda

Section 1: The Role of the Support Center Team Lead ................................................................................2-2

Section 2: Effective Leadership ....................................................................................................................2-5

Section 3: Emotional Intelligence ................................................................................................................ 2-8

Section 4: Managing Relationships ............................................................................................................2-13

Unit Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 2-15

UNIT TWO

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2-2

UNIT TWO

Section 1: The Role of the Support Center Team LeadYou play an extremely valuable role as a support center team lead. You are the champion of the support center, and you serve as an example for support professionals to follow. You are the communication link between the team and the manager, and you serve as the first point of internal escalation for the customer. You aid in the smooth operation of the support center by helping your team maintain service levels and exceed customer expectations on every contact.

You were selected as team lead because you have a special quality for leadership. You may have a strong aptitude for technology, or perhaps you were the person on the team to whom the support professionals went to for peer-to-peer support.

Responsibilities of the support center team lead in the support organization include:

• Ensuring staffing levels are maintained throughout operational hours

• Serving as an escalation point for incidents or service requests

• Monitoring the achievement of target service levels, generating management reports, and noting any ‘gaps’ in performance

• Leading the support center team to achieving performance targets

• Mentoring and supporting analysts to ensure that the support center meets its goals

• Representing the support center at inter-departmental meetings

• Identifying training needs for support center analysts

• Coaching and directing team members


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U n i t 2 : T h e R o l e o f t h e S u p p o r t C e n t e r T e a m L e a d


2-3

In addition, the business and personal skills listed below embody the desired traits of a team lead.

Communication Skills• Provide clear and effective support to all customers

• Read and interpret a variety of instructions

• Speak professionally on the phone and in person

• Write professional documents involving all types of correspondence (i.e., memorandums, letters, and emails)

• Communicate information to the appropriate persons

Reasoning Ability• Be patient, have effective interpersonal skills, be assertive and diplomatic, and have the ability to

determine when each is required

• Prioritize tasks, projects, job duties, and responsibilities in a fast-paced environment

• Work effectively under pressure

• Set and meet personal deadlines

• Utilize time management skills

Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills• Possess excellent questioning skills, as well as the ability to identify, isolate, and communicate

problems to and from all levels of the customer base and staff

• Provide problem-solving solutions over the phone, through e-mail, and via Web chat

Learning Skills• Maintain an enthusiastic approach when learning new systems and software packages

• Master basic knowledge and skills to perform job duties

• Learn all new and upcoming networking features and software packages

• Implement and enforce change

Professional Skills• Prioritize tasks and deliverables given a set deadline

• Work as a member of a support staff team

• Carry-out requests from various sources, especially with regards to management


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2-4

UNIT TWOManagement/Leadership Skills

• Identify personnel issues and report them appropriately

• Defuse employee conflicts without impeding upon personal rights

• Meet deadlines on assignments

• Display strong organization and prioritization skills

• Act upon requests and complaints from customers

• Schedule and approve vacation time requests from employees

• Conduct formal training sessions to improve employee knowledge and skills

Management skills and leadership skills are both essential, yet different skills sets for a support center team lead. Management is effectively executing the organization’s direction and goals. Management activities include measuring customer satisfaction, monitoring team performance, enforcing the rules of the organization, and planning daily tasks and activities.

Leadership is creating direction according to the mission and vision of the organization. Leadership activities include coaching, driving organizational change, and setting goals and objectives.


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2-5

Section 2: Effective Leadership

So far we have spoken of the support center team lead as a leader, but what does it mean to be a leader?

“True leaders are not those who strive to be first but those who are first to strive and who give their all for the success of the team. True leaders are first to see the need, envision the plan, and empower the team for action. By the strength of the leader’s commitment, the power of the team is unleashed.”

Author Unknown

Leadership defines how individuals, especially those in supervisory and management roles, guide their organizations toward success by inspiring and motivating employees. They provide highly visible support and encouragement, while their teams seek to carry assignments forward to completion. Important leadership skills include fostering teamwork, resolving communication problems, determining resource requirements, determining priorities, and maintaining an environment of cooperation, enthusiasm, and productivity.

Leadership is “the ability to influence group members to help achieve the goals of the group.”

Managing people is not the same as leadership. as a team lead, you may have the authority to direct your team to perform, but to be an effective leader, you need to inspire your team to want to perform. As a team lead, you can have an important influence on your team members. In non-leadership jobs, it is important to become a competent individual contributor. Now, as a team lead, you must become a motivator—a role model who can influence others. You are in a unique position to positively influence the actions of the support center and your customers. In order to influence others successfully, you must learn to leverage relationships internally, as well as with your customers.

The goal of any support center, whether internal or external, is to facilitate and improve customer satisfaction. To accomplish this, you must strive to give your team the same things it gives customers— improved efficiency, improved knowledge and support systems, and a sense of loyalty to the support center and the organization. When you give team members the support they need, you empower them to deliver excellent service to your customers.


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2-6

UNIT TWO

Characteristics of an Effective LeaderAn effective leader is:

• Focused and Strategic—thinks strategically and sees the big picture, while executing plans and understanding how to inspire and motivate team members.

• Proactive and Drives Initiative—anticipates problems, seeks out new solutions, and initiates positive action.

• People-Oriented—focuses on the strengths of the people and leverages relationships; and delegates and encourages everyone to be creative and take initiative.

• Positive—has a positive attitude despite the challenges encountered.


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2-7

Leading Your Team

“You can’t teach what you don’t know, and you can’t lead where you won’t go.”

Jesse Jackson

As a team lead, you are expected to exhibit personal accountability and lead your team, all while displaying confidence along the way. When you display confidence, you remove doubts about your competencies to your peers, thus establishing credibility and encouraging a type of communication that fosters a healthy, open, and professional rapport and relationship with your peers.

Leading by example is a skill that many of us struggle with on a daily basis; after all, we are only human. Leading by example means acting as a role model for the level of performance and professionalism expected. Additionally, leading by example means working within the policies and standards set for the team and displaying a positive attitude, even when we disagree with the policies.

A support center team lead can exhibit personal accountability by:

• Seeking out a mentor

• Following standard operating procedures (SOPs)

• Working with the manager to create a workplace that recognizes and rewards accountability and employee engagement

• Participating in continuous improvement programs

• Modeling behaviors that strive to reach realistic and achievable goals

Discuss

Think of someone you consider to be a great leader. Perhaps this person is someone you work with or interact with in your personal life, or someone who is in the public eye. How does this person effectively

demonstrate leadership skills?

What are ways that you can lead your team on a daily basis?

How difficult is it to lead by example?

What are the benefits of leading by example?


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2-8

UNIT TWO

Section 3: Emotional IntelligenceUnderstanding human interactions provides the beginnings of effective leadership. All too often, team leads are overly concerned with tasks, processes, products, and other outcomes. None of these things matter without an emphasis on and understanding of the human element behind the tasks, processes, and products.

Discuss

What do you know about emotional intelligence?

How adept are you at identifying your own feelings and attitudes?

How well can you identify others’ feelings and attitudes?

Harvard conducted a study about people who were considered to be successful in their occupation. A high intelligence quotient (IQ) determined these people’s success only 8-9% of the time. The same results were true with those who had a higher educational level. The study revealed that the greatest determiner of success were people who had measured a high emotional intelligence (EQ). Their EQ determined their success 40% of the time. Our intelligence (IQ) stops growing at the age of sixteen, while emotional intelligence (EQ) can grow at any time we apply principles to do so.


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2-9

Begin to grow your emotional intelligence and become more self aware by:

• Participating in a 360 degree assessment of your strengths and weaknesses

• Incorporating an accountability partner or coach into your work day that can help you identify patterns of behavior that may need to change

• Keeping track of specific patterns of behavior when reacting to difficult situations

Although there are many models of emotional intelligence, the definitions remain very similar. Emotional intelligence is:

• Having the ability to recognize and know what emotions you are feeling

• Managing your emotions so that they do not overwhelm situations and your thinking capabilities

• Being able to recognize the emotions that others are feeling

• Helping to manage other’s emotions so that they do not overwhelm situations and their thinking capabilities

• Having the ability to create sincere and authentic relationships that produce value and productivity

By focusing on building these abilities, you will help your team feel valued, empowered, and safe to be creative and motivated to do their best. Emotional Intelligence is important in the team leader’s role because it directly affects the mood of the team; therefore, it directly affects the customer and the way they are treated.

We no longer call the components of emotional intelligence “soft skills” as we now have the ability to measure these competencies, understanding their affects and how they effect our working relationships, therefore our ability to stay on task and perform.

The three major components of emotional intelligence are:

1. Self-awareness

2. Emotional Managements of Self and Others

3. Emotional Connection

Each of these components express specific competencies that include self-awareness, empathy, self regard, optimism, flexibility, coaching others, consequential thinking, personal drive and more.


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2-10

UNIT TWOSelf-awarenessSelf-awareness is one’s ability to be an objective observer of their own emotional experience. It requires the ability to think cognitively about ones emotional experience as opposed to simply having the emotion and manifesting it. Self-awareness competencies include self assessment, self regard, and personal drive.

Self-awareness is the anchor of all emotional intelligence. It helps to provide a framework and foundation that other competencies grow upon. A good understanding of how your brain works will help you raise awareness of your own actions and how you impact those around you. In this case, it is important for you to understand what an emotional hijack is and how it affects you and those on your team.

An emotional hijack is a physical reaction to anything that can be a threat, whether real or imagined. Emotional hijacking occurs when the part of the brain that manages our emotions (the amygadala) takes over the part of the brain that is responsible for our thinking (the neocortex). Have you ever gotten triggered and 15 or 20 minutes later said to yourself “I should have said this or that…” yet during the encounter, you had no idea how to respond? Or just the opposite, “eweee…why did I say that?” A full-blown hijack can last up to 18 minutes.

Recognize that you or the other person is hijacked with the following signals:

• A change in facial expression and/or body language.

• Vocal tones become very loud, too soft, or diction can become staccato in form.

• A person having trouble focusing on the conversation.

• The default behavior of an emotional hijack is evident in a fight, flight, or freeze response.


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2-11

A hijack can be seen in four stages:

1. A trigger–an event that, correctly or symbolically, is perceived as a threat.

2. A strong emotion.

3. An automatic reaction–one that you regret later, after the feelings pass. This reaction is usually inappropriate to the situation and often has a negative effect on you, the other person, or performance.

4. Feelings of regret about your reaction. This is the default behavior of fight, flight, or freeze.

One of the most damaging parts of a hijack is the inability to make decisions. If you feel you are in that state, it is recommended that you:

• Give yourself or the other person time to normalize (about 15 minutes)

• Consciously count to ten identifying ten items, such as ten songs, ten friends, ten colors. This engages the thinking part of the brain, which disengages the emotional part.

• Breathe deeply to restore oxygen to the thinking part of the brain

• Ask questions to clarify what happened and understand the other person’s intentions and actions

Most importantly, if you find that one of your team members is hijacked, recognize that and give them the opportunity to practice these steps before discussing important information. In doing so, you will be practicing emotional management of self and others.

Emotional Management of Self and OthersEmotional management requires that self-awareness be practiced well and that one recognize their emotion as well as practice ways to keep the more challenging emotions in check. It is the ability to recognize emotions in others through body language, tone, and facial expressions and then help the other person manage their more challenging emotions. Emotional management competencies include optimism, impulse control, adaptability and flexibility.

To apply emotional management to oneself:

• Find and use an accountability partner to keep you on track

• Ask more questions when a difficult situation presents itself

• Make sure that you do not have meetings when you are either hungry or tired

To apply emotional management to others:

• Learn to see what others are truly feeling

• Aid others by listening attentively to their needs and emotions

• Ask them how they would resolve situations, rather than telling them what they should do


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2-12

UNIT TWO

Emotional ConnectionEmotional connection is the ability to create productive connections with those around you by practicing a sincere desire to understand others motives and intentions. Emotional connection competencies include coaching others, communication, and empathy.

Authenticity is one of the most effective ways to create a performing team. Watch your productivity grow as you begin to create connections with your peers. This means spending time with them and learning about who they are, not just what they do. Empathetically listen to your team and engage them in the problem solving that needs to happen within your department.

To apply emotional connection competencies:

• Learn that communication is a tool between two or more people

• Understand that people are not human doings, but human beings

• Spend time with your people and get to know what motivates and drives them

The emotionally intelligent leader is one who rises above the rest. Their teams work like a well-oiled machine, outperforming and engaged. It has been found that “people usually do not leave organizations, people leave people”. Manage the relationships within the support center and be the leader that you always wanted to follow.


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2-13

Section 4: Managing RelationshipsWe spend a lot of time in the workplace; therefore, it is important to manage relationships. As a support center team lead, you have a myriad of people to interact with, including managers, peers, and customers. Because you are in a supervisory role, your relationship management skills will affect what you get out of those you supervise, who are also your peers. While this may be an exciting time for you in your career, it also changes the relationship dynamics of your team and how you interact with them. Your success in assuming a leadership role as a support center team lead depends greatly on how you manage relationships while also serving as an authority figure. Supervising your peers can be a delicate balance—you want to make sure you are being fair, you need to listen and support your team, as well as meet the goals and objectives that the support center manager has entrusted you to oversee.

EthicsEthical leadership includes building trust, exhibiting fairness, exhibiting integrity. Leaders have a true sense for what is right and wrong and fulfill their commitments, as well as remain loyal to their team. Promote strong service ethics by demonstrating your willingness to help your team and understanding another person’s perspective, weighing actions and decisions against corporate ethical standards.

FairnessEthics begins with consistency and fairness. If one team member gets preferential treatment, it causes others to feel unimportant and decreases morale. Likewise, all customers must know that they will be treated with fairness, which is why it is important to understand and adhere to your organization’s policies and procedures.

Activities that the team lead can do to exhibit fairness include:

• Value the diversity of team members and the different contributions they make

• Recognize that different people are motivated by different things

• Recognize and consider the needs and stresses resulting from team members personal lives

• Get to know individual team members and build a relationship with each one

IntegrityIntegrity in the workplace means taking ownership and being accountable for what happens, especially when mistakes occur. The integrity of the support center as a whole is built on the personal integrity of its individual team members. For a team lead, showing integrity means that any commitments made to team members will be met.


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hdi support center team lead participant handbook

Documents

hdi community

hdi robert

consent of hdi

hdi kristin robertson

hdi ingrid bradford

hdi david garcia

hdi paul dooley

hdi scott hanson