Every company’s IT experts have their own set of recurring issues that seem to pop up and interfere with customer sanctification and in-house productivity. Whether most of the problems tend to focus on the organization’s customers or employees, it’s essential to get a handle on help desk common problems that have the potential to wreak havoc in small or large ways. No business owner wants help desk issues to get in the way of the organization’s core efficiency.
What’s the answer? Step one is identifying common issues and knowing what to watch out for. Step two is knowing how to choose the right software for your particular operating environment and way of doing business. Third, and last, is figuring out how to construct a resolution program that contains all the relevant and effective features you need to get the job done.
The Most Common Help Desk Problems to Watch Out For
It’s important to avoid letting small problems pile up. There’s a temptation among IT personnel to ignore tiny, seemingly unimportant technical issues and just deal with the major threats. Unfortunately, too many of those little things have the potential to grow if they’re not attended to. What problems seem to recur most often for companies of all sizes and in practically every field? Here they are, in no particular order of frequency:
- Slow computers: One of the most common complaints from employees is “My computer is too slow.” There are three common reasons, including too many programs running on the machine at once. Shutting down a few of them usually brings instant resolution to the slowness.
- Inability to log in: This is usually a password or inactivity issue, both of which are simple to resolve. When users leave their cap lock button in the on position, it alters case-sensitive passwords and prevents routine log in. Likewise, if a user is away from the device too long or surfing the internet instead of working, it’s quite possible for the server to log them out automatically.
- Wireless kick-out: The kick-out is frustrating for employees but is actually becoming more common as organizations change over to wireless networks. It happens when the routers get too much traffic and experts typically inform users to check their connection, which can be an easy fix if the router and/or modem are not connected properly.
- Finicky printers: for long, a maddening IT dilemma for companies of all sizes, printers can seem to be like spoiled children and somehow know to stop working at the most inappropriate times. The most common fix is to simply shut the device off and then restart it. When that doesn’t work, the solution is usually to check that the printer is properly named and is not suffering mechanical issues of its own.
- Internet speed: A pernicious dilemma for many small and large organizations that use universal wireless connections. The typical cause of this inconvenience is related to distance from a router. Employees need to understand that as they move about the building, they often wander into corners or other parts of the structure that are far from the router. Additionally, malware picked up on the internet can wreak havoc with wireless connections as well. Desk personnel usually warn in-house teams about particularly troublesome websites so everyone knows to avoid those particular addresses.
- Unwarranted shutdown: As is the case with so many other technical dilemmas, shutdowns that happen for no apparent reason are nearly always an over-heating issue related to the buildup of excess dust on the device’s fan blades. All PCs include built-in preservation strategies that cause them to shut off whenever their internal temperatures rise to a dangerous point, which is what dust can do.
- Lost files: Lost files are possibly the source of more cases of high blood-pressure than any other IT glitch, with the possible exception of the BSOD (see below). Most tech pros quickly reassure workers that lost is a relative term. Often, the files are either in the recycle bin or still hanging around on the system. When they’re not in the bin, users are generally warned not to continue using the drive until all the files can be recovered.
- BSOD: It stands for blue/blank/black screen of death and is an issue for so many corporate computer systems. In fact, it’s so common that it is the only IT issue on this list that has its very own acronym. Why does it happen? For thousands of reasons. It’s important that tech teams make sure there are instructions on the screen that inform the user that the problem is temporary and that a desk worker should be called immediately.
How to Pick Software That Works for Your Company
Choosing the right help desk software means asking the right questions. For example, as you search for a corporate solutions package, find out whether the products you consider are a good fit for your corporation’s needs. Ask the following questions:
- Can we legally and ethically use the package?
- Is there strong data encryption and all the necessary permissions for access?
- Is there enough integration capability for future upgrades and changes and is the product scalable?
- Is pricing fair and does it offer a range of choices based on features and licenses?
- Does it have support for multiple languages?
- Is it easy to use?
- What is the level of vendor support?
- Does it offer enough help desk features to address the company’s needs?