Are you looking for a help desk technician job, or do you know anybody with an upcoming helpdesk technician interview? Well, direct them to this article you do. We will cover most of the questions you are likely to be answered in a helpdesk technician interview to help you or your friend get the job.
First, we need to answer who a help desk technician is? Quite simple. A help desk technician is a professional that offers technical support and assistance by responding to customer queries. Let’s delve right into these questions:
1. Why Are You Interested In This Role?
I love helping people handle some things they consider ‘technical.’ I am passionate about customer interaction since, generally, I am a friendly and outgoing individual. Working at the help desk allows me to meet and help different people, which I don’t take for granted. As for this particular position, I have always dreamt of working here. I have been eyeing your company for now due to your impeccable records and employee reviews. I am confident that I will work hard and help this company meet and exceed its goals.
2. What Are The Roles Of A Help Desk Technician?
A help desk technician, like the name suggests, offers help and support to the customer base of a given organization. The assistance can either be through the phone, remotely, or in-person and mainly targets computer hardware, systems, and software. They first respond to all the customer’s queries before offering technical support. Other roles include training other computer users, editing/writing training manuals, obtaining customer feedback for improvement purposes, diagnosing and troubleshooting problems, and offering essential computer support.
3. What Qualities Does A Help Desk Technician Needs To Be Successful?
A help desk technician should first and foremost have extensive knowledge of different computer systems, hardware, and software owing to their role. Other qualities are superb analytical, problem-solving, and teamwork skills to deal with customers effectively and answer their queries. They should also be willing and ready to learn new technologies and possess adequate communication and interpersonal skills.
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage Them?
We were severely understaffed during my last role. Even though the company paid generously, we had to work almost twice as challenging given the number of queries we received at the help desk. The company was also reluctant to bring in new people to help us handle the heavy workload. We came up with a system where we used the minimum amount of time possible responding to queries without compromising the quality or usefulness of our interactions with the customer. Even though it worked for some time, the company still had to add more workers.
5. Describe Your Daily Routine As A Help Desk Technician?
My day revolves around helping customers solve their issues by responding to their queries either through the phone, in person, or via email. Most of the technical assistance I offer is set up, maintenance, configuration, delivery, and troubleshooting of systems. I may also spend part of my day training different computer users, showing other staff how to diagnose and troubleshoot problems, writing and editing manuals, running reports, and gaining important feedback from customers or callers.
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience
This is my fifth year in customer service but my second as a help desk technician. I have worked as a receptionist customer service attendant before I obtained an excellent working knowledge of computer hardware, software, and systems, which allowed me to pursue being a help desk technician. I have handled a wide range of queries in my career, from boot-up issues to some as technical as the motherboard and other complicated computer hardware and software items. I have also worked with different teams before on various projects, which I believe will come in handy when I get this job. Lastly, I am a quick learner who is open to new information, and therefore, I will be more than ready to learn anything that I don’t yet know or haven’t experienced.
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Is Required For This Role?
A working strategy that I always employ whenever I am at work is to put myself in the caller’s or customer’s show. I usually handle them how I would have wanted to be treated and answered, which explains why I am never shy to go out of my way to get them satisfied in the end. As for the right mindset, a help desk technician should stay positive to help people with their queries and concerns.
8. What Is The Biggest Challenge That You Foresee In This Job?
I have experienced several challenges in this field, conquering some alone while others required my colleague’s involvement. All I know is that there is always a solution regardless of how challenging the situation may seem. Even though it is not a challenge per se, transitioning from a relatively small company to a larger and bigger one may not be as easy as it looks on the surface. However, I will work hard and work with the other employees to transition smoothly.
9. How Do You Stay Motivated In Your Work?
I usually strive to be as present as possible and shut out any distractions when going about my job. I have discovered that the best way of staying focused and motivated is by focusing on the necessary things and looking at the bigger picture. I usually ask myself about the impact my call will have on the customer after we are done talking and what it means for the company. Lastly, I am a hard worker who gives my all to succeed.
10. Describe A Time When You Failed In This Role And The Lesson You Learned?
On my first day as a help desk technician, I encountered a caller who went on and on about how my customer service was pathetic. I was pretty nervous, which must have registered in my voice. He knew that I had panicked and enjoyed breaking me into pieces. I must have gotten annoyed and yelled at him, which took him aback. Later my manager called me and warned me of lashing out at customers since I was more of the face of the company. Fortunately, he was understanding and let me off with just a warning. This experience taught me the importance of tolerance when working with customers.
11. Why Do You Feel You Are The Most Suited For This Role?
I have spent more than five years at the help desk and dealt with many customers, ranging from angry, frustrated, irritated, and rude. I am positive that I will do a great job owing to all my obtained experience. I also possess many skills that will come in handy in this job. I have sharpened my interpersonal and customer service skills to allow me to communicate with different types of customers regardless of their conditions. I am also pursuing a few online courses to improve my problem-solving skills.
12. Share With Us Your Greatest Achievement.
I am proud of the experiences I have had in this career and how far I have come from a naive help desk technician moved by negative customer feedback to an experienced technician who can desk with all types of customers. However, my most outstanding achievement was when I took a leap of faith and joined my third employer because I loved their products, foregoing a better salary from a different employer. It turned out to be a success, and I was named one of the people who made it possible. They still have my name in the boardroom.
13. Do You Have Any Remote Support Experience
I have lots of remote support experience since I started as a freelancer offering help desk support for several companies and institutions worldwide. The Covid pandemic also forced companies to resite to remote jobs, which saw me offer assistance from the comfort of my home. Even though I can handle both physical and remote support, I find the latter highly convenient and easier to do. All in all, I am okay with your type of technical assistance.
14. How Important Do You Think Your Role Is To An Organization?
All the responsibilities a help desk technician is charged with make him an essential part of the organization. I consider ourselves the face of the company since we handle customer queries and concerns ahead of everyone else. A help desk technician can either market or taint the company, given their direct interactions with customers. I believe that a company requires the right help desk technical support to thrive, which I am willing to do owing to my love and appreciation for customer support.
15. Have You Ever Encountered A Client Whose Issue You Couldn’t Fix?
Yes. At times clients come with queries we cant accurately answer or requests that are way beyond us. For complicated over-the-phone queries, I usually ask them for permission to put them on hold before connecting them to the right professionals who can offer them. However, if it is something that can’t possibly be fixed or rectified, I usually gently explain the reasons why and answer any other questions they may have. Most of them appreciate it in the end.
16. How Do You Normally Handle Frustrated Customers?
I have dealt with many frustrated customers before, especially after delivering some bad news to them. I usually give them time to talk about their issue before assuring them that we(the company) would do everything possible to solve it. I can also offer a possible solution, if any, or transfer them to the correct department. Once the issue has been fixed, I usually prefer recommending how they can prevent it from happening again.
17. Why Did You Quit Your Last Job?
I loved my previous job as it gave me the right platform to learn a lot about offering technical support. I met a fantastic team and managers who significantly shaped my career. However, after three years of service, I felt like I needed to move on to newer pastures and, if possible, get newer challenges. I didn’t want to slip into a comfort zone and preferred giving someone else a chance to improve my career as I had done.
18. Problem-Solving Skills Are Necessary For This Job. How Would You Rate Yours?
I am confident that I am an excellent problem solver, which has helped me fairly well in my career. I’d give myself nine out of ten, given that most of the solutions I offer customers are usually long-lasting. However, the sky is the limit, and therefore, I am continuing to better my skills through a series of short courses. I believe that I will clock 10/10onve I work on my critical thinking and conflict resolution skills which also come in handy when solving problems.
19. How Do You Handle Feedback?
I love honest feedback, however demoralizing it may be. I love hearing about my performance from people, including fellow employees, as such feedback helps me improve in my job. Whenever one is not satisfied with my customer service, I usually ask them to clarify more on the areas so that I can make the right improvements. I also thank them for their feedback, assuring them that the next time will be better. Such appreciation of criticism and constructive feedback has helped me become better at my job.
20. Has A Caller Ever Asked You For A Refund?
Once when working for a mobile phone store, a caller asked for a refund because a phone she had bought the previous day fell and its screen broke. He was convinced that since the phone came with a warranty, he was entitled to have her money back since the screen was part of the phone. I first apologized for her unfortunate experience and gently told her that breakages caused by the owner, whether intentionally or unintentionally, were not covered. After a series of questions, he understood, after which I advised him on how he could avoid the same thing from happening again.
21. Have You Ever Solved A Help Desk Issue With One Of Your Colleagues?
Yes. Several times. I usually refer the caller to the correct department or specialist if I don’t have the right solution. A caller once called asking highly technical questions about his laptop. I primarily dealt with questions about blue screens and laptops that didn’t boot and therefore couldn’t offer the correct answer. I transferred the call to the right technician who helped him. I prefer connecting them to the right people instead of gambling and giving the wrong information.
22. How Would You Handle A Customer Who Destroys A Product And Calls Asking For A Replacement Or Repair?
I have dealt with many customers before in my career, and the list keeps growing. Whenever a customer destroys a product and asks for a replacement or repair, I look at all the available options before proceeding. Since most warranties do not cover personal destruction, I would inform them that even though the product could be repaired or replaced, they would have to part with some money. I would then tell them to bring it to the office or establishment for assessment.
23. This Job Can Be Quite Stressful. How Do You Normally Manage?
After working on several help desks before, I have learned how to deal with the stress that comes with this job. I usually maintain a good life-work balance and prevent my personal life from interfering with my job and vice versa. I took up meditation, which has helped me significantly improve my concentration, focus, and stress management. I also work out after work, a habit I took up long ago and has proven to be very resourceful in stress management.
24. Have You Ever Dealt With An Angry Client Before?
One of the reasons why I love this job is that I usually get the chance to deal with different types of people. I once had an Angry caller who even threatened to ‘storm’ into our physical offices and wreck ‘havoc.’ She was so angry that she even mumbled words. I calmed her down after she was done talking, apologized, and assured her that the company would do everything possible to remedy her situation. Luckily, her problem was solvable, and she was okay within minutes of talking.
25. In Your Opinion, How Long Do You Think A Call Should Take?
I believe that the duration of a call depends on the issue at hand, and therefore, there shouldn’t be a fixed time limit unless there are other callers on the line. If done right, a call to the help desk can’t exceed ten minutes. However, I would also love to point out that I have been in 30 minutes long calls till I had to transfer the caller to other specialists within the company for assistance. All in all, she got the help she needed.
Conclusion
These 25 questions summarize some of the most critical and common interview questions for helpdesk technicians. Make sure that your answers are clear and straight to the point to increase your chances of landing the job.
