Retail technology is evolving at a rapid pace. New and innovative applications are released regularly, covering everything from digital signage to in-store wayfinding. But as technology makes deeper inroads into store operations, it increases the burden to IT staff. And when a key solution fails, the impact to the business can be catastrophic.
A dependable IT service desk is a must for retailers to ensure stores are operating efficiently, and to let employees focus on making customers happy. Just checking the box isn’t enough. The costs of downtime are compounded when technical support is inefficient, or employees are reluctant to use it.
Robust quality assurance strategies are central to building a knowledgeable, responsive service desk. Pomeroy’s long history in the retail sector provides the foundation for our tailored approach to retail IT support.
What does retail need from IT service desk providers?
Time is money, as the saying goes, and perhaps nowhere is this truer than in retail. According to a 2020 survey, an hour of technology downtime can cost upwards of $5 million for the largest retail enterprises. It’s no surprise that one of the highest priorities for a retail-focused IT service desk is speed to resolution.
Several factors contribute to resolving issues quickly. Most importantly, trust plays a crucial role; without an expectation of reliable service, retail employees are hesitant to invest time in a call. However, if there is confidence that technicians will be available, possess all relevant information, and are likely to resolve the issue on the first contact, the barrier to making the call is significantly lower.
Knowledge sharing and contextual awareness are also crucial for speedy resolutions. Escalating a ticket or assigning it for field service moves much more quickly when the technician can minimize the time needed to learn about the service history, your issue, and the specifics of your technology stack. Good documentation also lets technicians identify recurring problems and previously attempted fixes, leading to efficient resolutions of the root cause and preventing additional downtime.
What does quality assurance look like for a retail-oriented service desk?
Quality assurance takes various forms depending on the provider’s investment. For a data-driven service provider like Pomeroy, agent scorecards and customer surveys play an important role. These tools help us create a detailed picture of our services and identify areas for improvement.
Agent scorecard: Service agents receive grades for individual customer interactions and performance as a whole over time. Pomeroy scores agents on seven variables, covering efficiency, thoroughness, adherence to service level agreements (SLAs), and customer satisfaction.
Customer surveys: These come in two main forms: quick questionnaires that go directly to users after a ticket is resolved and more comprehensive evaluations that clients can fill out with freeform responses.
Large sample sizes improve the conclusions we can draw from our data, so Pomeroy continuously looks for ways to streamline scoring and increase our throughput. One option currently in testing involves using AI to handle non-subjective scores, like first-call resolution or agent utilization.
Read more: The Value of Using Customer Experience Metrics to Measure Client Satisfaction
How does QA help service desks deliver for their clients?
Quality assurance encourages IT service desk agents not only to provide world-class service in the moment, but also to keep executing the practices that bring sustained success. Regular measurement of the right QA metrics encourages:
- Resolutions on the first call.
- Faster resolutions.
- Thorough ticket documentation.
- Consistent service levels.
QA results have a more strategic use, as well. These KPIs can highlight areas for high-level process improvement and, once implemented, measure their success. For example, at Pomeroy, one area of efficiency we’ve identified—and which we’ve invested heavily in—is knowledge. With in-depth training and a strong, organized knowledge management system, we supply our service desks with the building blocks for a virtuous cycle of high performance.
Fueling efficiency with knowledge
Pomeroy provides intensive training to new IT service desk technicians. Every Pomeroy service desk agent is HDI certified, and all agents undergo nearly 50 hours of tailored onboarding training to ensure they’re equipped with the foundational technical skills and confidence to excel. Where appropriate for their roles, agents pursue additional HDI certifications and training in leadership, soft skills, and specific technical knowledge to continue their development.
Documentation is also a critical tool for service desks. Pomeroy builds extensive knowledge bases to retain and share specifics, including best practices, workarounds, known solutions, and ticket activity, which are all captured and readily available for agents. When a ticket arrives with a known issue, agents can refer to a knowledge base and quickly provide a workaround to have retail employees back on their feet faster.
These knowledge tools reduce tickets through user self-service and shorten the average time to resolve tickets, meaning fewer hours spent on the phone for busy retail workers and less downtime. Fewer escalations or handoffs to field service technicians occur; and when they do occur, they’re faster and more successful. Moreover, a culture of learning and development makes it easier to attract and retain top talent—in fact, turnover on our service desks is less than ten percent.
In short, knowledge is our service desk superpower, and QA processes ensure that we maintain its effectiveness.
The retail industry can be unpredictable, but your IT service desk doesn’t have to be.
Reliability is everything in retail. Pomeroy has successfully supported top retail brands with tailored technology and managed services for over five decades. Powered by data and backed by industry experience, our IT service desk solutions keep your technology running so you can focus on growing your business.
Get in touch today to learn more about Pomeroy’s end-to-end retail technology offerings.
