Although remote work has become “the new normal” for many companies, managing a remote support team still poses several challenges. To provide a good service, organizations must overcome cultural and technical barriers that can obstruct communication with users.
Fortunately, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. By implementing the right strategies, you can offer quality service and improve your agents’ productivity levels. In this article, we will analyze the main challenges faced by remote agents and give you some tips to overcome them.
4 Challenges of Remote Support Teams and How to Overcome Them
1. The IT department is overwhelmed
The work of IT agents is like a roller coaster. One moment everything is calm, and suddenly a tsunami of requests appears. Customers write you for every communication channel, and the ticket queue keeps growing.
This scenario can cause even the most organized remote support team to work overtime to meet the company’s requirements and SLAs terms. As a result, agents may feel burnout, and you can lose your client’s trust.
How to fix it:
Teamwork is the key to your remote support team’s success. If you receive a large number of requests, try to involve as many agents as possible. And have them rank each case in order of priority.
The best option in this scenario is to use a prioritization matrix. This way, incidents are handled based on impact and urgency. However, you must also consider that your main objective is to contact users with connectivity problems.
Therefore, try to identify first the requests from users who cannot work remotely. Then, manage the tickets related to first-line service. This way, you’ll be able to speed up ticket resolution and improve your team’s image.
2. Users don’t know how to use their new technology tools
Working in IT can make us forget that not everyone is a technology enthusiast. Although mobile devices and cloud services have become part of everyday work, not everyone has mastered these tools.
Thus, for many users facing remote work for the first time can cause frustration and anxiety. Which can make it a little difficult for remote support Teams to manage their requests.
How to solve it:
Try to be flexible in how you offer your support service. Usually, IT teams recommend using only company devices to ensure good connectivity. However, if users can’t access their laptops, they can still work using Office 365 or G-Suite from a home device.
Likewise, there will always be an employee who forgets some gadget in the office. Therefore, you must also have the necessary delivery mechanisms to quickly send IT equipment to their home.
3. The remote support team feels burned out
When people work from home, the line between work and free time can seem blurred. This can cause over-tasking on the team and a lack of work-life balance.
While it may not seem a big deal, the fact that your team has to work overtime can increase the risk of burnout. During the pandemic, one of the most common complaints was that remote teams felt more like living the job than working from home.
How to fix it:
A recurring problem with IT remote support teams is that agents don’t always enjoy their vacation time. You can solve this problem by encouraging your agents to take time off.
One way to accomplish this goal is to set a deadline for requesting vacation time. As a result, you will force your team to schedule time off as soon as possible, and they will be able to do it in an orderly fashion.
Another way to help your remote support team is to offer flexible work schedules. This way, they can plan their day without feeling overwhelmed by the number of activities and work when they feel most productive.
4. Users aren’t used to receiving remote support
Providing “in-person” help is a very different experience than remote support. Especially if your company’s employees are used to having a physical presence of the IT team.
You should also consider that many end users are not used to working remotely. Which, can generate anxiety and rejection when sending a request.
How to solve it:
Remote support requires different skills than traditional face-to-face interaction. So you must create strategies that help agents to gain users’ trust without neglecting their work.
For example, when the user installs a program or update, agents can use this downtime productively. Perhaps they can recap the details of the request, verify user data or the asset´s serial number. Just make sure the customer is comfortable with the service.
Similarly, you must equip your remote support team with the right technology. Tools such as those offered by Freshdesk Omnichannel are a great option if you want to enhance your agents’ work and offer your users a good experience.
This helpdesk software will allow you to provide quality service through different service channels. As a result, you will be able to manage requests via chat, phone, email, and mobile applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Apple Business chat.
If you are interested in implementing this system in your company, our team of experts can guide you through the entire process. You will also receive advice so you can make the most of this tool and achieve your goals.
What are you waiting for? Take your support service to the next level, contact us!
