|
Home > Archive > General Discussion > January 2004 > Help Desk Analyst
You are viewing an archived Text-only version of the thread.
To view this thread in it's original format and/or if you want to reply to
this thread please [click here]
|
|
| Frodo150 2003-12-31, 2:33 am |
| I'm currently looking for a help desk position and thought it would be a good idea to take the HDA (help desk analyst) exam (especially since its only 99 dollars). Has anyone taken it before and can give me some insight on this test. Difficulty etc. Also was wondering if there is prep material on it or is it just common knowlegdge questions related to customer service.
Thanks
Marek | |
|
|
|
|
| azimuth40 2003-12-31, 1:23 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by Frodo150
I'm currently looking for a help desk position and thought it would be a good idea to take the HDA (help desk analyst) exam (especially since its only 99 dollars). Has anyone taken it before and can give me some insight on this test. Difficulty etc. Also was wondering if there is prep material on it or is it just common knowlegdge questions related to customer service.
Thanks
Marek
What are you hoping to find. HDA is not a technical certification. It is a soft skills certification. If a potential employer is looking for someone that is good with people and they know about HDI then it may have some value. However most interviewers are more concerned about if you know your technical stick first.
They will normally make you use a script and a little initial training to make sure that you fit the corporate image. If you have promise then you will move up.
- Half of HDA it is out of psychology 101.
- How to deal with ticked off people.
- How to find out what their problem really is when they don't know themselves.
- How to let them down gently when it is an "ID 10 T" problem.
- What should be in a first contact script.
- Proper telephone manners.
People on suicide crisis lines have to do similar things. If you want to be a hacker you will probably pick up some good things on social engineering by studying for it.
As I recall if you are a quick study everything that you need is in a PDF somewhere on the site. Normally they push you to take their classes first. This is where they make their money and they have seminars around the U.S. and Europe. Most documentation comes from them so their web site is probably your best source of information.
Since Microsoft has added a new two test desktop support cert for 2004, HDI's visibility may improve. The normal is MS does it there must be something to it. Not true as MSDST is totally a technical cert without the heavy networking part. If I had to bet MSDST will be the one that HR people look at first. The higher end HDI certs cover any type of support organization. | |
| Frodo150 2003-12-31, 1:43 pm |
| Thanks for the info. I'm just looking to beef up my resume. All I have is A+ right now and I'm currently working on Network+. Entry positions are so hard to find its unreal. Interviewers don't even seem to care about your technical abilities. It seems like all they ask you during the interview is silly psychological questions (dealing with people). So I was thinking this would be something good to have on the resume. Also had a follow up question. I know Comptia certs are lifetime. How do the Microsoft certs work? Do they expire after a certain time? Do they have any lifetime certs?
Thanks again. | |
| PoorboyTech 2003-12-31, 1:45 pm |
| In a way they are good for life, but only for that OS. For example, if you have an MCSE in Windows NT...its NT...not Windows 2000 etc...so to keep up with the mainstream you'd need to take exams that will update your certification. Each time an OS is created, you'll eventually see exam notifications for upgrades to the certs | |
| Spides 2004-01-02, 8:02 am |
| quote:
Interviewers don't even seem to care about your technical abilities. It seems like all they ask you during the interview is silly psychological questions (dealing with people).
Err Frodo150 have you missed the point, you are going for a help desk position, so who is the first port of call when someone calls IT support? That's right, it will be YOU. So am I going to employee someone with an attitude who has no patience and doesn't know how to deal with people. Obviously not, that is why they are asking questions about dealing with people........in a helpdesk role that is more important than knowledge from a companies point of view. The IT Director or manager will see you as a representative of his department. He hires an arsehole and someone complains about your attitude it will reflect on him........good luck.........as for these desktop support exams, they sound like a load of wank, follow the sheep and get some certs......MCSA it a good start...... | |
| ChrisDfer 2004-01-02, 1:41 pm |
| Screw people who ask for help. People who ask for help are nothing but failures. Better to do it wrong on your own then do it correctly with assistance. Like those idiots who bring their computers in cause they can't managed to do some stupid crap to it because they are stupid morons. Those idiots are failures and shouldn't be allowed to touch a computer. They should be neutered too so they do not reproduce. Same goes for you commies who use Linux. Don't produce more commie children that will embrace the commie software called Linux. Also those idiots who use windows are just bad. Go on little sheep follow your leader blindly as he leads you into your oil war in Iraq that killed billions of Iranian babies.(bill gates is the real leader behind it all, Bu$h is just his puppet) Go corrupt your registry so that you can pay some stupid loser who spends his whole life reading technical books and tinkering with crap to fix your stupid little errors you create because of you ineptness at managing homeland security that forces you to ground plans in France just to punish those who visited the country during the holidays. As for women. They are all evil they can not drive and they should be in the kitchen mopping floors and cooking.
To put shortly: Why even work with computers? All they do is leave you for the best buy guy and break your heart when they are done using you. | |
| jimbo2002 2004-01-02, 3:01 pm |
| Frodo150, maybe its just me, but I dont think chriDfers definition of the help desk job would be the best one to use at an interview. | |
| Frodo150 2004-01-02, 3:30 pm |
| LOL. I agree. | |
| Frodo150 2004-01-02, 3:36 pm |
| Oh by the way. Does anyone know if the HDI cert is good for life? | |
| DaDnDe 2004-01-02, 7:13 pm |
| i would have to agree with most everyone in this post when i say that you should not get a cert thinking it will help you get a help desk job.
Ignore the fact that help desk positions are the fastest disappearing to India position in IT.
Most help desk positions are not technical positions. They are customer service positions. So dealing with people is 95% of the job. Having technical knowledge is unfortunately not what most employers are looking for. | |
|
| Hi folks - hey, I don't know where you guys continue to think HD jobs are still going overseas - that trend ended - see http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,103955,00.html - and many more. SCC in DC pulled 5,000 tech support jobs from India last year...I could go on and on... bottom line is people don't want to talk to middle eastern folks about their PC problems. The 20 to 30% they thought they would save financially has resulted in a wash due to increased adnimistration and bad communication in accerating calls. Our HD staff uses SMS to resolve many technical issues - customer support and soft skills sure, but they are doing a lot of tech work these days...many have gained certs and moved up the food chain. I would encourage anybody to get the Cert's...you really gotta have em. If you like what you are doing and continue to learn...life is goood. For me anyway. I like this board but man, a lot of negative posts as of late...it just ain't that bad! | |
| DaDnDe 2004-01-04, 6:52 pm |
| really well its about time.
if i wouldn't have been so frustrated(or bent over with laughter) i might have thought to save some of the e-mail responses i had received from tech support over the years.
most come from the far east,(Taiwan, china, malaysia, etc.)and they either dont understand english very well or their language just doesnt translate linearly with ours.
eventually i gave up on them as a resource because they had never helped me one time. | |
| marathoner 2004-01-05, 1:28 am |
| even the native english speaking helpies can rarely help me on the few occasions I have called for help. Course if I cant fix it myself chances are it's either a total mangle or incredibly subtle. | |
|
| Helpdesk certification (HDA) is good for life. I am a help desk analyst and I can tell you in some cases it can add 2 bucks more hourly to your pay. CIO's and HD managers care about quality, RIO, CRM and other customer related issues. You solve the basic desktop, escalate the rest to the techs in the field. When a doctor needs to get in their "whatever" account and a password reset is all that's necessary, the helpdesk analyst is more important than a plumber. If they are not happy, heads roll and lives may lost. Customer satifaction is about money...the bottom line. High-end certifications will give you knowledge for office and some desktop issues, but you are on the phone! You'd better know how to talk to people. If you have ever needed help...you know what I mean. The helpdesk is about people and their needs. A good one can actually make real money. It is also the stepping stone to field and administrative support. All is still support and the filed techs are also sometimes called the helpdesk. Some customers say "your people " came here and....get the HDA Cert if you plan on being an analyst. | |
|
| Reply to myself...
Oh, the onmly analyst positions going to India are telecoms and a few marketing companies. Universities, State instituions (mental, human services, etc.), most hosptals, federal, DOT , etc. (everyone with a serious LAN) need in-house helpdesk support.
Word.... | |
| Frodo150 2004-01-12, 9:56 pm |
| Evede, you said that it would, in some instances, raise your pay up to two dollars correct? Well I'm in the opposite end LOL. I'm trying to get a help desk job (already been to two interviews and no luck). I'm A+ certified and about to get my Network+ at the end of the month. I never heard of this company before or its certificates until I one day accidentally stumbled upon it. I'm worried about employers not recognizing the name. I know Comptia is about to come out with a similar cert sometime in the near future and so is Microsoft. I'm wondering if I should wait for these since they have a more familiar name. Also Evede, how did you study for this cert? I would go for HDI. Thanks a bunch.
Marek Przadka | |
| DaDnDe 2004-01-13, 1:25 am |
| hopefully more companies will follow Dell's lead and start moving tech support BACK to the US.
recently Dell has added tech support jobs in the US to provide help to people who need help and need someone who speaks american. Although they still have tech support in India, they are starting to realize that many customers are just not able to communicate effectively with someone who may understand english just fine, but has an accent, and more importantly, isnt familiar with the american way of expressing themselves.
During the recent dot.com bust there was a company that has expanded their personnel 50% since 2000. (they started in 1998) they are in the business of on-line tech support. and although their primary tech support model is 24-7 online support, they also escalate problems to interactive online chat, remote desktop computing, and it necessary, telephone tech support. | |
| MistyRing 2004-01-13, 7:21 am |
| Have you thought about doing both the HDA and a technical cert of some sort?
The HDA doesn't sound like it would take too long to complete so why not give yourself the best possible chance by covering more ground? | |
| DaDnDe 2004-01-13, 1:07 pm |
| i have to strongly question the value of such a cert.
most help desk positions i am familiar with, put you through some pretty rigorous training before putting you on the front lines.
i guess they want you trained on their system and not someone elses. | |
|
| Frodo150, yes it is good for life. And I agree with a previous post that a networking and/or desktop certification will help in call resolution, thus minimizing stress and also giving one a good base for the future. You'd be surprised at how many high level folks haven't a clue about computer use. I am an MCP in Windows XP because of two reasons: It is not considered an "entry level" certification like the A+ or N+, It is also quickly becomng our prominent desktop OS (I work at a larger university), and MS wants to rule the world and has partnered with HDI (sponsor for the HDA certifications)to create their cert. This university could not possibly outsource the helpdesk...20,000 students, 5000 staff, a medical school with 3 satellites... this job is here to stay. I expect to end up as a computer consultant in a year or so, or even a trainer part-time. Big banks in our area (NC)send their analyst to workshops for certification. It is well-known in progressive areas. | |
| jimbo2002 2004-01-13, 3:24 pm |
| I think evede is the only one in this thread who is working a help desk job. As evede is female and the help desk job is a "dealing with people job" could this be a factor as well as the certs required. Just an observation,could be completely wrong. | |
| DaDnDe 2004-01-13, 3:32 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by jimbo2002
I think evede is the only one in this thread who is working a help desk job. As evede is female and the help desk job is a "dealing with people job" could this be a factor as well as the certs required. Just an observation,could be completely wrong.
what does being female have to do with anything? | |
| jimbo2002 2004-01-13, 3:42 pm |
| Social skills, women seem to be better at calming the irate customer, communication skills in general, as I said, it was just an observation and may be completely wrong. | |
|
| Hm-m-m, there are 14 of us (we are needing one more), 11 males , 3 females. Our manager is also female. The guys have more experience than me, or maybe it's the deep voices (late twenties)but they seem to get less irate customers. Or and most probable, maybe experience has taught them. Check technet or pc world for great helpdesk information. Use google, type in help desk best practices. Anyway, it's quitting time and probably my last post. This has been fun and certainly enlightening. The IT market is tough right now, anything to get hired can be useful...I think if a business sees that you have taken the initiative to get trained and certified in "help desk best practices", you will have an advantage. Also the business part of the helpdesk gives you good all-around business training in any field...Might as well, nothing to lose (except 99.00 if you don't study a bit)and a job to gain.
evede | |
| DaDnDe 2004-01-13, 4:38 pm |
| well Jimbo... GB may be far enough away in that you wont have to worry about that comment here.
but i wouldn't even risk quoting you where im at for fear of immediate and severe consequences... | |
| jimbo2002 2004-01-14, 3:01 am |
| Ooops, sorry guys(and girls). Thanks for all the info about the job and the certs to have, I learned a lot about the help desk job as well from this thread. Can we make peace DaDnDe? | |
| ChrisDfer 2004-01-14, 1:54 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by jimbo2002
Can we make peace DaDnDe?
No you can not. Peace is not good instead make pieces out of each other it is much more exciting. | |
| DaDnDe 2004-01-14, 4:23 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by jimbo2002
Ooops, sorry guys(and girls). Thanks for all the info about the job and the certs to have, I learned a lot about the help desk job as well from this thread. Can we make peace DaDnDe?
hey jimbo i have no beef with you whatsoever, but i am a guy. i am just trying to tell you that you are treading dangerous and ILLEGAL ground.
gender bias of any kind will pack your bags pretty quick around here. fact is, most help desk positions are staffed by men. and the percentages are not no where near the general population mix.
India does have one of the better gender mixes but only have ~40% women. here in the US the women are less than 33% in places.
the place is worked at last was just a 12 week temp job, but there is probably a core of 15-30 people that work 95% of the the time, and they were all men. of us temps, the ratio was about 80-20 at best. the job was much more physical than they described. (we were to set up a network in brand new building. so the first 2 weeks involved unpacking computers and office furniture.)
but even in low paying <i>telephone boiler-room</i> type positions, women were still slightly under-represented. We have a large(they have several call centers on the west coast)call center in town that many people use as a springboard to better positions. They pay pennies over minimum wage and treat their employees terribly. they are the only company that comes close to a 50-50 ratio. i would name the company, but around here, everyone already guessed who im talking about, and if they aren't around you, then you have nothing to worry about. (they are like door to door subscription sales of the local newspaper in that they are always hiring) | |
| Jaythen 2004-01-14, 8:23 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by Frodo150
Thanks for the info. I'm just looking to beef up my resume. All I have is A+ right now and I'm currently working on Network+. Entry positions are so hard to find its unreal. Interviewers don't even seem to care about your technical abilities. It seems like all they ask you during the interview is silly psychological questions (dealing with people). So I was thinking this would be something good to have on the resume. Also had a follow up question. I know Comptia certs are lifetime. How do the Microsoft certs work? Do they expire after a certain time? Do they have any lifetime certs?
Thanks again.
I don't know why, but I wasn't enthused about the Network+ which is why I never took it. There is more demand from what I've seen when I was job searching for MCP, MCSE, and Cisco people than Network+. I would suggest getting an MCP as opposed to the Network+ exam. I think (personally) that would look better. | |
| jimbo2002 2004-01-15, 3:54 pm |
| Thanks for the info DaDnDe and evede, sounds like you guys know what your talking about. Interesting to see the mix and get some info about the help desk jobs, seems to me theres a lot more to it than most people think. | |
| tashian 2004-01-20, 6:13 am |
| Having recently done the HDA course, I thought I'd toss my 2c in.
The course isn't targeted at a particular system, it doesn't cover any of the HD software out there or anything like that. What it does is teach you the principles of good customer service on a help desk and, more importantly, the why of those principles. It is meant to turn out someone who knows what techniques they are useing and why they are using them.
It is also meant to teach you the principles of setting up and managing a help desk as well as just working on one. It covers teamwork theories, leadership principles, SLAs, problem solving, listening skills, negotiation and other stuff.
Does it do teach you to be a HDA? Well, does the A+ course teach you how to assemble a computer? Yes, but that doesn't mean that when you get a pile of componants dropped in your lap, you'll be able to put them together perfectly first time. The HDA course tries. How much you get out of it is up to you.
Do employers want it? In my experience, most of them don't know about it. But, if you get to the interview stage where you can explain all of the skills you can 'prove' you have 'cause you're HDA qualified, it probably would make a difference.
However, it is the sort of thing that the person who most benefits at present is the one who has done it... put much of what it teaches you into practice and you're likely to be less stressed, work better and show all the right things to the boss for when they're looking to promote someone.
I've done A+, MCP and CNA and am most of the way towards completeing my MCSA. I don't like phone work though. So, as far as I'm concerned, the HDA's benefit is that it teaches me how to do the stuff which means fast promotion off the darned phones.
Worth it? Depends. If you just do the exam without doing the course, I dunno how valuable it would be. But the course itself can probably teach a lot, even if it's only putting what you know instinctively into words and telling you why. | |
| Frodo150 2004-01-21, 1:08 pm |
| Appreciate all the info guys. Now I have another question. How do you study for this thing?! (Help Desk Analyst). I went to the company's website (www.hdi.com) and saw they charge about a grand to teach you everything. But if it truly is soft skills then isn't it just common sense? I don't mind dropping 100 bucks to add another line to my resume but not 1000. This question is geared more at you people who have already taken the HDA test. How did you study/prepare for it? Did you go to the seminar? Let me know, because as soon as I get my Network+, I'm going to get this certification. Thanks again. | |
| DaDnDe 2004-01-21, 11:05 pm |
| and that is exactly why i question the value of such a cert.
i am familiar with a large on-line help company. they provide internet based help along with 24-7 telephone support for a variety of products and services.
their requirements for hire was:
*previous help desk support helpful
*familiarity with computers a must
(they aren't looking for technicians, just someone who knows there way around windows to the point where they can open programs, know how to multi task between several open programs, etc.. iow... the basics of computer operation)
*A+ desired, (they provide free training for A+ and net+ after hire)
that is about it. not much there right?
well they want people who have only basic skills mostly because they dont want people who think they know it all.
immediately after hire, you go thru 2 weeks of basic training where you learn the basic system and software you will be working with. (this is propriety so there is no certification of any kind that will help here)
after that you are assigned to a team that helps to analyze data of typical question-answer scenarios to provide responses that will be eventually entered into an on-line answer database. (here they use taped telephone conversations for a large part of their data).
also during this time, it is up to the individual to decide what his training goals are. each person who is assigned to data analysis is also expected to start studying for a "customer cert".
you are awarded a customer cert when you by take and pass an exam and are then certified to be a member of a team that is responsible for answering questions about a certain product. the team is the initial customer point of contact.
you may obtain as many certs as you want.(realize of course that this is all self-study and must be done in your spare time if you have any. however you are welcome to stay after your shift to study) all these courses are very specific to the product and a similiar training program is unlikely to be encountered elsewhere including the actual manufacturer of the item (after all, why pay for online help if you have your own?)
so you see, a help desk cert probably wouldnt do much good in this situation. also i think that on-line companies have begun to realize that they need to be able to provide very specific answers to very specific situations and products in order to reduce customer frustration. so a generalized cert will only be a slight advantage at best i think.
really it is up to you and what you think you need. i dont know what the help desk cert's curriculum entails, so its hard to be specific. it maybe the type of cert that is for entry level people, where it teaches basic computer operation, etc...
now the company i described is unique in that they provide help for a wide range of products and services. if you are applying for a position for the cable company and you have experience installing cable, then you probably have an inside track. but it seems to me that a large portion of the jobs are very specific and in-house training is usually provided. |
|
|
|
|