Help Desk Reporting Best Practices

Aug 22 2024
Effective help desk reporting is a cornerstone of improving customer service and operational efficiency for your business. It may even be the most important part – in a survey done by PwC, 33% of customers say they will walk away from a brand after just one poor experience, while HubSpot reports that 86% of service teams say their help desks boost productivity.

With well-executed help desk reporting, organizations have the ability to make informed decisions, allocate resources better, and enhance overall service quality based on the data they collect. There are different elements to reporting, of course – reports that go directly to stakeholders will have a different impact than reports going directly to your help desk team.

However, that only emphasizes the importance of reporting when it comes to your help desk. Because different parts of your organization operate on different data points, it’s important to remain consistent in generating and distributing your help desk reports. In this article, we’ll dive into the best practices for help desk reporting, ensuring your reports are both informative and actionable.

Understanding Your Key Metrics


Figuring out what data you want to report on is the very first step to maximizing your help desk reporting. One thing that organizations tend to forget is that you cannot report on data that isn’t being tracked – not even AI can generate the content you’re after if the data source isn’t there in the first place. Having good, well-structured data to report on will only make your reporting experience that much more beneficial.


This is where your key metrics come into play. For a vast majority of help desks, essential metrics include ticket volume, resolution time, customer satisfaction, and first call resolution rate. These metrics provide a comprehensive view of help desk performance and highlight areas for improvement.

Key Help Desk Data Points

Ticket Volume helps gauge the workload and identify peak times, allowing for better staffing decisions. Monitoring this metric helps identify when additional resources are needed and can guide long-term planning to prevent bottlenecks. Analyzing ticket patterns also reveals recurring issues that might require proactive solutions.

Resolution Time indicates how efficiently the team resolves issues. Faster resolution times improve customer experience and reduce the likelihood of repeated requests. Consistently tracking this metric allows for the identification of training opportunities and the optimization of support processes.

First Call Resolution Rate measures the effectiveness of agents in resolving issues on the first contact, which is crucial for customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. A high first call resolution rate reduces the need for follow-up interactions, saving time for both customers and support staff. This metric is also a strong indicator of agent competence and the effectiveness of the support processes in place.

Customer Satisfaction scores reflect the overall quality of service. High satisfaction scores indicate that customers feel their needs are being met, fostering loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. Regularly reviewing this feedback can help teams identify areas for improvement and tailor services to better meet customer expectations.


Accurate data collection is crucial for reliable reporting. Where good data can improve your business across the board, inconsistent or inaccurate data can lead to incorrect conclusions and misguided decisions, so ensuring your team follows standardized data entry processes is essential.


Help: What Is “Good Data”?

 

Great question—and an important one, too. In a nutshell, when we talk about “good data”, we’re talking about…well, good data. In the context of help desk reporting, good data refers to data that is accurate, complete, timely, consistent, secure, and actionable. It is well-organized, accessible, and relevant to the needs of both the help desk team and the organization as a whole – good data should enable measurable insights, support decision-making, and drive continuous improvement in service delivery.

 

The most important factor when discussing what your help desk reporting needs will be in the future is the actual data you need to report on. No matter how good your help desk software is, it cannot report on data that isn’t there. Similarly, it can’t make that data good, either—your system is as good as the information you put into it.


Accuracy and Completeness:
Data should be precise and thoroughly documented. Inaccurate or missing information can cause errors in decision-making and hinder the efficiency of help desk operations.
 
Timeliness:
Data must be current and accessible when needed. Timely information is crucial for promptly addressing issues and preventing small problems from becoming major ones.
 
Consistency:
Data should be consistent across all sources and platforms. Discrepancies in data can lead to confusion and reduce confidence in the information provided.
 
Security and Compliance:
Data should be securely managed and stored, with appropriate access controls in place. It must also adhere to industry regulations, ensuring the protection of sensitive information.
 
Actionability:
Data should be more than just informative; it should drive action. Help desk teams should be able to use this data to prioritize tasks, improve processes, and address recurring issues effectively.

 

Creating Effective Reports


With your key data points identified, your next step should be figuring out how to tailor your reports to the target audience. For instance, upper management might need high-level summaries that focus on overall performance and strategic insights – however, your help desk team may look for more detailed operational data that highlights specific issues and areas for improvement.

What is the main goal of each report? How is the data organized? Who will be reading it? When building your reports, keep these questions in mind to ensure your data is presented as clearly and simply as possible. After all, customizing reports based on the intended audience enhances their relevance and usefulness.

A preview of Revelation helpdesk’s help desk reporting capabilities, including data about open tickets, tickets by queue, time logged, and current open ticket owners.
 



Along with pulling the right data, data visualization is another important component of report creation. Even if your report is full of helpful information, data presented on densely packed pages is inaccessible, which is the last thing you want when building reports. Visual elements like charts and graphs help prevent that, making reports easier to understand and work off of.


Tools like Tableau and Power BI can help create visually appealing and informative reports. You can even use something like Canva to build compelling visuals to accompany the data you're presenting. However you approach it, effective data visualization highlights key trends and patterns, making it easier for stakeholders to grasp complex information quickly.


Choosing the Right Tools


Choosing the right tools for help desk reporting is another key factor. A majority of help desk software options come with prefabricated reports that can be used right out of the box. Most of the time, those work perfectly fine – but too many organizations become overly dependent on canned reports and don’t look for anything different. When deciding what help desk software to go with, think about what reports you’ll be looking to create and make sure that the data you’ll need to create them can be tracked in the software.


In this vein, selecting appropriate help desk software with robust reporting capabilities is important. Tools like Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Revelation helpdesk offer features tailored to comprehensive help desk reporting. Revelation, for example, offers a wide range of data points to report on, including custom fields you may want to include. The right software can automate many aspects of reporting, saving time and reducing the likelihood of human error.


Integrating help desk software with other systems such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and knowledge base platforms enhances reporting accuracy. This integration provides a holistic view of customer interactions and service history, leading to better insights. Reviewing consolidated data like this can reveal patterns and trends that might not be visible when systems operate in silos.


Standardizing Data Entry and Conducting Audits


The reports you build are only as good as the data you build them on. An important element of help desk reporting is making sure the fields you need to report on are required and completed accurately. Standardizing these data entry processes ensures uniformity and reliability in reports. Implementing strict guidelines and training for your team can help achieve this. Each agent should know exactly how to log a ticket, update its status, and close it upon resolution. Consistency in data entry not only improves report accuracy but also makes it easier to analyze trends over time.

Conducting regular audits of help desk data is another best practice. These audits help identify and correct discrepancies, maintaining the quality and accuracy of the data. Regular audits can uncover issues such as duplicate tickets, miscategorized issues, or incomplete records. By addressing these issues promptly, you ensure that your reports reflect the true state of your help desk operations.

Analyzing and Interpreting Data


Analyze your help desk data to identify trends and patterns that can inform strategic decisions. Historical data analysis is valuable for predicting future issues and planning resource allocation. For instance, if you notice an increase in ticket volume during certain periods, you can plan to have more staff available during those times. Similarly, if certain types of issues take longer to resolve, you can provide additional training or resources to address these areas.

Office workers sitting in a meeting while reviewing and discussing data from their help desk reporting system.

Extracting actionable insights from reports drives continuous improvement. Actionable insights are those that lead to concrete changes in processes or practices, resulting in better performance and higher customer satisfaction. For example, identifying a recurring issue with a particular product can lead to targeted training for help desk agents, improving resolution times.


Establishing a Reporting Schedule


Establishing a regular reporting schedule keeps stakeholders informed and engaged. Weekly or monthly reports can help track performance trends and address issues promptly. Regular reporting ensures that everyone is on the same page and can act quickly if problems arise. It also helps in maintaining a continuous improvement cycle, where feedback from reports leads to changes that are reflected in subsequent reports.


Clear and concise reports are most effective. Avoid jargon and ensure that the data is presented in a straightforward manner to enhance understanding. The goal is to make the reports as user-friendly as possible so that all stakeholders can easily grasp the key messages. Use plain language and focus on the most critical information.


Best Practices For You


You now have the tools and knowledge to optimize your help desk reporting practices. By following these best practices in data collection, report creation, and analysis, you can improve your customer service and operational efficiency. Remember, effective help desk reporting is not just about gathering data – it’s about turning that data into actionable insights that drive continuous improvement. Make sure you’re getting the most out of the data you’re gathering and start implementing these best practices today to transform your help desk operations.


Looking for a place to start? Enter Revelation helpdesk.


For a robust and comprehensive help desk reporting solution, consider Revelation helpdesk. Revelation helpdesk offers powerful reporting features, seamless integration with other systems, and user-friendly data visualization tools. With its intuitive interface and customizable reporting templates, Revelation ensures you get the most out of your data, making it easier to identify trends, improve performance, and enhance customer satisfaction. Schedule a demo now to discover how Revelation can revolutionize your help desk operations today.


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