Q. Dear Coach:

I’m new at being a help desk manager and have a good understanding with my help desk team. But on a peer level with other managers in other departments, my relationship is not so good.

Other departments think the help desk doesn’t support their needs very well, and that is taking its toll on my interactions with them, and in meetings all they do is complain about the help desk.

Help,

New Manager

A. Dear New Manager:

I’m glad your rapport with your team is solid. That’s an important first step. It sounds like other managers feel their departments could be more effectively supported by the help desk.

I suggest you schedule a meeting with individual department heads, and ask them to explain what their department does, how they use IT, and how the help desk could be of more support and value.

Be prepared to take notes and listen without becoming defensive. Your relationship with these managers will improve just by initiating the dialogue and learning more about their departments. Prioritize their suggestions and see how many you can implement.

Make your team part of the process by sharing the suggestions with them, and ask them to help brainstorm ways to meet other departments’ needs.

If you need additional resources for improvement, write a report of your findings and present a list of priorities.

Good luck,

The Help Desk Coach