3 Service Desk Staffing Tips for End-User Satisfaction

According to a recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 70 percent of EHR users report that HIT-related stress leads to clinician burnout. EHR data entry burden significantly impedes daily direct patient interaction. If clinicians experience lackluster service or poor issue resolution with the HIT service desk, clinician burnout can increase, hindering the quality of patient care and efficiency. To combat this mounting concern, apply the following three service desk staffing tips to your hospital’s IT department strategy.

1. Steer clear of the ticket-taker mentality – In an increasingly commoditized industry, the traditional HIT help desk acts more as a ticketing queue than a true EHR issue resolution center. Following this strategy alienates confused, frustrated clinicians. Instead, ensure that your service desk focuses on high first-call resolution with clinician EHR education to eliminate repeated end-user error. Ditch the robotic scripts and bot applications and opt for effective EHR help desk communication strategies instead.
2. Use a staffing plan that maximizes IT productivity – Whether for full-time or night and weekend support, consider using a HIT service desk partner. Doing so can free up limited internal IT staff to focus on more mission-critical projects, such as EHR implementations, new version upgrades, custom-build work, optimizations, or data analytics for value-based care reporting. An external HIT service desk partner significantly reduces IT expenses year over year while reducing lost IT staff and patient care productivity.
3. Avoid offshoring tactics that cut corners – To cut costs, many help desk service providers use offshore or nearshore representatives. This impedes effective call communication and knowledge transfer to end users. When outsourcing an effective HIT service desk, select a firm that takes the time to study and seamlessly match your organization’s operational procedures, IT landscape, and employee culture with a personal touch. This will increase end-user satisfaction and cross-organizational support for IT initiatives.

These three strategic tips for service desk staffing are just the starting point in a comprehensive, cost-effective HIT strategy. To learn more, contact the MTS Service Desk leadership team today.