Help desk manager interview questions

List of interview questions

1. Can you describe your experience managing a help desk team?
2. How do you ensure that your team meets or exceeds service level agreements (SLAs)?
3. How do you handle high call volumes during peak times?
4. What are your strategies for handling escalations from dissatisfied customers?
5. How do you maintain effective communication between your team and other departments in the company?
6. What are some ways you can boost help desk agent productivity?
7. What key performance indicators (KPIs) do you track for your help desk team?

A help desk manager is essential in ensuring that customer inquiries are attended to. As representatives of the company, the help desk manager must be equipped with specific skills required to fulfill this role.

One of the most effective ways of finding the right person for the job is through a series of interview questions. Listed below are some common questions to ask a help desk manager candidate during an interview.

Interview questions for a help desk manager

Listed below are some questions that you can ask during a help desk manager interview:

1. Can you describe your experience managing a help desk team?

Ideally, you want to find a candidate who has prior experience working at a help desk or managing one.

This question allows you to gauge the candidates’ previous work experience and how well they can handle the overall help desk environment.

Additionally, this question gives insight into the candidates’ leadership abilities, teamwork, project management, and anything else related to the job.

2. How do you ensure that your team meets or exceeds service level agreements (SLAs)?

Meeting service level agreements is crucial for a help desk team. This question delves deeper into the candidates’ understanding of service-level agreements and their importance in running the help desk.

Ask them to explain any strategies or examples of how they successfully met or exceeded SLA expectations. It will show that they value efficiency and overall customer satisfaction. 

3. How do you handle high call volumes during peak times?

A good help desk manager must remain composed and professional even during peak hours. This question helps you learn more about the candidate’s ability to handle stressful situations while maintaining focus and efficiency.

Ask the candidates how they managed high-volume calls while still delivering consistent results successfully. As a follow-up, you can ask about areas for improvement or what they would have done differently.

4. What are your strategies for handling escalations from dissatisfied customers?

All customer support teams will encounter dissatisfied customers, and the help desk manager’s job is to handle them professionally and with care.

Ask candidates to give an example of their encounter with an unhappy customer and what strategies they came up with to prevent the problem from escalating.

You will learn more about their leadership and problem-solving skills through this question.

5. How do you maintain effective communication between your team and other departments in the company?

Communication is the key to all departments in the company working harmoniously towards a common goal, and the help desk is no exception.

This question gives insight into how well applicants coordinate and collaborate with their team to ensure productivity. Ask them to explain their communication methods, how to address potential miscommunications, and what results came from it.

6. What are some ways you can boost help desk agent productivity?

It is no secret that sometimes customer support can be tiring and demotivating. This question looks into the candidate’s ability to boost team morale and cultivate a positive and productive work environment.

Ask about specific strategies that the candidate implemented that positively impacted productivity. 

7. What key performance indicators (KPIs) do you track for your help desk team?

A good help desk manager is able to track all the customer service metrics needed to optimize customer support performance.

This question helps you understand how organized the candidate is in terms of measuring KPIs, finding patterns, and identifying areas for improvement.

Additionally, you learn how well the candidate uses this data to make objective decisions that will improve customer experience, thus enhancing satisfaction and retention.

Finding the best help desk manager

Finding the right person for the help desk manager title can take some time. Asking the right interview questions will help you narrow down your choices until you find the best person for the job.