Help Desk Analyst: What Is It And How To Become One

Have you ever used a platform and had trouble using it? Or are you working in an organization, and your computer has a hardware or software problem?

What do you do in these situations? Of course, you probably try to solve the problem yourself in the first place, but when you realize that you cannot solve the problem, you turn to an expert.

In such cases, people working as help desk analysts come to your aid and solve your computer problems. The presence of these people is necessary for any organization, and they help a lot to the employees of that organization and its customers. 

Employers can hire the most qualified help desk analysts by evaluating their skills through different online assessment platforms such as Wetest. 

In this article, we will talk about help desk analysts and explain their duties and how you can become a professional help desk analyst.

What Is A Help Desk Analyst?

Helpdesk analysts troubleshoot computer problems and fix customers’ connections. As mentioned earlier, these professionals, who are a necessary part of each organization, are responsible for ensuring that organizations have a fully operational IT framework and fix software or hardware issues of employees.

A Service Desk Analyst respond to user queries and help to evaluate IT equipment and application issues, and provide the most accessible solutions to solve user problems. 

Service desk analysts are an integral part of any organization that uses or provides technology capabilities to solve their customer’s technical problems.

Moreover, a help desk analyst is responsible for resolving technical issues from employees and customers requiring technical support. They are able to fix network, hardware, and software issues. 

Technical roles such as help desk analysts require understanding and practical skills related to IT and computer systems, as well as some transferable skills so that they can meet the needs of customers and organizations. Some of the skills are as follows:

• Customer service skills
• Communication skills
• Teamwork
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Technical abilities
• Troubleshooting skills

By knowing these things and having the mentioned skills, you can become a help desk analyst.

What Does A Help Desk Analyst Do?

As mentioned earlier, help desk analysts are experts in fixing computer hardware or software issues. Therefore, they can choose the area of ​​their work in order to work only on specific tasks or problems.

Like other IT-related job positions, such as network administrator, the helpdesk analyst needs to be updated on current trends and technological changes. 

To be a professional help desk analyst, you can work with experts, attend workshops, and read manuals.

In general, helpdesk analysts typically perform the following tasks: 

• They provide customers with possible solutions, including how to avoid future mistakes and help them to fix minor issues themselves.
• They usually help people solve their computer and technical problems over the phone, which is why they need good communication skills.
• They also help programmers in different ways, such as explaining or solving software errors.
• Help desk analysts help customers in installing and maintaining software and hardware.
• They ensure that defective computer products are repaired or replaced.
• They also provide suggestions for making changes in the applications.

• Maintaining IT documentation.
• Ensuring computer network performance.

People who work in such positions have different duties. However, the things mentioned in this section are among their most important and main responsibilities.

Help desk analysts work both in person in companies and provide services to customers remotely.

Some of the tasks that remote help desk assistants have include the following:

• Live chat support
• Email support
• Phone-call support
• Remote control support

How To Become A Help Desk Analyst

To work as a help desk analyst, you need a degree in a related field. It doesn’t matter whether your degree is from a university or a college, but having it is essential and will help you a lot in your job position.

The important thing is that the program you want to get in this field and the material you learn must be related to one of the computer-related fields.

Another important thing you need to consider when choosing a program is looking for programs that include work experience. Because doing an internship gives you real-world, hands-on experience in a professional environment, and it prepares you to work in a real environment to perform better.

Moreover, it’s essential to consider what kind of work you want to do, what skills you want to work with, and what you want to specialize in within your industry before enrolling in a program.

In the following, we will explain step by step what you need to do to become a desk analyst.

• The first thing you need to get a bachelor’s degree in computer science or information technology (IT) which typically requires three years of full-time study. 
• Try to take an internship position while you are studying at university. This will give you valuable professional experience that help you in the future.
• Consider strengthening your credentials with IT certifications such as Google and Microsoft IT Support certifications.  

These three things we mentioned are the main things that are part of the initial steps to becoming a help desk analyst. Once you have gone through these steps, consider the following actions so that you can succeed in this path and work as a professional help desk analyst.

• Make your skill set

You may have good academic qualifications and have worked as a supporter, but you do not have enough experience in this field and cannot work in great organizations.

Remember that a university degree alone is not enough; you need to have enough skills in various fields to be able to work as a successful help desk analyst.

Therefore, besides having university degrees, try to work on your skills, such as communication with others, to show your strengths and be accepted in every way.

• Improve your CV

A good resume is an opportunity to showcase your skill set and expertise. Adding a professional certificate or other educational program adds extra value to your resume. In addition, you can access exclusive job placement resources if you provide a complete resume.  

• Stay up to date:

Professional help desk analysts need to stay abreast of the latest trends and technologies to perform better at work.

In order to stay current, you can also join relevant communities and forums to connect with other professionals in your industry.  

By doing what we mentioned in this section, you can become a successful help desk analyst by using your knowledge and interest in this field.

Conclusion

As we mentioned earlier, help desk analysts are one of the main pillars of any company, and their presence is vital because they have very important tasks, so it is important that they can handle these tasks well.

In this article, we talked about what a help desk analyst means, what their duties are, and how you can become a help desk analyst, and we hope that you will succeed in this way with the help of the contents of this article.