HR MANAGEMENT - An Employee Self-Evaluation for Help Desk Employees

An Employee Self-Evaluation for Help Desk Employees

by Shelley Frost, Demand Media

A help desk self-evaluation should include both technical and customer service aspects.

Help desk technicians utilize numerous skills to work with customers and solve technical problems. An employee self-evaluation is a method of helping your help desk staff members reflect on their performances in the different skill areas. The way you develop and administer the help desk self-assessment determines how effective it is in improving performance going forward.

Skills Assessment

The help desk technician job description for your company provides a guide for developing a relevant self-evaluation form. The evaluation should focus on the primary duties of the help desk staff to get a better picture of how the technicians view their abilities. Break down the skills in the job description into logical groups, such as phone skills, customer interactions and technical knowledge. List the specific skills under each category so you are able to create an organized self-evaluation form.

Rankings

Ranking questions on the self-evaluation form ask the help desk employees to rate their skills on a scale, which typically ranges from one to five. Some scales go up to 10, but the wide range sometimes makes it more difficult for employees to decide where they fall. An example of a ranking item is, "Rate your proficiency in walking customers through the log-in process." These types of questions work well for getting a general sense of how well help desk technicians are equipped to perform certain job tasks.

Short Answers

Your help desk technicians have a chance to expand on their evaluations through short-answer questions. These items on the evaluation ask employees to give specific examples of their skills, share opinions about the workplace, and set goals for themselves. Sample questions include, "Describe a situation when you dealt with a difficult customer" or "List the goals you have for the next year to improve your skills as a help desk technician."

Use

A self-evaluation is typically given to the help desk employees as the starting point of the evaluation process. The questions get the employees thinking about their achievements since the last review. You are able to see how the employees view their performances and the job itself. The manager or supervisor usually completes a separate evaluation for a comprehensive review. Use the self-evaluation as a way to identify areas your help desk employees feel less confident in. For example, you might find the help desk employees aren't comfortable providing assistance on a new software program because they haven't had enough training on it.