Service Desk Analyst (SDA) - United Kingdom

Service Desk Analyst (SDA) v8 Course Outline

Domain 1: Professionalism and Roles

Module 1: Service Desk

• Purpose of the Service Desk
• Activities of the Service Desk that Demonstrate its Values
• Role of Service Desk Leadership and Management

Module 2: Service Desk Analyst

• Role of the Service Desk Analyst
• Responsibilities of the Service Desk Analyst

Module 3: Best Practice

• Sources of Service Desk and IT Methodologies and Best Practice
• Maintain Knowledge of IT Standards, Frameworks, and Methodologies

Module 4: Policies and Governance

• Purpose of Organisational Policies
• Areas Covered by Organisational Policies

Module 5: Personal Accountability

• Importance of Making and Honouring Commitments
• How to Protect and Enhance the Image of the Service Desk?

Module 6: Service Attitude

• Explain the Terms: Attributes, Skills and Knowledge
• Characteristics of a Good Service Attitude
• Impact of a Good Service Attitude
• Skills Required to Deliver Excellent Customer Service

Module 7: Teamwork

• Basic Concepts of Teamwork
• Responsibilities of People Working in a Team Environment
• Benefits of Teamwork
• Characteristics of an Effective Team
• Features Found in a Supportive Workplace

Module 8: Business Relationships

• Behaviours for Establishing Effective Relationships with Customers

Module 9: Cultural Awareness

• Demonstrate Sensitivity and Respect for Other Cultures
• Practice Techniques for Communicating Cross-Culturally

Domain 2: Analyst Skills

Module 10: Communication

• Describe Ways People Communicate
• Difference Between Formal and Informal Communications
• Barriers to Effective Communication

Module 11: Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Skill

• Principles of Good Verbal skills
• Principles of Good Non-Verbal Communication Skills

Module 12: Listening Skills

• Principles of Active Listening
• Paraphrasing and its Significance
• Advantages of Active Listening
• Barriers to listening and Understanding

Module 13: Written Communication

• Using Correct Grammar and Spelling is Essential in Documentation and Written Communications
• Components Needed for Writing Professional Business Communications and Documentation

Module 14: Questioning Skills

• Difference Between Open and Closed Questioning
• Structured Questioning Technique

Module 15: Problem Solving

• Skills Needed for Effective Problem Solving
• Steps in a Typical Problem-Solving Technique

Module 16: Rapport Techniques

• Emotional Intelligence
• Elements of Emotional Intelligence
• Benefits of Emotional Intelligence
• Common Customer Emotions or Actions that an Analyst Requires to Manage
• Methods for Acknowledging the Customer’s
• Techniques for Dealing with Negative Reactions from Customers

Module 17: Conflict and Negotiation Skills

• Signs that Conflict is Developing
• Appropriate Actions to Reduce and Eliminate Conflict
• Define the Negotiation
• Elements of Negotiation

Module 18: Interaction Management Skills

• Benefits of Professionally Managing Interactions
• Benefits of Using a Standard Greeting
• Actions for Managing and Redirecting Issues Related to Unsupported Items
• Behaviours and Situations to Avoid When Interacting with Customers
• How to Manage an Abusive Customer?
• How to Manage an Angry Customer?
• How to Manage an Inconvenienced Customer?
• How to Manage an Over talkative Customer?
• How to Manage an Emotionally Distressed Customer?
• How to Manage a Customer that is Reluctant to End an Interaction?
• How to Professionally Disengage from a Support Interaction?

Module 19: Resilience

• Importance of Emotional Resilience
• Common Causes of Stress
• Signs of Positive Stress
• Signs of Negative Stress
• Describe the responsibility we have to Manage Stress for Ourselves and our Colleagues
• Actions that Reduce Stress

Module 20: Time Management

• What Multitasking Means in a Support Environment?
• Techniques to Improve Time Management
• Benefits of Effective Time Management

Module 21: Positive Approach and Attitude

• Differences Between Aggressive, Assertive and Passive Behaviour
• Importance of Demonstrating Confidence
• How Confidence is Demonstrated

Module 22: Professional Development

• Methods for Enhancing Personal Professional Development

Domain 3: Practices, Processes and Procedures

Module 23: Practices, Processes and Procedures

• Practice, Process, and Procedure Management
• Importance of Documenting Practices, Processes, and Procedures

Module 24: Incident Management

• Purpose of Incident Management
• Incident
• Objectives of Incident Management
• Principal Activities that the Service Desk Analyst Performs in Incident
• Management
• Benefits of Effective Incident Management
• Common Measures of Success for Incident Management

Module 25: Service Request Management

• Purpose of Service Request Management
• Service Request
• Objectives of Service Request Management
• Common Measures of Success for Service Request Management

Module 26: Recording Incidents and Requests

• Primary Reasons for Recording Incidents and Requests
• Procedure for, Information Required, to Raise an Incident or Service Request
• Determine the Priority of an Incident or Service Request
• Steps Required to Resolve an Incident or Service Request

Module 27: Explain the Two Types of Escalation

• Two Types of Escalation
• Circumstances in which Escalation is Suitable

Module 28: Status Updates

• Importance of Status Updates
• Information to Provide in a Status Update

Module 29: Problem Management

• Purpose of Problem Management
• Problem
• Reactive and Proactive Problem Management
• Objectives of Problem Management
• Service Desk’s Responsibilities in Problem Management:
• Three Phases of Problem Management
• Primary Activities of Problem Management
• Common Measures of Success for Problem Management

Module 30: Change Enablement

• Purpose of Change Enablement
• Describe a Change
• Types of Change
• Objectives of Change Enablement
• Service Desk’s Responsibilities in Change Enablement
• Activities in Change Enablement
• Common Measures of Success for Change Enablement

Module 31: Service Level Management

• Purpose of a Service Level Management
• Objectives of Service Level Management
• Service Level Agreement
• Typical Content of a Service Level Agreement that is Relevant to the Service Desk (SLA)

Module 32: Service Catalogue Management

• Purpose of Service Catalogue Management
• Service Catalogue
• Objectives of Service Catalogue Management
• Necessary Components of an Entry in the Service Catalogue

Module 33: Service Delivery Model

• Different Kinds of Sourcing Methodologies and Models Available for Delivering IT Services

Module 34: Knowledge Management

• Purpose Knowledge Management
• Objective of Knowledge Management
• Why Knowledge Management is Important to the Service Des
• Why it is Essential to Maintain Knowledge?
• Common Measures of Success for Knowledge Management

Module 34: Information Security Management

• Purpose of Information Security Management
• Objective of Information Security Management
• Importance of Information Security Policies
• Service Desk’s Responsibilities in Information Security Management
• Potential Security Threats to the Organisation that Might Occur through the Service Desk
• Types of Security Policies
• Importance of Reporting Security Compromises
• Importance of Legal Compliance
• Importance of Software License Management
• Importance of Confidentiality

Module 35: Service Continuity Management

• Purpose and Responsibility of the Service Continuity Management
• Purpose of a Service Continuity Plan
• Components of a Service Continuity Plan

Module 36: Quality Assurance Program

• Purpose of a Quality Assurance (QA) Program
• Objectives of a Quality Assurance (QA) Program
• Common QA Practices used by a Service Desk
• Methods for Monitoring Calls and Other Interactions
• What is Meant by Incident and Service Request Monitoring
• Methods for Monitoring Incidents and Service Requests
• Benefits of Interaction, Incident, and Service Request Monitoring

Module 37: Managing Customer Feedback

• Purpose Managing Customer Feedback
• Objectives of Managing Customer Feedback
• Common Sources of Customer Feedback
• Components of Managing Customer Feedback
• Three Most Common Types of Surveys and the Importance of Each Type

Module 38: Service Desk Metrics and Statistics

• Reason for Compiling Service Desk Metrics
• Common Service Desk Metrics

Domain 4: Resources

Module 39: Support Methods

• Methods Used for Delivering Service and Support
• Purpose of Using IT Service Management Systems in a Service Desk Environment
• Primary Objectives of Using IT Service Management Tools
• Benefits of Remote Support
• Common Disadvantages of Using Remote Support Tools
• Benefits of Using Live Chat and Collaboration Tools
• Commons Risks of Using Live Chat and Collaboration Tools
• Describe Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
• Common Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Features

Module 40: Self-Service

• Describe Self-Service
• Benefits of Self-Service
• Risks of Self-Service
• Common Examples of Self-Service

Module 41: Automation

• Describe Automation
• Examples of Automation

Module 42: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Describe AI
• Common Examples of AI
• Benefits of AI
• Challenges of AI

Module 43: Social Media

• What is Meant by Social Media?
• How to Use Social Media Tools Effectively