“A help desk that uses a dispatch structure will generally....?

Question

3. “A help desk that uses a dispatch structure will generally have a lower cost per call than a help desk that emphasizes first call resolution.” Do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.-module:helpdesk

Answer 1

This depends on several factors:
* Cost of dispatch (both cost of tech, and cost of equipment)
* Difficulty and nature of problems being resolved
* Cost of training each agent
* Effectiveness of training to reduce cost of dispatch

Examples:
* If you're supporting a lot of sites scattered about the country with no on-site tech, then the cost of dispatch is higher, because the tech has to drive to the site (and in the Western US, that could be 3-4+ hours each way to some sites), and you have to ship the equipment.
* If the problems being resolved cannot be resolved by the help desk agent anyway, then emphasis on first call resolution won't help you much. Conversely, if most of the calls can be resolved by the help desk, emphasis on first call resolution can help you quite a bit.