How Do I Become a Help Desk Supervisor?

Help desk supervisors are people who supervise customer service agents, implement policies to improve customer service and encourage help desk team members to be both efficient and thorough. When a customer calls a company for technical support, billing inquiries or other matters, the customer service agent might escalate the call to a help desk supervisor if he or she cannot help the customer adequately. To become a help desk supervisor, you must follow the hiring protocol of the company to which you applying. You might need a college degree, or you might be able to move up within the company if you are already a customer service agent. You also should have good communication skills and computer skills to successfully become a help desk supervisor.

One way to become a help desk supervisor is to start off as a customer service agent. If you currently work at your company's help desk, you might receive a notification if a supervisor position becomes available. In this case, you can apply for the position with your hiring manager. Before you apply, check to be sure that you meet all of the qualifications for the position as detailed by the job description.

If you do not already work in customer service, you might take classes in information technology. The company that you would like to work for might require a bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology or another related field. To become a help desk supervisor, you must be able to run any operating systems or programs that the company uses and any applicable specialized software. You also might need to know how to use a laptop, a copy machine, a fax machine and other office appliances. Business and communication classes might also prepare you for managing and supervising staff members and for relating to customers who might become irate or frustrated if a supervisor is handling their calls.

Evaluate your own temperament. If you are outgoing, friendly, easy to communicate with and organized, becoming a help desk supervisor might be a suitable career goal for you. After you have completed your education, present your résumé to the hiring managers. At your interview, describe the facets of your personality that will allow you to be an effective help desk supervisor.