Who are Your IT Help Desk’s Super Users?

When IT talks about super users, it typically means the network administrators or others with top-level access to your systems. But in marketing, a super user is someone who truly loves using a product (or service), so much so that they become de facto ambassadors for the brand name.

Does your IT help desk have super users? Most likely, the answer is yes. Your super users are those who consistently take advantage of all your features and offerings, and help get other users on board with your projects and initiatives. These super users can also be called leaders, although they might not be “official” leaders like the managers and supervisors. They’re probably just the average cubicle workers who happen to leverage a bit of influence over their coworkers due to innate qualities like charisma and trustworthiness.

So, who are your super users, and what on earth shall you do with them?

Identify Your Super Users

Your super users are the ones who jump to your defense when other users complain about the help desk on social media. They’re the ones who give eight reasons why you’re doing a good job in the meeting held to outline all the ways you’re screwing up. They are the ones who patiently talk other users through daily issues, freeing your staff for more productive work. Your super users volunteer for committees set up to find solutions to workplace problems and stay at work late when there’s a problem. Find these people. They are useful to you in many ways.

Connect With Your Super Users

Once you know who they are, make a point of connecting with them. Involve them in your help desk initiatives, and assign them as departmental liaisons to help communicate between the IT team and the workers. Levy their expertise by allowing them to assist other workers in learning new systems and solving problems. This, of course, requires getting management on board, but in most cases management will be supportive of these connections and relationships. It fosters good morale within the organization.

How can you connect with your super users? Follow them on social media. Track their posts and comments, and be sure to respond when they mention you favorably. Invite them to meetings and get them on your email newsletters or other communications. Get their input on new initiatives and seek their council on the latest customer satisfaction surveys.

Empower Your Super Users

Once you’ve identified and connected with your super users, it’s important to keep them happy and excited. Offer perks for your super users, such as special privileges or other incentives. Different users are motivated in different ways. Some enjoy being put in the spotlight and praised in front of other employees. Others prefer a quieter method of incentive, such as special access privileges or an invite to the IT holiday party. Try different methods of encouragement until you find the right one to incentivize your super users.

You can satisfy your current super users and give even more reasons for other users to adore you with the right IT service management software. Better help desk services and operations leads to greater user satisfaction, producing a healthy set of happy users ready to encourage and motivate the workforce.