HDI Support Center Analyst Certification Standard A Self-Study Guide

124 Pages·2016·3.13 MB·English

HDI Support
Center Analyst
CERTIFICATION STANDARD SELF-STUDY GUIDE
Official Curriculum

HDI Support Center Analyst
Certification Standard
A Self-Study Guide
Version 3.1.1
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Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the following people and companies for their time and assistance in participating on
the HDI International Standards Committee:
Roy Atkinson Martin Bakker Darrell Bond
HDI Call2 B.V. Radar Solutions
Canada
Rae Ann Bruno Cinta Caputto John Custy
Business Solutions Training HDI Brasil JPC Group
Paul Dooley Wagar M. Hussain
Robert Homer
Optimal Connections, LLC RMZ Computer Training and
Providence Health and
Services
Services Alaska
Rick Joslin Jeremy Kurtz
Drew Jaehnig
HDI Staples
Department of Defense
Shauna Lieberman Katherine Lord Jason Lorenz
Cincinnati Insurance Co. Gartner C3i, Inc.
Chris Meadows Fancy Mills Simone Moore
Lowes Independent Consultant Help Desk Association
Australasia (HDAA)
Dan Mortimer Virginia Scuderi Artur Sygnatowicz
Cleveland State University Competitive Advantage, Inc. HDI Poland
Introduction
HDI certification exams are based on an HDI certification standard. The competencies for the certification
standards were identified and approved by the HDI International Certification Standards Committee
(ICSC), a group of industry experts and experienced practitioners from a number of organizations.
It is the committee’s intent to recognize the breadth of knowledge required, document the needed skills,
and provide leadership to the support industry on the meaning of a certification for customer service and
technical support. Each HDI certification standard is an open international certification standard that is
independent of any training curriculum.
An HDI Standard
HDI bases its certifications on open international industry standards, and is independent of any
training curriculum.
• Open implies that the standards are published, allowing organizations to leverage the
standards to improve their services, individuals to study the standards in preparation for
a certification exam, and training and consulting providers to develop offerings that align
with the standards.
• International indicates that a committee of professionals that have international
experience and/or work for global companies has developed the standards, and that the
standards are recognized in the global market.
• Industry refers to the service and support industry, which initially focused on internal
support of information technology and later expanded to include external support
organizations.
• Standard defines the knowledge that a support professional in a specific role is expected
to know, and a set of best and common processes and practices within a support center.
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The International Certification Standards Committee (ICSC) has developed standards for the
following positions:
• HDI Customer Service Representative (HDI-CSR)
• HDI Support Center Analyst (HDI-SCA)
• HDI Desktop Support Technician (HDI-DST)
• HDI Support Center Team Lead (HDI-SCTL)
• HDI Support Center Manager (HDI-SCM)
• HDI Desktop Support Manager (HDI-DSM)
• HDI Support Center Director (HDI-SCD)
HDI is also pleased to offer the following certifications:
• KCS Principles
• KCS Foundation
• Coaching Skills for Quality Support
• HDI Problem Management Professional (HDI-PM)
• HDI Technical Support Professional (HDI-TSP)
• HDI Certified Instructor (HDI-CI)
• ITIL Foundation
HDI is committed to defining certification standards for additional support professional roles as
the industry evolves and needs change. In business today, customers want educated and certified
professionals to support their business needs. Certification provides:
• Validation of current knowledge and skill sets
• Evidence of excellence achieved in your field
• Professional development
• Personal pride
• Credentials that travel
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How Is an HDI Standard Organized?
A role-based certification standard is aligned with the elements of the HDI Support Center Standard
and all the HDI support center suite certifications align to the European Foundation for Quality
Management (EFQM) framework, with modifications to meet the quality requirements of support
centers. Each element is a category within the standard. The last three elements of the HDI Support
Center Standard are closely related and have been combined into a single category within the role-
based standards. This means HDI role-based standards are organized into six categories: (1.0)
Leadership, (2.0) Strategy and Policy, (3.0) People Management, (4.0) Resources, (5.0) Process
and Procedure, and (6.0) Performance Results. Each category contains a list of topics that share a
common focus or relate to a specific concept. Within each topic are one or more competencies. For
each competency, there is a range of knowledge. Take a look at the following example from the HDI
Support Center Analyst standard:
Category Topic Competency Range of Knowledge
1.0 Leadership
1.1 1.1.1 An effective leader:
Leadership Identify the • Leads by example
Principles characteristics of an • Motivates others
effective leader. • Encourages participation, creative
thinking, and initiative
• Demonstrates a positive attitude
• Practices active listening skills
• Displays ethical behavior
If one approaches the standard as if they were interviewing for a position in a support center, the
competency would be either a specific question or a concept that an interviewer would ask in the
interview process, and the range of knowledge would be the expected answer. In other words, it is
expected that someone in a specific support center position will possess the range of knowledge for
each competency.
To cover a range of knowledge completely for some competencies would be an endless task
(e.g., “Identify characteristics of leadership”). In such cases, the HDI International Certification
Standard Committee (ICSC) has either defined the information in the range of knowledge to cover
information that is common knowledge or has provided examples that relate to the competency. An
experienced professional should be able to expand upon the range of knowledge.
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It is also common to have a similar set of competencies in more than one certification standard, with
the range of knowledge varying between standards. For example, the standard for a support center
analyst and a support center manager may include the competency, “Describe the process of change
management.” The range of knowledge for this competency will differ in each of the standards. The
standard for the support center analyst may include an awareness of the change management process,
while the standard for a support center manager may contain a more detailed description of how to
use the change management process within the support center.
The following section provides a description of each standard category.
HDI Standard Category Descriptions
1.0 Leadership
Leadership defines how all levels of management and all employees in leadership roles guide their
organizations toward success by inspiring and motivating support professionals and driving continual
improvement. All levels of the support center should understand why their jobs are important, receive
satisfaction from their work, and feel supported and valued for their efforts by the support center leadership.
Effective leaders ensure that the work being done is aligned with the needs of the organization, and the value
of the work being done is communicated and understood throughout the entire organization. They provide
highly visible support and encouragement, and they inspire cooperation and enthusiasm.
2.0 Strategy and Policy
The organization’s values and concepts of quality must be incorporated into the development,
communication, review, execution, and evolution of the support center’s strategy and policies. This will
clearly and effectively support the organization’s purpose. Support center strategy and policies must be
translated into goals and objectives that contribute to the organization’s ability to achieve its stated goals.
Specific plans must be established to define how the support center goals and objectives will be achieved.
The plans must lead to the achievement of measurable performance targets and be aligned with the plans of
the department and organization. Performance must be measured and communicated to stakeholders, and
regular analysis must be performed to identify any adjustments that need to be made to achieve the desired
results.
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3.0 People Management
An important responsibility of support center management is the creation of an environment that
motivates support center professionals to perform at their peak. Support center professional roles and
responsibilities must be documented for each position. Support center professionals must possess, and
continue to evolve, the competencies needed to effectively perform the requirements of the position.
Performance feedback, reward and recognition, management communication, and opportunities for
technical and professional growth are proven motivators.
4.0 Resources
The support center must have access to the resources (i.e., people, processes, and technology)
necessary to achieve its goals and objectives. These include financial and human resources, physical
facilities, technology (i.e., specialized systems and tools supported by a reliable infrastructure),
specialized organizational knowledge, and/or third party partnerships. Support center‐specific
systems and supporting processes can provide significant improvements in automation that increase
the support center’s efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity, which can improve the quality and
consistency of support center services. Integration of support center‐specific systems with other
systems used in the department and/or organization enhances these improvements even further. The
resulting benefits to the organization include higher productivity, cost savings, and opportunities for
revenue enhancements.
5.0 Process and Procedure
Processes and procedures must in place to enable the support center to achieve its goals and
objectives. Processes and procedures critical to the support center’s operation must be clearly
identified, and the role of the support center and the responsibilities of its management and staff
must be clearly defined, documented, and communicated to relevant stakeholders.
6.0 Performance Results
Processes and procedures designed to collect measurable feedback provide results that support center
management can use to manage satisfaction levels. Performance results are the output of collecting
and reporting performance data. Actual performance and satisfaction results must be tracked and
compared to established targets/goals in order to measure progress and proactively identify negative
trends that might impact employee morale and the degree of job satisfaction, as well as the degree of
customer or user satisfaction.
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