NFIC CD/on-site Orientation (Training)

National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)

Sample Help Desk Staff Guidelines

1. Answer the phone as promptly as possible.

2. Greet the caller with "NFIRS Help Desk, how may I help you?"

3. Be friendly, courteous, and attentive to the caller’s problem or concern.

4. Find out if the caller is calling from home and if they called in on the toll-free number. Offer to call them back at home so that they don’t incur long distance charges while discussing the problem, if appropriate. NOTE: Many NFIRS participants are volunteers and they may call the Help desk from home.

5. Smile! It makes you sound friendly.

6. Ask questions to clarify the problem.

7. Phrase your questions so that the caller knows you care about his/her problem and that it is important to you.

8. Try to resolve the problem during the initial call if possible.

9. Record all calls in the support-tracking database and tell the caller that you are doing so. Explain that that is the reason you need his/her name, phone, email, etc.

10. If you are able to resolve the problem during the initial call, select your name in the Assigned To field in the support-tracking database, and describe the solution provided in the Problem Resolution field.

11. If you are not able to resolve the problem during the initial call, assure the caller that you will find the solution and call back. Then, find out the solution and place the return call as quickly as possible.

12. If you are not able to resolve the problem and assign the call to another Help desk staff member, send that staff member an email message indicating that the call has been assigned to them. Make sure that you complete the Assigned To field in the support-tracking database.

13. Thank the caller for calling and encourage them to call back if the solution provided to them does not work or if they have any additional questions.

United States Fire Administration

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