ServiceDesk Team Lead UK
ServiceDesk Team Lead
Based: Whitechapel, London (Hybrid)Type: Full Time
SALARY: £42K - £44K
Eligibility: You must be eligible to work in the UK
The Service Desk Team Lead (SDTL) is a pivotal role within our IT managed services provider, responsible for leading a team of up to 8 service desk analysts and engineers as well as conducting 2nd Line Analyst duties, with an expected split of 70%/30% of 2nd Line to SDTL duties.Reporting to the Service Desk Manager, the SDTL will ensure the effective resolution of support tickets, manage escalations, and maintain high levels of customer satisfaction. Working hand in glove with colleague SDTL’s, this role is integral to maintaining the operational efficiency of our service desk and ensuring seamless escalation and de-escalation processes with the 3rd line team.
About Smartdesc
Smartdesc is an IT Service Provider and Microsoft Partner and direct CSP whose focus is not-for-profit organisations, which includes charities, social enterprises, and the public sector in the UK. We work with large household names like Mind, YMCA and WaterAid, as well as a diverse mix of other charities and nonprofits.
We provide a range of IT Services including Strategy & IT Leadership, Cyber Security, Helpdesk Support and Project / Programme Management - tailored to non-profits and delivered through proactive partnerships with our customers.
Staff who work for Smartdesc are of the highest quality, and one of the main reasons for our success. We promote from within, pay for your training and certifications, and have fun in a growing and exciting atmosphere. This means staff stay with us for years, because we invest heavily in them - our retention rate is 98% which is far above the competition.
We are a flat management structure without internal politics, and staff are given a high degree of autonomy to do their jobs to the best of their ability. We celebrate success as a team and you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a diverse range of cutting-edge technologies and systems, and never pigeonholed into one single area.
Successful candidates deliver exceptional customer support through effort, integrity and honesty. Smartdesc deliver ethical, transparent and customer focused IT services; new team members are carefully picked to ensure they enhance Smartdesc’s ethos and share our values.
About the role
The Service Desk Team Lead (SDTL) is a pivotal role within our IT managed services provider, responsible for leading a team of up to 8 service desk analysts and engineers as well as conducting 2nd Line Analyst duties, with an expected split of 70%/30% of 2nd Line to SDTL duties.Reporting to the Service Desk Manager, the SDTL will ensure the effective resolution of support tickets, manage escalations, and maintain high levels of customer satisfaction. Working hand in glove with colleague SDTL’s, this role is integral to maintaining the operational efficiency of our service desk and ensuring seamless escalation and de-escalation processes with the 3rd line team.
Skills and Experience Required- Proficient in Verbal and written English
- Analytical and systematic approach to problem solving
- Experience of leading a team or other relevant experience
- Able to follow defined ITIL processes
- A commitment to knowledge sharing and clear, detailed documentation
- Can work to strict SLA’s, OLA’s and KPI’s
- Welcoming, personable, articulate and conscientious
- Able to converse with at all organisational levels, confidently and honestly, being able to ask for help and discuss ideas and techniques openly and honestly, to build trust with colleagues and customers.
- The ability to explain technical concepts in easy terms
- The ability to prioritise and manage time under pressure
- A positive attitude with the ability to resolve customer problems and requests promptly and efficiently.
- Ability to spot opportunities and improvements that will benefit the end user experience and taking this forward with senior colleagues
- Experience working for the non-profit sector an advantage
- Strong ability to fault find and problem solve under pressure, remotely using various toolsets.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft 365
- Knowledge of ITIL and management of ITSM toolsets
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Azure.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server technologies – Server / Exchange / Active Directory.
- Working knowledge of AV/EDR as well as RMM toolsets such as N-Central, DattoRMM, NinjaOne
- Working knowledge networking infrastructure – LAN / WAN / DNS / Firewalls etc.
Job Responsibilities:
- Technical Support
- Deliver remote service desk support to UK-based clients, including resolving IT issues and creating documentation and guides.
- Build and maintain strong trusted relationships with clients.
- Take ownership of issues and requests, managing them to resolution or escalation as needed.
- Manage and prioritize tickets and workload through a ticketing system, adhering to SLA response and resolution deadlines
- Team Management
- Lead, mentor, and supervise a team of up to 8 service desk analysts and engineers.
- Conduct regular performance reviews and provide constructive feedback.
- Identify training needs and facilitate professional development opportunities.
- Conduct disciplinary actions where required in line with Smartdesc Policies
- Co-Manage with other SDTLs, resource levels including the management of Staff Rotas, holidays and other absence in accordance with company policies and procedures.
- Allocation of resources as appropriate to fulfil our contractual obligations to our customers
- Foster a collaborative and supportive team environment.
- Onboarding/Training of new staff members
- Service Desk Operations
- Oversee daily operations of the service desk team to ensure efficient ticket resolution.
- Monitor and manage ticket queues to ensure timely response and resolution in line with SLAs
- Handle escalations to and from the 3rd line team, ensuring clear communication and resolution pathways.
- Develop and implement processes to improve service delivery and efficiency.
- Ticket quality checks
- Voice call quality checks
- Monitoring and management of Contact Centre ensuring agent availability
- Customer Engagement
- Ensure high levels of customer satisfaction by maintaining effective communication with clients.
- Address and resolve customer complaints and issues promptly and professionally.
- Gather and analyse customer feedback to inform service improvements.
- Reporting and Analysis
- Generate and analyse reports on service desk performance and ticket metrics.
- Identify trends and areas for improvement and implement corrective actions.
- Provide regular updates to the Service Desk Manager on team performance and service levels.
- Highlight and seek resolution any issues resulting from Trending reports and Problem Records
- Proficient in Verbal and written English
- Analytical and systematic approach to problem solving
- Experience of leading a team or other relevant experience
- Able to follow defined ITIL processes
- A commitment to knowledge sharing and clear, detailed documentation
- Can work to strict SLA’s, OLA’s and KPI’s
- Welcoming, personable, articulate and conscientious
- Able to converse with at all organisational levels, confidently and honestly, being able to ask for help and discuss ideas and techniques openly and honestly, to build trust with colleagues and customers.
- The ability to explain technical concepts in easy terms
- The ability to prioritise and manage time under pressure
- A positive attitude with the ability to resolve customer problems and requests promptly and efficiently.
- Ability to spot opportunities and improvements that will benefit the end user experience and taking this forward with senior colleagues
- Experience working for the non-profit sector an advantage
- Strong ability to fault find and problem solve under pressure, remotely using various toolsets.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft 365
- Knowledge of ITIL and management of ITSM toolsets
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Azure.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server technologies – Server / Exchange / Active Directory.
- Working knowledge of AV/EDR as well as RMM toolsets such as N-Central, DattoRMM, NinjaOne
- Working knowledge networking infrastructure – LAN / WAN / DNS / Firewalls etc.
- Strong focus on personal development and a “promote from within” culture.
- Wide range of flexible and agile working arrangements
- Supportive working environment with a focus on wellbeing & work/life balance
- 25 days holiday (exclude Bank Holidays)
- Additional day of annual leave for your birthday
- Option to buy an extra 5 days’ annual leave
- Health shield cash back plan
- Employee Assistance Programme EAP
- Season Ticket Loan if required
- Headspace App
- Regular paid-for social events, at least quarterly
- Christmas Bonus
- Free gym, bicycle storage and showers at our London Office in Aldgate