Service Desk Lead

ASM Research; Lorton (AL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 117,000; Full time

Job summary

ASM Research seeks a Service Desk Lead to oversee the external-facing service desk, blending hands-on customer support with team leadership. You will supervise analysts, manage queues, and ensure service levels and customer satisfaction targets are met.

You will coordinate with Product, Engineering, and Account Management to address recurring issues and drive improvements in processes and documentation. A strong focus on coaching and escalation management is essential.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in customer-facing technical support or service desk role.
• Strong customer service and de-escalation skills; experience handling escalated/upset customers.
• Experience with CRM/ticketing platforms (Zendesk, Salesforce, Freshdesk, ServiceNow, etc.).
• Must have an active Secret Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, schedule, and mentor Service Desk Analysts/Agents handling customer calls, chats, and tickets.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex, sensitive, or dissatisfied-customer issues.
• Monitor queues (calls, chat, tickets) in real time to ensure SLAs and response-time targets are met.
• Track and report on key metrics: CSAT/NPS, average handle time, first-contact resolution, SLA compliance, ticket backlog.
• Monitor and support Tier 0 deflection for external users.
• Develop and maintain customer-facing support procedures, macros/canned responses, and knowledge base articles.
• Handle escalated customer complaints professionally, aiming for first-contact resolution and retention.
• Coach agents on product knowledge, communication skills, and de-escalation techniques.
• Coordinate with Product, Engineering, and Account Management teams on recurring or high-impact customer issues.
• Identify trends in customer inquiries and recommend improvements to processes or documentation.
• Administer the ticketing/CRM system — queue setup, routing rules, tagging.
• Ensure compliance with SLAs defined in contracts and service agreements.
• Support onboarding and training of new customer support agents.
• Assist in after-hours/weekend coverage planning as needed.

Skills

Customer service

De-escalation

Team leadership

Communication

Coaching

Multitasking across channels

Security clearance (Active Secret)

Education

Bachelor's degree

Associate degree + 2 years relevant experience

Tools

Zendesk

Salesforce

Freshdesk

ServiceNow

Job description

Position Summary

The Service Desk Lead oversees daily operations of the external-facing service desk, supporting customers/clients with product, technical, or account issues. This role combines hands‑on customer support with team leadership — supervising analysts, managing ticket/call queues, and ensuring service levels and customer satisfaction targets are met.

Key Responsibilities

• Supervise, schedule, and mentor Service Desk Analysts/Agents handling customer calls, chats, and tickets.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex, sensitive, or dissatisfied-customer issues.
• Monitor queues (calls, chat, tickets) in real time to ensure SLAs and response‑time targets are met.
• Track and report on key metrics: CSAT/NPS, average handle time, first‑contact resolution, SLA compliance, ticket backlog.
• Monitor and support Tier 0 (self‑service/chatbot) deflection effectiveness for external users.
• Develop and maintain customer‑facing support procedures, macros/canned responses, and knowledge base articles.
• Handle escalated customer complaints professionally, aiming for first‑contact resolution and retention.
• Coach agents on product knowledge, communication skills, and de‑escalation techniques.
• Coordinate with Product, Engineering, and Account Management teams on recurring or high‑impact customer issues.
• Identify trends in customer inquiries and recommend process, product, or documentation improvements.
• Administer the ticketing/CRM system (e.g., Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Freshdesk) — queue setup, routing rules, tagging.
• Ensure compliance with SLAs defined in customer contracts and service agreements.
• Support onboarding and training of new customer support agents.
• Assist in after‑hours/weekend coverage planning as needed for customer‑facing support.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, or Associate degree +2 years relevant experience, or 4 years relevant experience
• 3+ years of experience in customer‑facing technical support or service desk role.
• Strong customer service and de‑escalation skills; experience handling escalated/upset customers.
• Experience with CRM/ticketing platforms (Zendesk, Salesforce, Freshdesk, ServiceNow, etc.).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to multitask across channels (phone, email, chat) under time pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to coach and motivate a customer‑facing team.
• Must have an active Secret Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with SLA‑driven, contractual support environments.
• ITIL Foundation or customer service certification (e.g., HDI) a plus.

Compensation Ranges

Compensation ranges for ASM Research positions vary depending on multiple factors; including but not limited to, location, skill set, level of education, certifications, client requirements, contract‑specific affordability, government clearance and investigation level, and years of experience. The compensation displayed for this role is a general guideline based on these factors and is unique to each role. Monetary compensation is one component of ASM's overall compensation and benefits package for employees.

EEO Requirements

It is the policy of ASM that an individual's race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or national origin are not and will not be considered in any personnel or management decisions. We affirm our commitment to these fundamental policies.

All recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting for all job classifications is done without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, or age. All decisions on employment are made to abide by the principle of equal employment.

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements described in "Knowledge, Skills and Abilities" above are representative of those which must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job. (For example, "light office duties" or "lifting up to 50 pounds" or "some travel" required.) Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with qualifying disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to perform the primary functions.

Disclaimer

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Compensation Range

$100k - $117k