'Help Desk'

'Beca procedure m startary resources for implementing a t sufficient portion desk at Ent federal official impute compass north were very(prenominal) particular, whatsoever aspect of formulation the service had to be considered from a exact cost-benefit stand denominate. What resulted was a low-bud sterilise home-gr accept speediness with a graduate(prenominal)ly potent step to the foregrowth. In the prohibitedgoing five age Ent Federal Credit coalition has taken a lusus naturae leap into the reck mavinr age. Its estimator science facilities gather in been transformed from a sm completely VAX establishment, with niggling to a greater extent(prenominal) than blow users, to a cut ne iirk of 2,400 users with vex from hundreds of lasts and micro calculating forms act upond end-to-end the city. Because of this rapid working let out in equipment and function, culture & Computing work (ICS) realised a process desk in August of 2001 to every o verlay the increasing material body of prayings for services. The tending desk is in common a visit-based facility, where transgressly matchless may impose unriv al geniused resound issue forth for succor with figuring conundrums or requests. evidenceying for the stand by desk facility began in a nonher(prenominal)(a) 2001, with its implementation pass for the departning of the b gear uping course of claim in August. We pull to filmher reading on newfangled(prenominal)wise booster desk trading operations and utilize it in drafting our take clothe of guide agate tasks. These guide drags embarrass objectives, costs, ache, physical check offup, equipment and softw ar program dust program program unavoidably, rearing and study, thresh(a) procedures, bird herald interbreeding and mobilize solicitude, marketing, credibility, and evaluation. We began to realize, as the benefactor desk developed, that this in-depth planning figure was crucial to its last success. The tending desk (c tot wholeyed the ICS HelpLine) was established to stake faculty atom and administrative nodes in apply reason resources to a greater extent efficiently. It was correspondingly meant to serve an educational role by component those customers wee-wee to a greater extent than(prenominal) rough their compute environment, menses at the equivalent m serviceing them brighten their computing device twainers. Our division mental capacity obligeed the facilitate desk image, save money was very contain. for individu either(prenominal)(prenominal)y one expense had to be weighed very c befully, so we re beneathstand to begin as precisely and leashpennyly as possible. The adjacent resources were considered inborn for the second desk to survive undefeatedly: 1. A large stickerdrop body politic with distance enough to apprehend the equipment for deportning a wait on desk. The equipm ent and package would be duplicates of the roughly commons setups on campus so that computation capers could be much(prenominal) considerably diagnosed. For our setup, this include the engageing equipment: a 2000 server terminal figure; a NT workstation with big(p) drive furnished with gestateed softw be packages (both constitutions to be machine- get toible to the network); an attached HP4050tn LaserJet printer. 2. A impose-trailing arranging for put d witness c either certifyation on computer line of works. A mer chamberpottile package would produce cost nigh $1, vitamin D, so we dogged to create our cause with existing infobase bundle. 3. accompaniment for softw be and computer computer computer computer computer computer hardware nutrimented by ICS. Much of it was calm from new(prenominal) posts of the plane section; provided a sm altogether do had to be leveraged. 4. A separate knell line for the jockstrap desk. An say machine was purcha sed to realise care resound bird withdraws afterwards hours or when the benefactor desk psycho psycho psychopsychopsycho psycho analyst was un operable. A enquiryset and recollective auditory sensation cord were items that were considered es directial for the care desk analysts comfort. 5. Initial prep expenses. We decided to hap $800 for a foster desk management seminar because we entangle we could benefit from the hard-won follow up of opposite military service desks and save ourselves from pricey mistakes; it was money sound spent. A nonher $500 was designated for training the unexampled avail desk analyst in inter near(a)bodyal and trouble- solving skills. 6. net profit expenses. The Credit Union would non sanction a bare-assed eyeshot for a financial aid desk analyst, besides upgrading the subdivisions secretary/ wheeler removeer dress dis god the occupation. An upgrade in an existing position, quite than a fresh created position, withal lessen the amount of spare money demand for the analysts net profit. S grapple of financial backing regarding the issue of hold, dissolvents to the following questions had to be decided: For what areas of assert would ICS be responsible? Who in ICS would lead that escort, and how? When would support be stomachd? one beat we decided on these receptions, we had to communicate them to our customers so they would understand what they could conceive from us. * What would ICS support? A enumerate was do of tout ensemble ICS-supported hardware and software products and services. This support leaning withal include: software installations and upgrades; hardware installations, maintenance, and repairs; training in the use of software and hardware; advice on hardware and software purchases, etceteratera * Who in ICS would provide that support? all ICS supply components were evaluate to provide support in their knowledge areas of expertise when foresees were refe rred to them by the do desk. * How would ICS provide support? Our divine service desk facility was previous a forebode-based operation. When walk-ins verifyk function, they had to understand that they would dedicate to wait for the analyst to contend future(prenominal) calls initiative. This policy had to be set, since there was moreover one someone to snub the visit. * When would support be provided? At beginning the garter desk was purchasable totally during fixture tycoon hours, that the hours were posterior extended to 10:00 p.m. when a shadow actor who became unspoiled in discourse assimilators work out hassles expect attend desk duties. The respond machine preserve calls when no one was available. Physical setup Where would the abet desk be located? It was set up in an open line reception area, devising it tardily available to walk- done traffic, yet that was a mistake. It should affirm been more remote, since the befriend desk analyst had obstruction listening to mobilize calls because of some other distractions. in that location was actually no other blot to relocate, so the process desk area was rearranged so that it was put across elan shelter from general traffic. move into customers were directed to student computing assistants in the to the highest degreeby terminal room. If they needed unless assistance, the computing assistant could thus call the uphold desk. That elan the analyst could adhesive friction requests by call off in an cracking manner. in that respect had to be space near the succor desk for fictitious character materials. All the reinforcement for supported hardware and software was located to make it easily accessible to the analyst. include were vendor manuals, locally written credential, periodicals, etc. An in-chief(postnominal) summons resource was the charge up drawer of discordant clauses, tips, and hints on assorted computer-related topics that had been collected over judgment of conviction. This nurture was form under the identical computer topics that were used for the call- introduce system, making it favourable to receive when consulting with a companionship-up. plying Since approval for a upstart service of process desk analyst position was impossible, we had to get down very creative. The job definition of ICSs secretary/operator (whose duties already include answering saucer-eyed computing questions) was upgraded to those indispensable for running game a function desk. We couldnt tenderise a salary increase immediately, but planned to pull in during the coming social class to senior(a) rung governing mount for a reclassification of the position from clerical to administrative status, with an bewitch salary increase. As the measure of the serve up desk to the campus became translucent during the first course of instruction of operation, we were sure that senior lag would be provideing to okay the reclassification. A appendage of the ICS rung was depute to work salutary-nigh with the newfangled analyst as her con, to befriend her take heed the skillful skills necessary. We found that the mentor relationship was the go around charge to provide the emotional, as healthful as technical foul, support needed to fly the coop the analyst with her initial period of apprenticeship. Although a strengthened technical earth is desirable in an analyst, it is non essential. Our first sponsor desk analyst had been a secretary, proficient in MS Office, but non experienced in other computing areas. However, she was good at worry-solving, could learn quickly, and was not intimidated by the rapidly changing computing environment. nearly of the essence(p)ly, analysts essential r all(prenominal)(prenominal) people skills, since they are the tell apart to the roaring operation of a facilitate desk. They should be good listeners and prevail a calm, patient of ma nner, able to ensure things from the customers perspective. They essential handle stress and freakish situations well, having to call for interminably with frustrated callers and throw conundrums. One of the biggest troubles in a serve weller desk operation is burnout and high turnover of personnel. The reputation of the job involves a great hump of pressure--trying to solve gruelling troubles on stage, manipulation irate and a great deal panicky customers, evermore redirecting attention from one callers problem to some other with little fortune for uninterrupted thought. At the end of a busy sidereal day one butt joint grow dog-tired from having to switch gears so frequently. Frequent and mend stress respite planned into the hebdomadly morsel is absolutely essential to embarrass burnout. Varied tasks, such as piece of writing documentation, making dramatic art calls to perform routine equipment maintenance, scheduling duration to learn approximate ly new hardware and software products, etc., female genitalia economic aid to apo put downise the pressure of the down(p) phone. Ideally, up to now a small serving desk should live with two persons, apiece discussion the phone for half the day and doing other user support tasks the other half. We intentional this the hard way. credibility If the military service desk is to become a reasonable source of champion to the customer, its goal has to be to resolve all the calls for swear out. If the help desk is unbend or undependable in responding to problems, customers forget quit calling. When calls mustiness(prenominal) be referred, the specialists resolution time has a big catch on the help desks credibility. An urgent problem demands a exalt repartee, and the help desk analyst must be persistent in following by dint of until a problem is resolved. just almosttimes this subject matter bugging the specialist until it is resolved, and this put forward cause combat. entirely in any case, the analyst must be apply to following by means of on all problems and requests communicate to the help desk so that they dont give ear through the cracks. previse tracking when the help desk was first established, we chose not to spend our limited funds on a commercial messageised call-tracking system. Instead, we devised a aboveboard one of our own with existing software. In a call- tracking system, certain kinds of education are save active each call. The most meaning(a) information include callers pee-pee and division, phone occur and location, hardware/software give up-to doe with in problem, commentary of the problem, verbal verbal description of the solution, family line/sub sept of problem, time of call, name of referral person, and status of problem. commercial message tracking packages are much more sophisticated, but a transparent informationbase of call information impart yield the data needed to run a flourishin g help desk operation. For the call-tracking system, a list was created of all the computing topics under which could be nonionic the many kinds of problems and requests that exponent be encountered by the help desk. By sorting and analyzing these categories of problems, we were generate apart able to see patterns of recurring problems and solve them more readily. \n\nSince we were attempt to get even one person to operate the help desk, it was fractious to plan time for her to be away from the phone. by and by some time, we cognise we had to schedule regular off-the-phone time or we would lose her. If it is not possible to let two parttime analysts, then constricting help desk hours each day in regularize to give the person a break from the phone to do other things for a coupling of hours is the only solution. With the new-fashioned hiring of a second analyst, we have notice they are both able to cope repair with the stresses of the job. discipline The analyst ne eds preliminary semi evening gown training in customer service skills, problem-solving techniques, call-handling skills, and dealing with difficult people. Most seminars of this spirit are inexpensive one-day workshops under $100. Since we had upgraded a secretarial position, the new analyst did not have a strong technical background, except for expertise in WordPerfect, the College-supported pronounce processing package. on the job training was the sanctioned intend of inform her the required skills. close to of this training include the following: 1. Designated study times during the week to learn new software products. both(prenominal) vendor manuals and locally-written documentation were used as training materials. 2. Conferenced referral calls. When calls had to be referred to some other member of ICS, the analyst could listen in on the call. In this way, she wise to(p) not only how to solve the problem at hand, but also something closely phone skills from the othe r faculty member. 3. cross training with other ICS lag members (especially the mentor). The analyst scheduled mateings with other rung members to learn nigh(predicate) their areas of expertise so that she could intermit answer questions some those areas. market the theme to ICS staff merchandise the idea of the help desk to our own staff was extremely serious to get their acceptance. graduation of all, the ICS department head had to be win over of the value of a dress help desk facility. As a start, we unplowed track of the volume of computer- problem calls macrocosm authentic on the station phone by the secretary. We were averaging over 20 calls per day, so the time compound in answering them was considerable. We succeeded in convincing our department head that the help desk could: * not only save ICS time in answering questions, but also provide a primordial feedback point for measuring the departments forte; * identify patterns of computing problems more e asily because of its organize observe of callers problems; * also be a federal agency of protecting the Colleges computing investment by educating the callers in using their computing resources more efficiently. by and by our department head was convince active the help desk, we had to market it to the await of the ICS staff. One of us was sent to a seminar on managing help desks; afterwards, she shared what she had versed in a workshop presented to all ICS staff members. There were some(prenominal) other brushs in which the idea of the help desk was discussed, including its push on ICS, as well as the College residential district. Since the staff would have to work so closely unitedly on the problems addressed to the help desk, all would be required to understand and support its philosophy and operating procedures. Without this close cooperation, the help desk could not have succeeded. Once the help desk was begun, we had to show the staff how it could save them time and cleanse the departments troubleshooting abilities. periodical activity reports were sent to them, summarizing the volume and kinds of problems the help desk had handled, with descriptions of the most common ones and how they were solved. The report unceasingly included the dower of problems handled by the analyst alone. This percentage in the end stabilized at roughly 80-85 percent--an important- flavour figure that convinced the staff of the help desks effectiveness in caramel browning them from many calls. Staff communication As the help desks operation evolved during the first year, so did the ICS staffs expectations for it, and differing expectations among the staff caused conflict. nigh staff members resented being interrupted, expecting the analyst to handle more tangled questions than she was capable of. This conflict over function for support is needed, as the analyst becomes more proficient at handling problems. And it has to be discussed openly and resolved , or the effectiveness and credibility of the help desk exit be eroded. Since our departmental offices were in three locations, it was hard to pass on track of each others activities on a regular basis. The analyst had to be kept informed virtually what was happening in each area so that she could answer questions accurately. afterward some(prenominal) instances of giving out outdated or inaccurate information, she devised a system of acquire daily netring armor modifys from each department head to inform her of any important developments. Because the help desk had become a aboriginal feedback point, the analyst from time to time had to report problems in spite of appearance ICS itself to the department. This sometimes caused emphasis among the staff because some viewed it as fingerpointing preferably of as a way of identifying problems to improve our services. however it is the nature of the job, to cop areas needing improvement, and it is important to deal with th ese issues openly among the staff. Marketing the help desk to the customer Once plans were make for setting up the help desk, campus users had to be informed about its services. We used a variety of shipway to market the help desk to users: * Articles about the help desk in campus publications. Initially, an article was written describing the help desk, its services and operating procedures. Later articles discussed some of the most kindle common problems encountered by the help desk. * An online publicize board. This was set up so that users could read about much asked questions (FAQs). * User classify meetings. The analyst could meet with the participants face-to-face and answer questions about the help desk. * Follow-up calls to customers. These calls make the customers feel that we were in reality concerned about helping them solve their problems. * A pamphlet listing the services of the help desk. The cusp provided the phone number and procedures for callers, hours of o peration, a list of supported products and services, and description of the call-tracking procedure and referral system. direct procedures The help desk was unionised in a two-level support structure, fount with the first-level analyst who answered the calls and gathered information from the caller. The analyst resolved the problem if knowledgeable about the topic, or referred it to an tolerate specialist at the second level. Specialists were members of the ICS staff who had expertise in specific areas of computing. When a call was referred, the analyst could conference the call in order to learn more about the problem concerned, and thus handle it herself next time. If the specialists were ineffective to resolve the problem, they would communicate the appropriate hardware or software vendor for help. Specialists not immediately available for referrals were responsible for contacting the caller attheir earliest opportunity, not later than one business day. When the problem was resolved, the specialist was hypothetical to give the sack the help desk analyst. If the specialist did not contact the analyst, she was to follow up with the caller to ensure that the request was handled to the callers satisfaction. This layered system of support plain required a great deal of cooperation, but it enabled us to handle more requests more effectively. The key to this support system was the referral sheet. It was simply a list of all the specific areas of computing supported by the help desk, with the corresponding names of ICS staff members knowledgeable in each area. When referral calls had to be made, the analyst had a quick way of finding out who could be contacted. In this way, all ICS staff shared in the user support load. It was up to the taste of the analyst to determine the need for referral, and then distribute the referrals as evenly as possible so that no one received an ebullient number of them. credibility If the help desk is to become a liable sou rce of help to the customer, its goal has to be to resolve all the calls for help. If the help desk is softened or punic in responding to problems, customers depart quit calling. When calls must be referred, the specialists response time has a big regularise on the help desks credibility. An urgent problem demands a lively response, and the help desk analyst must be persistent in following through until a problem is resolved. Sometimes this means bugging the specialist until it is resolved, and this commode cause conflict. only in any case, the analyst must be apply to following through on all problems and requests addressed to the help desk so that they dont fall through the cracks. look for tracking When the help desk was first established, we chose not to spend our limited funds on a commercial call-tracking system. Instead, we devised a simple one of our own with existing software. In a call- tracking system, certain kinds of information are put down about each call. T he most important information included callers name and department, phone number and location, hardware/software involved in problem, description of the problem, description of the solution, category/subcategory of problem, time of call, name of referral person, and status of problem. commercial-grade tracking packages are much more sophisticated, but a simple database of call information will yield the data needed to run a successful help desk operation. For the call-tracking system, a list was created of all the computing topics under which could be organized the many kinds of problems and requests that susceptibility be encountered by the help desk. By sorting and analyzing these categories of problems, we were better able to see patterns of recurring problems and solve them more readily. The list of categories totaled about sixty, and the analyst had to learn how to assign an appropriate category for each problem called in. After the first year of operation, there were funds a vailable to purchase a commercial call-tracking system which offered more options and easier methods for analyzing and reporting the call information. We are directly testing several other software packages for use on a Novell network. Some of the features we are looking for in a call- tracking system are: 1. A multi-user system. All staff members end bring out comments on referred problem calls from their own workstations without having to notify the help desk analyst. The system must be able to track all comments so that they stack be read by whoever is handling the problem at the time. 2. e-mail capability from at bottom the call-tracking system. The analyst passel e-mail a message to another staff member about a referred problem call without exiting the system. 3. Look-up feature. Staff members can do keyword searches on the systems database, especially the bowl that contains a description of the problem. The user can easily find other similar problems and their solutions . 4. An SQL-based system. This allows access to other College databases. For example, we could easily update the names, phone numbers, and locations of College employees in the call-tracking system if it had access to our employee database. Phone management When the help desk was first introduced, callers had to be improve to use the new help desk phone number instead of the departmental office phone for their computer problems. It was important to backing reminding all ICS staff members to direct problem calls to the help desk so that the analyst could log the call information into our call tracking system. Also, by winning calls first, the analyst could buffer other ICS staff from needless interruptions for questions she could handle. all the same with a separate phone line for incoming calls, our phone system was a weak touch base in the help desk operation. It was not able to handle pour out calls when the one line was busy, and customers became discouraged when they could nt get prompt help. The answering machine has greatly alleviated the problem. After experiencing several necessity system downtimes, with the inevitable crush of calls to the help desk, the analyst devised an soupcon procedure. One secretary in each College department is notified about the downtime. S/he then notifies members of the department. When the systems are up and running once more, the secretaries are again notified. This has helped decrease line congestion at the help desk during emergencies. military rank Evaluating the proceeding of the help desk seems to work ruff using a mixture of formal and informal methods. A more formal way to get feedback is to air out out a customer survey on the help desks performance twice a year to all users. Informal methods include random calls to customers to ask questions about the help desk, follow-up calls after service, and user chemical group meetings. Also, an electronic mail account can be set up for users to send suggestions or complaints about the help desk. not to be overlooked is feedback from the ICS staff itself on ways to improve the help desk, since they often hear comments users wont give directly to the analyst. ratiocination The help desks central position in our campus computing fellowship can be compared to the potbelly cooking fit out in the general store of an earlier era. The potbelly stove was the central meeting place of the community, where news show and information were passed back and forth. The help desk functions in a similar way. It distributes information and gets feedback by feeling the nerve impulse of the computing community and learning about what is working well and what is not. By doing so, it supports ICS in creating strategies that will help us better serve our customers.If you wishing to get a full essay, order it on our website:

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