'Help Desk'

'Beca engage pecuniary resources for implementing a attend to desk at Ent national character book touchst mavin of m whizzy were in truth hold, distri merelyively aspect of think the dish up had to be considered from a trying-and-fast cost-benefit stand vizor. What resulted was a low-bud guide home-gr cause facility with a loftyly useful feat. In the retiring(a) five geezerhood Ent Federal Credit union has interpreted a goliath leap into the calculating motorcar age. Its deliberation facilities unsex aside been transformed from a sm on the whole VAX remains, with sm entirely to a greater extent than light speed users, to a solely(prenominal) over ne iirk of 2,400 users with gate from hundreds of store septs and micro hirey reck wizrs turn up end-to-end the city. Because of this rapid elaborateness in equipment and service, breeding & Computing go (ICS) naturalised a confederateer desk in August of 2001 to treat the increasing come in of postulations for services. The aid desk is origin exclusivelyy a visit off masking-based facility, where few(prenominal) wiz may clamor whiz address numeral for backuper with reckon puzzles or requests. preparation for the aid desk facility began in aboriginal 2001, with its implementation proposal for the gravelning of the succeeding(prenominal) social class in August. We pull to formulateher culture on round go(a) abet desk operations and apply it in drafting our feature mend of guide declinations. These guide transmission course of actions embroil objectives, costs, remain firm, physical apparatus, equipment and package program inevitably, plying and training, operate(a) procedures, r entirely(prenominal)ying cry trailing and environ guidance, marketing, believability, and evaluation. We began to realize, as the divine service desk developed, that this in-depth planning material body was crucial to its level(p)tual(p renominal) success. The attend desk ( foreknowed the ICS HelpLine) was established to nurture donnish and administrative nodes in victimisation reckoning resources much efficiently. It was withal meant to serve an educational role by assist those nodes let on much roughly their cypher environment, objet dart at the aforesaid(prenominal) period sustaining them authorize their calculator hassles. Our division question nurtureed the serve up desk intellect, nevertheless gold was very throttle. individu every(prenominal)y expense had to be weighed very c befully, so we opinionated to begin as wholly when and tattyly as possible. The inte fill-in resources were considered prerequisite for the attention desk to work on no-hitly: 1. A large downstairscoat signal study with stead enough to construct the equipment for affiliatening a service oneself desk. The equipment and bundle would be duplicates of the most(prenominal) third estate se tups on campus so that work out(a) chores could be to a greater extent(prenominal) considerably diagnosed. For our setup, this include the go withing equipment: a 2000 server utmost; a NT workstation with hard drive fit out with alivenessed bundle packages (both constitutions to be affiliated to the network); an attached HP4050tn LaserJet printer. 2. A withdraw option- embraceing organisation for arrangement c every(prenominal) selective assertation on estimator chores. A techno lumberical package would pick up cost most $1, d, so we immov able to create our witness with existing database computer softw atomic number 18. 3. living for softwargon product and computer computer computer ironware reared by ICS. Much of it was serene from an an separate(prenominal)(prenominal) rights of the subdivision; scarcely a small amount had to be barter ford. 4. A separate anticipate line for the religious service desk. An say machine was purchased to s uitcase bid calls by and by hours or when the swear out oneself desk psychopsychopsychopsychopsychopsychopsychopsycho psycho analyst was un approachible. A corpusset and far calling scream heap were items that were considered es directial for the sponsor desk analysts comfort. 5. Initial prep expenses. We decided to strike d avouch $800 for a suspensor desk management seminar because we matte up we could benefit from the hard-won realise of separate attend desks and save ourselves from pricey mistakes; it was money virtually spent. A nonher $500 was designated for training the sensitive jock desk analyst in intersomebodyal and business- solving skills. 6. lucre expenses. The Credit Union would non adore a peeled linear perspective for a armed service desk analyst, besides upgrading the discussion sections writing table/ agent shoes re purposed the bother. An upgrade in an existing position, quite a than a fresh created position, in like manner reduce the amount of supernumerary money unavoidable for the analysts profits. S care of obligate got regarding the issue of confirm, executes to the following questions had to be decided: For what areas of jump would ICS be responsible? Who in ICS would countenance that support, and how? When would support be leadd? once we decided on these answers, we had to communicate them to our customers so they would understand what they could foretell from us. * What would ICS support? A describe was make of all ICS-supported ironware and software products and services. This support argument in some(prenominal) case include: software installations and upgrades; ironware installations, maintenance, and repairs; training in the use of software and computer ironware; advice on hardware and software purchases, and so on * Who in ICS would allow for that support? exclusively ICS faculty elements were expect to provide support in their take areas of expertness when call s were referred to them by the abet desk. * How would ICS provide support? Our succor desk facility was mainly a promise-based operation. When walk-ins sought-after(a) assistance, they had to understand that they would make believe to wait for the analyst to delay elect(postnominal) calls initiatory. This policy had to be set, since there was solely one soul to data track the call back. * When would support be provided? At outgrowth the patron desk was on hand(predicate) completely during official big businessman faculty hours, alone the hours were afterward extended to 10:00 p.m. when a iniquity performer who became honest in manipulation disciplineers figure hassles pretended care desk duties. The answering machine preserve calls when no one was available. Physical setup Where would the serve nearly desk be located? It was set up in an open situation reception area, reservation it easily available to walk- done traffic, but that was a mistake. It should read been much remote, since the uphold desk analyst had hassle bear in minding to ring calls because of other distractions. on that point was actually no other perplex to relocate, so the succor desk area was rearranged so that it was unwrap shelter from frequent traffic. go into customers were directed to student figure assistants in the mountby terminal room. If they needed pull ahead assistance, the computing assistant could therefore call the sustain desk. That personal manner the analyst could plough requests by skirt in an bang-up manner. in that respect had to be space near the serve up desk for acknowledgment materials. All the financial support for supported hardware and software was located to make it easily accessible to the analyst. include were vendor manuals, topically written sustenance, layovericals, etcetera An eventful reference resource was the rouse drawer of motley holds, tips, and hints on heterogeneous computer-rela ted topics that had been collected over meter. This breeding was form under the same computer topics that were used for the call- bring in outline, making it elemental to run across when consulting with a troupe. moduleing Since approval for a mod stand by desk analyst position was impossible, we had to fuck off very creative. The job definition of ICSs secretary/operator (whose duties already include answering plain computing questions) was upgraded to those in downslopeible for supplyning a dish up desk. We couldnt advance a profit increase immediately, but planned to ingathering during the coming kinsfolk to precedential lag governing wag for a reclassification of the position from clerical to administrative status, with an take over salary increase. As the honour of the servicing desk to the campus became lucid during the first form of operation, we were sure that senior cater would be go forthing to approve the reclassification. A instalment of the ICS module was charge to work closely with the spick-and-span analyst as her t to all(prenominal) one, to religious service her learn the skillful skills necessary. We found that the mentor relationship was the vanquish dash to provide the emotional, as salubrious as technical, support needed to check the analyst by dint of her initial period of apprenticeship. Although a salubrious technical background is desirable in an analyst, it is non essential. Our first garter desk analyst had been a secretary, nice in MS Office, but not experienced in other computing areas. However, she was good at bother-solving, could learn quickly, and was not intimidated by the rapidly ever-changing computing environment. close authorisedly, analysts essential(prenominal)(prenominal) remove people skills, since they are the backbone to the happy operation of a dish up desk. They should be good listeners and dumbfound a calm, tolerant manner, able to insure things from th e customers perspective. They must handle stress and aleatory situations well, having to submit perpetually with frustrated callers and questionable worrys. One of the biggest fusss in a second desk operation is burnout and high turnover of personnel. The temper of the job involves a great shoot of pressure--trying to sort out punishing riddles on stage, discussion irate and much panicky customers, ever redirecting attention from one callers t take aim to some other(prenominal) with little prospect for uninterrupted thought. At the end of a busy solar day one backside move washed-out from having to switch gears so ofttimes. Frequent and tied(p) stress patronage planned into the for individually one week casual is dead essential to save burnout. Varied tasks, such(prenominal) as authorship documentation, making house calls to perform routine equipment maintenance, scheduling clip to learn around raw hardware and software products, etc., lav cham pion to condone the pressure of the rigorous phone. I manusly, even a small serve well desk should demand two persons, separately intervention the phone for fractional the day and doing other user support tasks the other half. We knowledgeable this the hard authority. believability If the facilitate desk is to get down a conjectural source of help to the customer, its goal has to be to resolve all the calls for help. If the help desk is slake or treacherous in responding to problems, customers leave quit calling. When calls must be referred, the specialists retort measure has a big charm on the help desks credibility. An urgent problem demands a run response, and the help desk analyst must be persistent in following by until a problem is resolved. or sotimes this nitty-gritty bugging the specialist until it is resolved, and this idler cause bout. precisely in any case, the analyst must be dedicate to following through with(predicate) and through on all pr oblems and requests intercommunicate to the help desk so that they dont overhaul through the cracks. shoot the breeze bring in when the help desk was first established, we chose not to spend our limited monetary resource on a mer batchtile call-tracking system. Instead, we devised a simplex one of our own with existing software. In a call- tracking system, certain kinds of tuition are save or so each call. The most great information include callers physical body and part, phone look and location, hardware/software elusive in problem, commentary of the problem, translation of the solution, family line/subcategory of problem, time of call, digit of referral person, and status of problem. moneymaking(prenominal) tracking packages are much much sophisticated, but a simple database of call information lead 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 nonionised the many kinds of problems and requests that talent be encountered by the help desk. By sorting and analyzing these categories of problems, we were crack able to forecast patterns of recurring problems and solve them much readily. \n\nSince we were assay to get even one person to operate the help desk, it was problematical to plan time for her to be away from the phone. after some time, we effected we had to schedule regular off-the-phone time or we would lose her. If it is not possible to get two half-time analysts, then pass help desk hours each day in read to communicate the person a break from the phone to do other things for a touch of hours is the only solution. With the upstart hiring of a consequence analyst, we have detect they are both able to cope rectify with the stresses of the job. information The analyst needs preliminary testicle training in customer service skills, problem-solving techniques, call-handling skills, and dealing with di fficult people. Most seminars of this constitution 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 word processing package. on-the-job training was the fundamental mean of breeding her the mandatory skills. whatever of this training include the following: 1. Designated acquire times during the week to learn new software products. twain vendor manuals and locally-written documentation were used as training materials. 2. Conferenced referral calls. When calls had to be referred to another appendage of ICS, the analyst could listen in on the call. In this way, she well- educate not only how to solve the problem at hand, but also something nigh phone skills from the other provide member. 3. expose training with other ICS lag members (especially the mentor). The analyst scheduled examineings with other round memb ers to learn around their areas of expertise so that she could separate answer questions astir(predicate) those areas. trade the conception to ICS staff trade the idea of the help desk to our own staff was extremely grave to get their acceptance. root of all, the ICS department head had to be persuade of the value of a semi- glob help desk facility. As a start, we kept track of the volume of computer- problem calls macrocosm true on the office phone by the secretary. We were averaging over twenty calls per day, so the time touch on 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 commutation feedback point for measuring the departments authorisation; * identify patterns of computing problems more easily because of its make monitor of callers problems; * also be a sum of protecting the Colleges computing investment by educating the callers in using their computing resources more efficiently. aft(prenominal) our department head was win over roughly the help desk, we had to market it to the rest of the ICS staff. One of us was sent to a seminar on managing help desks; afterwards, she shared what she had knowing in a workshop presented to all ICS staff members. There were some(prenominal) other mergings in which the idea of the help desk was discussed, including its bear upon on ICS, as well as the College companionship. Since the staff would have to work so closely together 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 purify the departments troubleshooting abilities. periodical activity reports were sent to them, summarizing the volume and kinds of problems the help desk had handled, with renderings of the most common ones and how they were solved. The report forever included the office of problems handled by the analyst alone. This percentage last stabilized at astir(predicate) 80-85 percent--an noble figure that win over the staff of the help desks effectiveness in relenting 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. any(prenominal) staff members resented being interrupted, expecting the analyst to handle more conglomerate questions than she was capable of. This conflict over province for support is essential, 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 result be eroded. Since our departmental offices were in terzetto locations, it was hard to withstand track of each others activities on a regular basis. The analyst had to be kept informed intimately what was happening in each area so that she could answer questions accurately. after several(prenominal) instances of giving out outdated or inaccurate information, she devised a system of getting daily e ring mail modifys from each department head to inform her of any important developments. Because the help desk had become a primaeval feedback point, the analyst now and again had to report problems in spite of appearance ICS itself to the department. This sometimes caused tensity among the staff because some viewed it as finger-pointing sooner of as a way of identifying problems to improve our services. scarcely it is the nature of the job, to sail through areas needing improvement, and it is important to deal with these issues openly among the staff. Marketing the help desk to the customer Once plans were do for setting up the help desk, campus users had to be informed to the highest degree its services. We used a variety of ship fundamental to market the help desk to users: * Articles almost 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 raise common problems encountered by the help desk. * An online bulletin board. This was set up so that users could read close a great deal 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 rightfully concerned about helping them solve their problems. * A folder listing the services of the help desk. The folder provided the phone number and procedures for callers, hours of operation, a list of supported products and services, and description of the call-tracking procedure and referral system. d irect procedures The help desk was create in a two-level support structure, stem 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 set aside 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 ordinance 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 put up 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 so-called to displace the help desk analyst. If the specialist did not contact the analyst, s he was to follow up with the caller to ensure that the request was handled to the callers satisfaction. This layered system of support evidently 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 alike(p) 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 judgment of the analyst to specialize the need for referral, and then distribute the referrals as evenly as possible so that no one received an profligate number of them. credibility If the help desk is to become a liable source of help to the customer, its goal has to be to resolve all the calls for help. If the help desk is long-winded or unrelia ble in responding to problems, customers allow quit calling. When calls must be referred, the specialists response time has a big regularize on the help desks credibility. An urgent problem demands a animate 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 shtup cause conflict. simply in any case, the analyst must be commit to following through on all problems and requests addressed to the help desk so that they dont fall through the cracks. phone 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 record about each call. The 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. moneymaking(prenominal) 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 force 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 available to purchase a commercial call-tracking system which offered more options and easier methods for analyzing and reporti ng the call information. We are in short testing several other software packages for use on a Novell network. Some of the features we are tone for in a call- tracking system are: 1. A multi-user system. All staff members thunder mug enroll 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 merchantman be read by whoever is handling the problem at the time. 2. netmail capability from within the call-tracking system. The analyst can 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 line that contains a description of the problem. The user can easily find other correspondent problems and their solutions. 4. An SQL-based system. This allows access to other College databases. For example, we could easily update the name s, 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 educated to use the new help desk phone number instead of the departmental office phone for their computer problems. It was important to conceal 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 taking calls first, the analyst could buffer other ICS staff from needless interruptions for questions she could handle. tear down with a separate phone line for incoming calls, our phone system was a weak tie beam in the help desk operation. It was not able to handle discharge calls when the one line was busy, and customers became discouraged when they couldnt get prompt help. The answering machine has greatly alleviated the problem. After experiencing several catch system dow ntimes, with the inevitable crush of calls to the help desk, the analyst devised an fate 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 play again, the secretaries are again notified. This has helped decrease line congestion at the help desk during emergencies. military rating Evaluating the mathematical operation of the help desk seems to work outgo using a mixture of formal and informal methods. A more formal way to get feedback is to bear down 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 aggroup meetings. Also, an electronic mail account can be set up for users to send suggestions or complaints about the help desk. non 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. closing The help desks central position in our campus computing participation can be compared to the potbelly chain in the general store of an anterior era. The potbelly image was the central meeting place of the community, where watchword and information were passed back and forth. The help desk functions in a alike way. It distributes information and gets feedback by feeling the pulsation 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 pauperization to get a full essay, order it on our website:

Custom Paper Writing Service - Support ? 24/7 Online 1-855-422-5409. Order Custom Paper for the opportunity of assignment professional assistance right from the serene environment of your home. Affordable. 100% Original.'