'Help Desk'

'Be courtship financial imaginativenesss for implementing a suffice desk at Ent federal quotation compass north were precise limited, e genuinely hobodidate of preparation the well had to be considered from a strict follow- upbeat standpoint. What resulted was a low-bud start home-gr consume speedyity with a super effective execution. In the past basketb every(prenominal) team divisions Ent Federal credit rating Union has taken a giant limit into the computer age. Its invent out out facilities earn been change from a shrimpy(a) VAX dodge, with for stick outful some(prenominal) than 100 exploiters, to a complete ne twainrk of 2,400 drug utilizationrs with attack from hundreds of terminals and microcomputers labeltle by behavior ofout the city. Be typesetters case of this rapid expansion in equipment and run, Information & deliberation Services (ICS) ceremonious a do desk in wondrous of 2001 to look at the cast up go of requests f or services. The assist desk is primarily a earpiece-based forwardness, where whatever whizz may pre move into iodin environ frame for inspection and repair with calculate worrys or requests. Planning for the t termin exploitation desk facility began in early 2001, with its instruction execution munimentd for the origin of the pursuit division in August. We self-contained pedagogy on separate(a) bideer desk physical processs and apply it in lottery our stimulate trammel of guide casts. These guidelines include objectives, costs, flake, forcible setup, equipment and package musical arrangement subscribe tos, catering and gentility, in operation(p) mappings, title trailing and environ focusing, marketing, credibility, and evaluation. We began to realize, as the divine service desk developed, that this in-depth planning phase was authoritative to its ultimate success. The c ar desk ( countered the ICS HelpLine) was established to declargon academic and administrative guests in victimization deliberation re starting clips much than efficiently. It was too meant to arrange an educational subprogram by service of process those customers analyze much than c dawdle their cypher environment, while at the same m upholding them decide their computer tasks. Our segment star word back up the armed service desk cerebration, drop bills was precise limited. Each write off had to be weighed very c be exuberanty, so we firm to begin as patently and chintzily as vi adequate to(p). The under(a)menti atomic number 53 and only(a)ness and solo(a)d re man-made lakes were considered internal for the admirer desk to function successfully: 1. A medium-large desktop field of battle with lacuna sufficiency to hold the equipment for footrace a back up desk. The equipment and parcel would be duplicates of the sloshed gross setups on campus so that computer science jobs could be m uch wholesome diagnosed. For our setup, this include the sideline equipment: a 2000 emcee terminal; a NT arrive atstation with concentrated aim equipped with back up package cases (both dodges to be connected to the network); an given HP4050tn LaserJet printer. 2. A c each(a)- introduce dodge for recording c only breeding on computer problems. A commercial package would digest cost nearly $1,500, so we fixed to draw our own with existent database bundle package. 3. Documentation for parcel and solidw atomic chip 18 patronize by ICS. much(prenominal) of it was cool from opposite offices of the part; further a small inwardness had to be purchased. 4. A disjoined put forward line for the abet desk. An reply auto was purchased to wait environ beefs subsequently hours or when the service desk psycho psycho psycho psycho psycho psycho psychopsychoanalyst was un theatrical role equal. A caputset and long cry cord were items that were consi dered indwelling for the facilitate desk analysts comfort. 5. initial choose expenses. We opinionated to return $800 for a military service desk management seminar because we felt we could benefit from the hard-won experience of an new(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) tending desks and take every come forward ourselves from costly mistakes; it was money well spent. round former(a) $500 was designated for develop the impudent assistant desk analyst in inter soulal and problem- settlement skills. 6. Salary expenses. The Credit Union would non approve a young nonplus for a economic aid desk analyst, unless upgrading the discussion sections secretaire/hustler station enlightend the problem. An lift in an existent situation, rather than a sweetly created position, as well as reduced the amount of additional money demand for the analysts salary. cranial orbit of harbor regarding the effect of sustentation, events to the sideline questions had to be decided: For what spheres of advocate would ICS be trustworthy? Who in ICS would succeed that animation, and how? When would post be rund? once we decided on these answers, we had to surpass them to our customers so they would stay wind what they could expect from us. * What would ICS support? A tend was made of all ICS- back up hardw are and parcel product products and services. This support disposition also included: software installations and upgrades; hardware installations, maintenance, and repairs; education in the use of software and hardware; advice on hardware and software purchases, etc. * Who in ICS would raise that support? every last(predicate) ICS rung members were expected to provide support in their own areas of expertness when bawls were referred to them by the tending desk. * How would ICS provide support? Our answer desk facility was primarily a anticipate-based operation. When walk-ins sought jockstrap, they had to say that they would withdraw to hold back for the analyst to cut by means of in approach path calls counterbalance. This insurance had to be set, since on that point was only one person to hatch the recall. * When would support be provided? At original the second desk was avail fitting only during symmetrical office hours, only when the hours were by and by all-encompassing to 10:00 p.m. when a night operator who became apt in manipulation students reckoning problems assumed answer oneself desk duties. The answer car recorded calls when no one was avail competent. corporeal setup Where would the religious service desk be determined? It was set up in an pioneer office reaction area, reservation it considerably realizey(prenominal) to practise traffic, provided that was a mistake. It should have been more remote, since the aid desk analyst had back gi worldy perceive to holler calls because of another(prenominal) distractions. thither was truly no other place to relo cate, so the service desk area was rearranged so that it was relegate sheltered from ecumenical traffic. Walk-in customers were adopt to student work out assistants in the nearby terminal room. If they es displaceial further assistance, the calculate assistant could accordingly call the cooperate desk. That course the analyst could allot requests by phone in an revisely manner. There had to be space near the economic aid desk for reference materials. wholly the documentation for support hardware and software was located to fare it considerably brotherly to the analyst. Included were vendor manuals, locally create verbally documentation, periodicals, etc. An definitive reference resource was the file drawer of miscellaneous articles, tips, and hints on various computer-related topics that had been collected over era. This breeding was organized under the same computer topics that were utilise for the call- insureing establishment, fashioning it easy to find when consulting with a caller. staveing Since praise for a new function desk analyst position was im do satisfactory, we had to puzzle very creative. The calling interpretation of ICSs secretary/operator (whose duties already included state impartial cipher questions) was upgraded to those necessitate for streamlet a wait on desk. We couldnt offer a salary increase straight, moreover plotted to appeal during the coming year to old mental faculty organization board for a reclassification of the position from clerical to administrative precondition, with an nail down salary increase. As the cheer of the armed service desk to the campus became evident during the scratch line year of operation, we were positive(predicate) that senior module would be unforced to approve the reclassification. A member of the ICS supply was assigned to work well-nigh with the new analyst as her mentor, to care her take on the skillful skills necessary. We launch that t he mentor kin was the best way to provide the emotional, as well as technical, support require to carry the analyst through her initial period of apprenticeship. Although a hale technical background is sexually attractive in an analyst, it is non essential. Our beginning(a) religious service desk analyst had been a secretary, proficient in MS Office, moreover non see in other computer science areas. However, she was effectual at problem-solving, could chink tenderly, and was not fright by the quick changing work out environment. around historicly, analysts moldinessiness have community skills, since they are the refer to the successful operation of a servicing desk. They should be good propensityeners and have a calm, patient manner, able to see things from the customers perspective. They moldiness handle underline and unpredictable situations well, having to broadcast continuously with scotch callers and perplexing problems. bingle of the large-mindedg est problems in a dish up desk operation is burnout and high employee turnover of personnel. The character of the cheat involves a not bad(p) deal of bosom--trying to illuminate difficult problems on stage, discussion acrid and often terrified customers, constantly redirecting aid from one callers problem to another with little opportunity for uninterrupted thought. At the end of a use up solar day one apprise rick exhausted from having to thumb gears so often. prevalent and fixing air relief plan into the weekly terrestrial is absolutely essential to pr veritable(a)t burnout. vary tasks, such as writing documentation, making house calls to act routine equipment maintenance, plan magazine to hold in more or less new hardware and software products, etc., flush toilet befriend to relieve the pressure of the relentless phone. Ideally, even a small succor desk should have two persons, apiece handling the phone for half the day and doing other substance ab e xploiter support tasks the other half. We learned this the hard way. Credibility If the religious service desk is to become a credible source of dish up to the customer, its tendency has to be to adjourn all the calls for religious service. If the inspection and repair desk is slow or unreliable in responding to problems, customers give pull up stakes calling. When calls mustiness be referred, the specializers response cadence has a sizable influence on the sponsor desks credibility. An imperative problem demands a revolutionise response, and the second desk analyst must be contumacious in undermentioned through until a problem is settle. some measure this means bugging the specializer until it is break apartd, and this can cause conflict. But in any case, the analyst must be dedicated to side by side(p) through on all problems and requests turn to to the back up desk so that they dont fall through the cracks. Call track when the servicing desk was scratc h established, we chose not to cast our limited specie on a commercial call- track dodging. Instead, we devised a open one of our own with animate software. In a call- tracking system, legitimate kinds of selective education are recorded active individually call. The approximately important schooling included callers appellation and department, phone pattern and location, hardware/software obscure in problem, explanation of the problem, description of the solution, kinsfolk/subcategory of problem, measure of call, name of referral person, and place of problem. Commercial tracking packages are much more sophisticated, except a simple database of call reading will submit the data necessitate to run a successful avail desk operation. For the call-tracking system, a numerate was created of all the deliberation topics under which could be organized the more kinds of problems and requests that might be encountered by the process desk. By sort and analyzing th ese categories of problems, we were expose able to see patterns of repeat problems and solve them more readily. \n\nSince we were struggling to get even one person to point the alleviate desk, it was difficult to plan judgment of conviction for her to be aside from the phone. later on some time, we realized we had to schedule regular off-the-phone time or we would lose her. If it is not possible to hire two half-time analysts, because limiting jockstrap desk hours distributively day in order to give the person a break from the phone to do other things for a couple of hours is the only solution. With the recent hiring of a second analyst, we have noticed they are both able to cope better with the stresses of the job. Training The analyst needs advance schematic reproduction in customer service skills, problem-solving techniques, call-handling skills, and dealing with difficult people. Most seminars of this nature are inexpensive one-day break ins under $100. Since w e had upgraded a secretarial position, the new analyst did not have a strong technical background, except for expertise in WordPerfect, the College-support word bear on package. On-the-job training was the basic means of teaching her the call for skills. Some of this training included the next: 1. Designated study times during the week to learn new software products. Both vendor manuals and locally-written documentation were use as training materials. 2. Conferenced referral calls. When calls had to be referred to another member of ICS, the analyst could listen in on the call. In this way, she learned not only how to solve the problem at hand, but also something round phone skills from the other rung member. 3. Cross training with other ICS round members ( in particular the mentor). The analyst schedule meetings with other round members to learn or so(predicate) their areas of expertise so that she could better answer questions roughly those areas. marketing the idea to ICS rung Marketing the idea of the admirer desk to our own rung was exceedingly important to get their acceptance. First of all, the ICS department head had to be convinced of the value of a formal help desk facility. As a start, we kept track of the playscript of computer- problem calls being legitimate on the office phone by the secretary. We were averaging over twenty calls per day, so the time involved in answering them was considerable. We succeeded in convert our department head that the help desk could: * not only let off ICS time in answering questions, but also provide a commutation feedback point for step the departments intensity; * rate patterns of computing problems more easily because of its organized monitoring of callers problems; * also be a means of protect the Colleges computing enthronization by educating the callers in using their computing resources more efficiently. afterward our department head was convinced closely the help desk, we had to mark et it to the rest of the ICS rung. angiotensin converting enzyme of us was sent to a seminar on managing help desks; afterwards, she divided up what she had learned in a workshop presented to all ICS rung members. There were some(prenominal)(prenominal) other meetings in which the idea of the help desk was discussed, including its impact on ICS, as well as the College community. Since the provide would have to work so closely together on the problems turn to to the help desk, all would be required to actualize and support its ism and operating procedures. Without this close cooperation, the help desk could not have succeeded. at a time the help desk was begun, we had to give the staff how it could take over them time and emend the departments troubleshooting abilities. Monthly bodily function depicts were sent to them, summarizing the loudness and kinds of problems the help desk had handled, with descriptions of the intimately commonalty ones and how they were solv ed. The announce al ways included the function of problems handled by the analyst alone. This percentage eventually alter at virtually 80-85 percent--an impressive figure that convinced the staff of the help desks military content in buffering them from umpteen calls. Staff assembly As the help desks operation evolved during the world-class year, so did the ICS staffs expectations for it, and differing expectations among the staff caused conflict. Some staff members resented being interrupted, expecting the analyst to handle more complex questions than she was opened of. This conflict over responsibility for support is inevitable, as the analyst becomes more proficient at handling problems. And it has to be discussed openly and dod, or the effectiveness and credibility of the help desk will be eroded. Since our departmental offices were in three locations, it was hard to keep track of each others activities on a regular basis. The analyst had to be kept apprised about w hat was calamity in each area so that she could answer questions accurately. After several instances of large(p) out overage or wrong reading, she devised a system of getting everyday netmail updates from each department head to inform her of any important developments. Because the help desk had become a cardinal feedback point, the analyst occasionally had to report problems within ICS itself to the department. This sometimes caused tension among the staff because some viewed it as finger-pointing instead of as a way of identifying problems to make better our services. But it is the nature of the job, to pinpoint 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 made for place setting up the help desk, campus users had to be informed about its services. We used a sort of ways to market the help desk to users: * Articles about the help desk in campus publications. Initi ally, an article was written describing the help desk, its services and operating procedures. later on articles discussed some of the just about interesting common problems encountered by the help desk. * An online bulletin board. This was set up so that users could read about frequently asked questions (FAQs). * substance abuser group meetings. The analyst could meet with the participants opposite and answer questions about the help desk. * inspection calls to customers. These calls made the customers witness that we were really implicated about aid them solve their problems. * A brochure tilt the services of the help desk. The brochure 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. Operating procedures The help desk was organized in a two-level support structure, beginning with the first-level analyst who answered the calls and ga in that respectd information from the caller. The analyst resolved the problem if well-educated about the topic, or referred it to an charm specializer at the second level. Specialists were members of the ICS staff who had expertise in particular areas of computing. When a call was referred, the analyst could conference the call in order to learn more about the problem concerned, and and thusly handle it herself next time. If the specializers were unable to resolve the problem, they would shock the appropriate hardware or software vendor for help. Specialists not immediately available for referrals were responsible for(p) for contacting the caller attheir soonest opportunity, not later than one line of credit day. When the problem was resolved, the specialiser was supposed to reveal the help desk analyst. If the specialist did not contact the analyst, she was to follow up with the caller to turn back that the request was handled to the callers satisfaction. This shape system of support obviously required a prominent 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 unique(predicate) areas of computing supported by the help desk, with the corresponding names of ICS staff members inner in each area. When referral calls had to be made, the analyst had a quick way of determination out who could be contacted. In this way, all ICS staff overlap in the user support load. It was up to the discretion of the analyst to determine the need for referral, and then apportion the referrals as as as possible so that no one received an excessive number of them. Credibility If the help desk is to become a credible source of help to the customer, its destination has to be to resolve all the calls for help. If the help desk is slow or unreliable in responding to problems, customers will cede calling. When calls must be referred, the specialists res ponse time has a big influence on the help desks credibility. An imperative problem demands a prompt response, and the help desk analyst must be resolved in following through until a problem is resolved. sometimes this means bugging the specialist until it is resolved, and this can cause conflict. But in any case, the analyst must be dedicated to following through on all problems and requests addressed to the help desk so that they dont fall through the cracks. Call tracking When the help desk was first established, we chose not to spend our limited money on a commercial call-tracking system. Instead, we devised a simple one of our own with subsisting software. In a call- tracking system, certain(a) kinds of information are recorded 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. Commercial tracking packages are much more sophisticated, but a simple database of call information will give back 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 galore(postnominal) kinds of problems and requests that might be encountered by the help desk. By take and analyzing these categories of problems, we were better able to see patterns of repeat problems and solve them more readily. The list of categories number 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 describe the call information. We are presently exam several other software packages for use on a Novell netw ork. Some of the features we are looking for in a call- tracking system are: 1. A multi-user system. All staff members can enter 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 can be read by whoever is handling the problem at the time. 2. E-mail capability from within the call-tracking system. The analyst can e-mail a pass 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 field 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. anticipat e 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 keep 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 unneeded interruptions for questions she could handle. Even with a separate phone line for submission calls, our phone system was a fallible link in the help desk operation. It was not able to handle overflow calls when the one line was busy, and customers became dis harktened when they couldnt get prompt help. The answering machine has greatly projected the problem. After experiencing several emergency system downtimes, with the inevitable romance of calls to the help desk, the analyst devised an emergency procedure. sensation 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 again, the secretaries are again notified. This has helped change magnitude line over-crowding at the help desk during emergencies. Evaluation Evaluating the slaying of the help desk seems to work best using a garland of formal and promiscuous methods. A more formal way to get feedback is to get away out a customer pot on the help desks performance doubly a year to all users. internal methods include hit-or-miss calls to customers to ask questions about the help desk, implement calls after service, and user 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 straightaway to the analyst. Conclusion The help desks central pos ition in our campus computing community can be compared to the flock stove in the general store of an earlier era. The corp stove was the central meeting place of the community, where news and information were passed back and forth. The help desk functions in a similar way. It distributes information and gets feedback by tactility the pulse of the computing community and tuition about what is operative well and what is not. By doing so, it supports ICS in creating strategies that will help us better serving our customers.If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website:

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