Post on 08-Nov-2014
description
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Help Desk Operation
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Objectives
In this introduction you will learn:
About help desks and typical help desk organisation
The incident management process How hardware and software tools are used
to manage incidents Help desk trends
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Introduction to Help Desk Operation
Organisations can choose to provide support to employees and customers in several ways
Informal peer Support Formal structure
• Support Group• Information Center• Information Technology Department
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Help Desk
1. Single point of contact for end user support Components of a Successful Help Desk
2. The four components of a successful help desk are tightly integrated and each must be given attention.· People · Processes · Technology · Information Customer Service – The Bottom Line
3. Strategies and tools
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Supplying Support
1. Single point2. Concentration of expertise3. Multi level support model
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Multilevel Support Model
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The Incident Management Process
Incident Management is a well-defined, formal procedure that help desk staff follow to handle problem incidents, get the information users need or solve their problems, and close the incident
Call Management describes the steps in handling primarily telephone contacts between end users and support staff
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Call Management / Incident Process
1. Receive call2. Pre-screen call (user)3. Authenticate call4. Log call5. Screen call6. Prioritise call
(1-Urgent, 2-High,3-Medium,4-Low)
7. Assign call8. Track call9. Escalate
call10.Resolve
call11.Close call12.Archive
call
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Help Desk Tools and Technologies
1. Help desk software2. Computer telephony systems3. Web Site support4. Physical layout of help desk work
areas
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Introduction to Help Desk
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Objectives
Here you will learn:
The role automation tools play in support How processes and procedures are used in
support The primary types of support tools available How support tools evolve The reasons why tools don’t work in a particular
environment How constant change affects support and
support technology
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Help Desk Tools, Technology, and
Techniques Technology includes the development of new
materials, equipment, and processes to improve goods and services production
Companies established information centers, places within companies where employees could receive training and help in using personal computers
A help desk is a single point of contact within a company for managing customer problems and requests, and providing solution-oriented support service
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Understanding the Role Technology Plays in
SupportTechnology affects support in several
ways: The increase in the amount of technical support
available The complexity and interconnection among technology
components has increased the needs for support Businesses depend on technology to collect and
manage information, which enables them to react to trends more quickly
Better and more complex electronics are used both at home and in business, including computers, telecommunication systems, network devices, and software
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Resource Challenges
Support resources are the company employees who provide support services
Technical skills refers to basic computer literacy and experience with specific hardware or software
Support staff also need good problem-solving skills
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Resource Challenges
In addition to technical skills, the entire support staff needs good communication skills
Communication skills are those skills that enable a person to interact effectively with others by speaking, listening, and writing
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Importance of Goals, Processes, and
Procedures
The support group depends on its resources to deliver services and accomplish its goals
Every company uses a mission statement, which is a broad, general, written guideline that defines the company’s vision and specific goals
Goals are further refined into different processes and procedures so that the support staff knows how to accomplish the goals
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Sample Support GroupMission Statement
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Importance of Goals, Processes, and
Procedures A process is a list of the input, the
interrelated work activities (or tasks), and the desired output needed to accomplish a goal
A procedure is a detailed, step-by-step set of instructions that describes who will perform the tasks in a process, along with how and when those tasks will be performed
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Importance of Goals, Processes, and
Procedures To better understand
the relationship between a goal, process, and procedures, consider a teenager who wants to drive a car
Consistent delivery means that the output of a process is the same no matter who completes the procedures
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Types of Support Tools
Support tools are specific to the processes and challenges of a particular group
Some tools are designed for support staff
Computer users can use some support tools to address their own support needs
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Support Staff Tools
The correct technology can help support staff work more efficiently
Tools are the equipment, processes, or software that are necessary to perform a task or that assist someone in practicing a profession
Support staff use tools to organize, troubleshoot, and deliver services
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Support Staff Tools
Logging tools track all questions that the support group receives
Organizing tools help support staff manage their daily work
Troubleshooting tools help equalize the skills of the support staff by providing reference materials the staff can use to quickly and easily find information about a particular problem or topic
Other tools are designed to deliver a particular service
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Management Tools
Management-oriented tools enable managers to review all work for the support group and to supervise their resources
Most important tools support managers use is reporting software
Managers also regularly run monitoring reports to show how support staff performance improves over time
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Sample Database Records
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Driver’s License Workflow
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Chapter Summary
Automation tools can be used to address resource and service challenges
Support groups have common goals, which are defined by processes and procedures
Support staff, managers, and computer users employ different types of tools
A small support group may start out with very simple support tools
Automation does not guarantee a support group will meet its goals
Technology continues to change rapidly
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Introduction
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Objectives
Here you will learn:
Basic help desk concepts Internal support processes External support processes What core activities support staff complete
in different environments Special challenges unique to some support
organisations
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Support Environments and Processes
Support staff complete different tasks as they follow procedures, based upon the company’s business and the tasks its customers are trying to complete
Most business tasks are completed using technology that has grown very complex
The support environment is the collection of customers that a support group assists, the tasks customers need or want to complete, the technologies those customers and staff use to complete tasks and the experience and skill of the support staff
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Multilevel Support Model
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Basic Help Desk Concepts
A multilevel support model defines the role a support person plays in different support processes and the amount of interaction they have with a customer
Front-line support, or level one support, is the point of first contact with the customer • Level one support staff answer the telephone,
record problem details, and attempt to resolve the problem or answer the question
A dispatcher is a front-line support person who answers the telephone but forwards the problem to someone else to solve
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Basic Help Desk Concepts
Dispatchers pick up overflow calls if all level one support staff are busy or when the problem requires someone to visit a remote location to repair hardware
Subject matter experts (SME) are usually members of level two or three support, with a greater amount of experience or knowledge about a particular subject than level one support
They have more detailed knowledge about specific products or more experience troubleshooting
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Basic Help Desk Concepts
Level three support also may include network specialists, database administrators, or programmers
To escalate an issue is to raise the issue to the next level of support or to notify managers• First, the lower level support staff may already
know that a particular problem requires more knowledge or experience to resolve
• Second, customers may think that the problem is taking too long to solve and ask that more resources or more experienced staff work on the problem
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Internal and External Support Environments
Support environments are divided into two types—internal and external
An internal support group, or help desk, is a department within a company that responds to questions, problems, or requests from company employees
In a small company, employees may be able to rely upon a guru, a coworker who learns to use new tools quickly and who helps other employees unofficially
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Internal and External Support Environments
As the internal support group delivers service, it may also:
• Answer questions about software that is purchased or developed within the company
• Troubleshoot software problems and identify hardware problems
• Take requests for network or administrative services• Refer callers to other support centers or corporate
resources• Distribute information to employees about system
availability• Identify employees who need more attention or training
in specific areas• Install or upgrade new versions of software or hardware
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Internal and External Support Environments
The use of a guru is practical only as long as that can still complete his or her own work
Frequently, companies set up a help desk as a necessary evil at first, because computer users need a centralized point of contact
An external support group addresses questions, problems, or requests from customers who buy their company’s products and services
External support groups may be called “customer support”, to differentiate them from internal support groups
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Internal and External Support Environments
Large companies that sell products usually have both internal and external support groups
There are two good reasons that a company will set up an external support group
• First, if most of a company’s competitors provide customer support, then it also must provide some level of support to remain competitive
• Second, a company may find it profitable to sell maintenance or repair services for its products
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Internal and External Support Environments
External support groups often: Troubleshoot computer hardware or software problems
with other electronic equipment Explain installation or instruction manuals that are difficult
to understand Decide when broken equipment needs to be returned for
repair or replacement Start or stop services from utility providers, such as water
or power companies Provide additional information about a product or service As the support group provides good service, customers
renew their annual maintenance contracts, providing a source of revenue for the company and funding for the support group
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Processes Common to All
Help Desks
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Call Logging
Call logging is the process of creating records that capture details about problems, requests, and questions as they are reported to the support group
A problem is an event that prevents someone from completing a task
Some problems take longer to solve than others, requiring support staff to collect additional information
A request is a customer order for new hardware, software, or services, or for an enhancement to a product or service a customer already uses
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Call Logging
Customers make inquiries about small tasks or subjects they don’t under-stand, which are logged by support staff as questions
Questions usually begin with standard phrases, such as:• How do I…?- Where is the…?• When will…? - Who do I call if I
need…? Some questions take only a few minutes to
answer However, questions can become either problems
or requests, depending upon the answer
by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department
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Problem Management
Problem management is the process of tracking and resolving problems that are reported to a support group
The problem management process defines procedures to ensure that staff members collect problem details, work on outstanding problems regularly, assign additional support staff when needed, and provide status updates to the customer
Finding the cause of a problem, removing or preventing the cause, and correcting the disruption that the problem caused is part of problem resolution