IFS410 End User Support
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Transcript of IFS410 End User Support
Chapter 6
Help Desk Operations
IFS410 End User Support
Porter’s Value Chains
Porter argued that firm’s opportunities to create competitive advantage occur at different steps in the value chainThe Margin is the value of the firm’s products and services less their costs, as perceived by the firm’s customersThe value chain is made of the primary and support activities that contribute to a firm’s margin value. Increasing that marginal value is the objective of the chain modelFirms can create value by performing activities, which Porter calls value activities
An organization that provides a single point of contact for users in need of technical support
Goal: To enhance client satisfaction by effectively and efficiently resolving problems and questions Alternate titles: hotline, information center, lab
assistance, tech support, client services
What Is a Help Desk?
Multi-level Support Model is a help desk structure Organizes support staff and services into
several levels (or tiers) Each level is staffed by a worker with different
skills Also called the frontline/backline model
Goal: to handle as many incidents as possible at the lowest level in the support hierarchy Save scarce resources for incidents where more
expertise is necessary
Multi-level Support Model
Multi-Level Support Characteristics Level 1 – Incident Screening
Creates ticket (logs incident) General triage Work From Scripts
Level 2 – Product Specialist More experienced helpdesk representative Typically hands-on Generalist (small depth, large breadth)
Multi-Level Support Characteristics Level 3 – Technical Specialist
MSCE CCSE Designers / Developers / Analysts
Level 4 – Supervisor / Manager
Incident Management is a well-defined, formal procedure that help desk staff use to: Handle problem incidents Get information to users Solve user problems Maintain records about the incident
Call Management is primarily concerned with handling telephone contacts
The Incident Management Process
1. Receive the incident
2. Prescreen the incident
3. Authenticate the user
4. Log the incident
5. Screen the incident
6. Prioritize the incident
7. Assign the incident
8. Track the incident
9. Escalate the incident
10. Resolve the incident
11. Close the incident
12. Archive the incident
Steps in the Incident Management Process
Sources of incidents:
Goals: Establish a relationship with end user Get basic information from user
Who is the user? What is the purpose of the contact?
May use a specific greeting script Warn that the call may be monitored Apologize for any delay or wait time
– In person– Phone call
– E-mail message– Web-based contact
1. Receive the Incident
Prescreening is a filtering process to determine how the help desk staff will handle the incident
Goal: Incident screener may be able to handle a simple request for information Product information How to order Where to purchase
2. Prescreen the Incident
Authentication determines whether help desk staff are authorized to handle an incident
Usually involves checking a product registration database a product model or serial number a warranty database a support service database of authorized clients
Goals Determine the status of each client Establish a billing procedure (where appropriate) Filter out unauthorized clients
3. Authenticate the Incident
Incident logging begins to document the incident and its related problem
Basic information about the incident is recorded Trouble report form Incident tracking database
Goal: Start a record of the incident
4. Log the Incident
Incident screening categorizes and describes the incident Common Incident Categories:
– Request for information (that could not be handled during prescreening)
– Question– Problem– Complaint– Work order
Goals: Define the category of an incident Capture a brief description of the incident
5. Screen the Incident
Priority code is assigned based on How serious the problem is for users How many users are affected Consequence of not handling problem
immediately Goals:
A priority code often determines the kind of attention an incident will receive from staff
Alternative to priority codes handle incidents on first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis
6. Prioritize the Incident
Priority Codes and Incident Handling
Example priority codes 1 – Urgent 2 – High priority 3 – Medium priority 4 – Low priority High priority incidents are usually serious problems that
affect the productivity of a large number of users Priority codes may be used to determine response time of
support staff Priority codes may change as an incident is handled
Priority Codes and Queue Management A queue is a waiting line into which incoming
incidents are placed when they cannot be answered immediately
Queues may be defined for Priority codes Different products Types of customers Levels of support
When a level 1 Incident Screener cannot respond to an incident directly, they assign it to another agent who has specific product knowledge has specialized expertise
Goal: Move an incident to a queue where it will get
appropriate attention
7. Assign the Incident
Incident tracking updates information• as an incident is processed• as new information is added to the incident log
Goals: Provides a record:
When important events occur A history of how the incident was handled
Provides data: Measure the quality of incident handling Evaluate support agent performance Identify support staff training needs
8. Track the Incident
Escalation is a normal process in which an incident is transferred to a higher level support agent who has greater ability or expertise resources to handle more difficult problems
Goal: Resolve a difficult problem effectively and
efficiently Escalation may be automatic if an incident is not
resolved within a limited period of time
9. Escalate the Incident
Resolution means that a user’s problem has been solved or information has been provided A complaint may be referred to product designers as a
suggestion for the next product revision cycle Caveats:
Not all calls can be completely resolved by the Incident Management Process
Resolution doesn’t necessarily mean the client is completely satisfied
Goal: Minimize the percent of incidents that cannot be resolved
satisfactorily
10. Resolve the Incident
Incident closing may include: Review the steps to solve the problem Seek mutual agreement (verification) that a solution has been
reached Thank the user for contacting the help desk Invite the user to recontact if not satisfied Make final entries in incident log or database
Goal:• Provide technical and interpersonal closure to the
incident
11. Close the Incident
Archive means to copy resolved incidents to a database of completed incidents Incidents are retained in an active database as long
as they remain relevant Goal:
Reduce the size of the active database by removing less relevant information
The archives can be searched if needed in future problem-solving situations can serve as a source of data for statistical analysis
12. Archive the incident
Desk in a cubicle Access to one or more computer systems Access to reference library Telephone headset permits freedom of motion Issues
• Job stress• Diversions for staff• Ergonomic work place
Physical Layout of Help Desk Work Areas
Help Desk Technology and Tools
Impact of automation on help desk industry Help desk software packages Computer telephony systems Web-based support
Popular Help Desk Software Packages Large-scale Operations
Remedy Help Desk Peregrine ServiceCenter Magic Solutions Service
Desk Clientele for Help Desks
Small or Mid-scale HelpTrac Track-It! Manage-IT! Soffront Customer
Helpdesk BridgeTrak
Computer Telephony Systems Computer telephony is the integration of computer
and telephone technology into a seamless help desk tool
Automated Call Distributor (ACD) is a computer telephony system that automates the first steps in incident management answer calls greet callers provide menus route the call to support agents
Computer Telephony Systems (continued)
Goals Reduce amount of time and cost to respond to calls and route
them to support agents Collect information about performance of help desk operation Monitor calls
Problems Reputation for poor customer service Poor design of menus Lengthy hold times Repetitious requests for information Dropped calls
Interactive Voice Response
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems let users interact with a database of information User presses keys on telephone handset User speaks simple words into telephone
IVRs can be programmed with decision-tree logic to ask and answer questions without a human agent
Web-based Support
Product information Order entry Rebate status Automated responses to
information requests Online documents Software downloads Troubleshooting wizards
Knowledge bases Search engine Chat rooms E-mail links to staff Submit problem reports Contact information Customer satisfaction
surveys Links to related sites
Web Support Advantages
Lower cost to provide support than other methods
Makes users more self-reliant Reduces errors due to misinformation and
miscommunication Eliminates user time spent waiting on phone
for help desk agent
E-mail Support Advantages
E-mail is asynchronous user and support staff do not have to be
available online at exactly the same time E-mail responses make more flexible use of
support agent’s time E-mail responses to frequent questions can
be composed in advance and then pasted into messages
Impact of Web and E-mail Use on Support Staff More efficient use of support staff resources Writing skills become more important for support staff
than telephone skills Quick recall is less important than ability to locate
information Ability to listen is less important than ability to read
and understand Customer service skills remain important
Impact of Intranets on Support Staff An Intranet is a network modeled after the Internet
with information organized into Web pages Facilitates communication between an organization’s
employees and support staff Uses familiar technology
Web browser Search engine
Provides better security for communication than the Internet
Trends in Help Desk Operations• Outsourcing
– will reduce need for telephone support agents who serve external clients in US
– will have less impact on support agents who serve internal clients
• Greater reliance on electronic mail and the Internet to provide support
• Increases in support staff productivity with remote diagnosis
– Remote diagnosis is the use of a help desk computer to connect to a remote user’s computer
Trends in Help Desk Operations (continued)
• Increased use of voice recognition and artificial intelligence in support products
• Help desk operations will become more proactive (anticipate user problems) and less reactive
• Help desks will play significant role in client relationship management (CRM)
– Client relationship management (CRM) is a business process that aims to meet the needs of clients by providing excellent client service
Trends in Help Desk Operations (continued)
Certification of help desk professionals and their knowledge and skills will become more common and an expectation in the job market
Future help desk managers will need better information for decision making