Help Desk Operation

by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department

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

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
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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 Strategies and tools
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3.

Supplying Support

1. 2. 3.

Single point Concentration of expertise Multi level support model

by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department

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

by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department

Call Management / Incident Process

1. Receive call
2. Pre-screen call (user) 3. Authenticate call
7.
8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

4. Log call
5. Screen call 6. Prioritise call
(1-Urgent, 2-High,3-Medium,4-Low)

Assign call Track call Escalate call Resolve call Close call Archive call

by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department

Help Desk Tools and Technologies

1. 2. 3. 4.

Help desk software Computer telephony systems Web Site support Physical layout of help desk work areas

by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department

Introduction to Help Desk

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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 dont work in a particular

environment How constant change affects support and support technology

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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
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Understanding the Role Technology Plays in Support

Technology 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
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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 enable a person to interact effectively with others by speaking, listening, and writing

Communication skills are those skills that

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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 companys 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 Group Mission 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

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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
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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

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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

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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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Drivers 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

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Support Environments and Processes

Support staff complete different tasks as they follow

procedures, based upon the companys business and the tasks its customers are trying to complete has grown very complex

Most business tasks are completed using technology that 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 of level two or three support, with a greater amount of experience or knowledge about a particular subject than level one support products or more experience troubleshooting

Subject matter experts (SME) are usually members

They have more detailed knowledge about specific

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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 companys products and services External support groups may be called customer support, to differentiate them from internal support groups
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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 companys 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
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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 completing a task

A problem is an event that prevents someone from

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

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Call Logging
Customers make inquiries about small tasks or subjects they dont 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
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Problem Management
Problem management is the process of tracking and

resolving problems that are reported to a support group 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

The problem management process defines procedures to

Finding the cause of a problem, removing or preventing

the cause, and correcting the disruption that the problem caused is part of problem resolution
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