Help Desk Presentation.ppt

by Rodger Burgess Information Technology Department

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Help Desk Operation


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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


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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


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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


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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


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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


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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

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


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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


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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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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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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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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


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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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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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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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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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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


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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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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

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


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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


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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

Documents

Help Desk Presentation.ppt