Role Of Help Desk In Technical Support Information Technology Essay

We know that the information has become important resources in management, filtering and organizing information within the organization for the information technology services for decision making. Felt and to know that information technology job in the technology industry, strategic and organizational assets that organizations must exploit the resources of information in support of the provision and management of information technology services for systems that underpin them. the exclusion of information technology in many cases with their importance in the areas of decision-making. Superficially and are processed for use in many organizations.

In this chapter we will identify the Information Technology Section of the (help desk), how to use or ways in which they can identify the workflow, and by which to identify and determine the ways in which that can improve performance in this part of the work. Through the application of the system to operate under the technology used or the current practice within the organization or department within the organization.

2.1.1 Role of the Help Desk in Technical Support

– The changing role of the help desk has grown substantially since that computer companies have specialized in providing term in the late 1970s to the help desk.

– The Help Desk is now the first and only access to the point of contact between the customers has a company with another company.

– In the early 1980s, disease support departments and offices to assist in questions from customers who do not know how to run their computers.

– Began to use advanced telephone systems for some offices help to solve, and management of the problem.

– Luther assists the activities of some offices which are updated in more detail.

– Outsourcing of the offices to help them.

– Provision of services by the supplier out rather than provided in the home.

– Outsourcing of some of the offices to assist the integration of their services, while others use. Outsourcing only a portion of any service.

– Through the provision of support services efficiently and effectively, can have a positive impact on the minimum of companies.

– Measuring customer satisfaction levels, began offices help to asses the efficiency and effectiveness through the use of performance measures, or standards.

– Transition Assistance Offices around the concept of center support.

– To provide faster service and improved customer satisfaction and is the goal and responsibility of the Centre for help desk support.

– Support the use of technology to perform tasks in support of various other groups, by responding to inquiries and dealing with everyday problems in addition to traditional services.

2.2 Glossary Help desk

We hear about the number of terms a day with no Known, such as differences between term (technical support), which means providing a range of services to users both for computer systems or software used and to the continued operation of daily work. There is another term which is (to support the beneficiary), which is represented in user assistance in solving problems and answer questions, through the communication on the Internet. There is a term and (help desk)and be a point of contact between the demands of users, computers and provide a solution to that problem by converting the problem to a specialist earlier, ill-related to systems of the computer, the software used, the network or the problem of solid parts inside the computer. But with the passage of time and many names melted differences between all the preceding terms to be under the name of one the most comprehensive and largest, named (Support Centre) and also called by some the name of the employee’s service.

2.2.1 Internal help desk

The company satisfies the staffs that are within the scope of work, and if he had a communication problem in a program or part of the core inside the computer they call the help desk. This is done in large companies and government agencies.

The following is the mission of the Office internal help

– Is specialists working within the company depend upon personnel to perform their function entrusted to them.

– Customer support is a type of expanded definition of technical support to include a range of activities that led to an increased focus on corporate clients.

– Solve the problem in time and place specified. .

– You must be a person enough knowledge of problems repeated.

– Know the cause of the problem before fixit.

2.2.2 External Help Desk (Customer Support)

A service that customers from outside the company such as customers who purchase the product (the program, and devices …) when a problem does not require product damage, but may be in lack of knowledge about the use of such product, first contact the customer help desk within the company that is already a client of the person receiving a call or e-mil or live chat to speak with the client to assess the problem and to turn it on in charge.

In some institutions have a combination of help desk to assist internal and external service is any company’s employees and serves customers leaving the company at the same time, or find some additional space in the same company, such as help desk software, hardware and help desk, network … Etc.

2.3 Help Desk Tools

Just as technology has dramatically change processes, it has also change the ways in which help desks provide support. Today a large number of programs can be used to increase help desk efficiency and improve service delivery. There are programs for managing incoming calls, diagnosing problems, sharing solutions with users, measureing performance, and creating reports. Commonly used program include front-range solutions heat help desk technology’s Help Star, and BMC software’s remedy.

More and more help desks are using software that integrates a number of these features. These programs. For example, can integrate a sophisticated management program (such as a program that is able to log, track-and route calls) whit an asset management program (this able to display-information about the user’s hardware and so-are configuration) and a diagnostic program (that is able to take control of the user’s computer to diagnose problems.

[Introduction to help desk concepts and skills, 07]

2.3.1 Problem Management Tools

Problem Management Tools log, track, route, and record information about problems reported to the help desk. Most problem management tools perform the following tasks:

Authenticate calls (Is this a known user?)

Prioritize calls (What priority should be assigned to the call?)

Route calls to support specialist (Who is qualified and available to receive the call?)

Display information about the caller (name, department)

Display information about me user’s technology (hardware and software configuration)

Display caller problem history (previous Contacts with the help desk)

Track calls (follow the problem until it is resolved)

Provide notification of outstanding calls and, if necessary, refer these calls to a more experienced support specialist (problems not resolved in specified time frame)

Produce reports (number of calls received, length of time until call answered)

A major component of a problem management system is computer telephony. The term computer telephony describes tools that combine telephone and computer technology into one System. This technology makes it possible to access information about the user who has called that is stored in a computer database. For example, when a user phones the help desk, the support specialist’s computer screen displays information about the user’s hardware and software configuration, recent upgrades, and prior problems. This much more efficient than asking the user questions to elicit the same information.

Telephone technologies are used to route calls, prioritize calls, and we call a business and hear recorded message. Most of us encounter similar systems every such as “press l for sales; press 2 for customer services; press 3 for warranty questions.” The system using information that has been input via the telephone keypad. To route the call to a particular department. A help desk application works much the same way. Same telephone systems Allow users to enter data using the telephone keypad and receive a prerecorded response based on the input. [Introduction to help desk concepts and skills, 07]

2.3.2 Problem Resolution Tools

Problem resolution tools are used to determine the Causes of users’ problems and develop effective solutions. Problem resolution tools perform the following tasks:

– Diagnose problems

– Generate solutions

– Enable users to solve some of their own problems

Support specialists use diagnostic tools to identify the source of a user’s problem. One popular diagnostic tool allows support specialists to gain access to a computer that is at a remote location. Without ever going to the user’s desk, a support specialist can view the desktop and control the activity of user’s PC. Commands entered a via the support special list’s mouse and keyboard are implemented on the remote PC.

Knowledge bases Can be used to gener2te solutions to user problems Support specialists search knowledge base for problems similar to the one reported by the user. If similar problem has been reported in he Past, its solution will be stored in the knowledgebase. When users experience problems, a knowledge base is one of the first places to look for a solution.

A knowledge base is an example of self-help technology. Self-help technology provides users with the resources to solve their own problem. The Web is emerging as a significant means of providing self-help tools to users. On internal Web sites, users can submit problems to the help desk, or engage in live chat with a support specialist. [Introduction to help desk concepts and skills, 07]

2.4 Components of a Successful Help Desk

The size and scope of help desks vary greatly from one organization to another. The ingredients for success do not vary. Whether located in a large, global organization or in a small, local one, all help desks have one thing in common: they require people, processes and tools to be effective. The following .sections examines these three key areas.

2.4.1People Skills

Effective support people are good listeners, good communicators, customer-service oriented, export at gaining knowledge by asking questions, and excellent problem- solvers. This is according to the Help Desk Institute conducts a survey on an annual basis to identify the activities and practices of help desks. The survey indicates that the most important competencies are in the areas of communication skills and interpersonal relations. The skills necessary for success as a support specialist can be grouped into five categories:

Communication skills

Problem-solving skills

Customer-service skills

Technical skills

Business skills

2.5 Process management

Problem Management Asset Management Knowledge Capture

1. Problem Management

Is the most important and measurable Help Desk feature. Problem management should include: problem logging; problem identification; call assignments; tracking problems to resolution; alerting personnel if a call is taking too long; elevating a call’s status to a higher priority; and problem diagnosis. One particularly useful feature is the ability to simultaneously track issues handled by your internal support team as well as issues escalated to external third party support partners. With this feature you can provide a single point of contact and can ensure that you’re meeting your customers’ expectations and your support partners are also living up to their agreements with you. A good problem manager, however, is more than the sum of its parts. What’s most important is how all the Help Desk functions work together and how they are presented to the user. Is the interface intuitive, graphical and easy-to-use? Is the information presented in a logical way? Can the user click on an item (caller name, hardware item, etc.) and see multiple levels of detail? Can the product be configured easily to accommodate different call-resolution processes?

2. Asset Management

Asset management is important for two reasons. First, it allows Help Desk personnel to solve problems by providing accurate, up-to-date information on the caller’s environment. Second, it serves as a library of information about your organization’s asset base. According to Char La Bounty, Director of Membership Services for the Help Desk Institute, “Often, a Help Desk product with good asset management pays for itself simply by putting a real dollar value on a company’s current inventory of computer hardware, software and networking possessions.” Asset management looks at such items as hardware and software configurations, software licenses, LANs and LAN addresses, and warranties. A good asset management feature should help organizations:

– collect asset information with minimal effort (perhaps by using automated data collection software, for example Net Census TM from Tally Systems Corporation).

-minimize the number of unnecessary purchased software licenses.

– enforce equipment policies regarding approved vendors, configurations, software revisions, suppliers, etc.

-maintain equipment warranties.

-schedule maintenance and upgrades Good asset management allows companies to make vital decisions based on accurate information about their possessions, for example, who’s using the assets and how are they being used. Answers to key questions will help provide important details about your organization’s future asset planning.

For example, how many PCs are there in the company? With what CPUs? What memory? Disk capacity? What applications are they running and at what revision levels? What warranties are scheduled to expire and when? How many users are connected to the server? All this information has an immediate, dramatic influence on your organization, and can easily become an invaluable resource for future asset planning.

3. Knowledge Capture

Often overlooked, knowledge capture is the “secret weapon” that makes the difference between a system that merely logs calls and one that really leverages the skills of the people who use it. It’s also an area that pays big dividends with little up-front investment in user training and problem assessment. “You’d be surprised,” says Clark, “how many Help Desks finish a successful call just by writing the words ‘problem solved’ in the call comments section. That isn’t much help for the next person facing the same problem.” When using Data watch’s Visual| Help Desk software, support technicians are prompted to add their resolution to the knowledgebase, which then gets sent for approval before it is actually submitted. This way, technicians are urged to describe complete fixes in their resolution, and help desk management has the final say on which items will be most useful in the future. The next time a user calls up and identifies the same problem, the technician will have this resolution at their fingertips in order to resolve the issue immediately.

Help Desk software should encourage self-learning by prompting users for solution-type information after the problem is resolved. This way the solution is captured for others who might encounter a similar problem in the future. “You can’t give everyone enough training in Excel and Outlook to achieve a 24-hour, 75% fix rate,” Clark says. “Nor can most companies afford to hire enough specialized talent. Self-learning allows lower-skilled people to do the jobs of their higher skilled paid colleagues.” Knowledge capture also gives Help Desk staff the ammunition they need to fix bigger problems.

For example, is there an overall pattern of failure by hardware type, software, department, service provider, or customer? Does the user who complains the loudest have a legitimate point? Is the Help Desk really overworked?

2.5.1 Measuring help desk performance

The performance of the help desk is measured and evaluated on a regular basis. To determine the effectiveness of the help desk, management analyzes the efficiency of the help desk itself and the satisfaction levels of customers.

Objective Measures

Raw data obtained from problem management programs are used to provide an objective snapshot of help desk performance. Metrics are quantitative measures of the efficiency of the help desk. Examples of commonly used metrics include

– Average length of an incoming call

– Average time a call is in the queue before it is picked up – Number of calls abandoned before being picked up – Percent of problems resolved on first contact – Average time until problem is resolved – Percent of cases still open beyond a set period of time

Using these types of data, management can plan and allocate help desk resources. For example, if reports indicate that the highest volumes of calls are received between 7 and 9 A.M., additional staff can be assigned to that time slot. If a substantial number of users are reporting problems with a particular program, management can assign help desk personnel to investigate and correct the source of the problems. Key measures such as the average time until a problem is resolved and the percent of problems resolved on the first contact are very useful in evaluating the current operation of the help desk. These measures can also be used to compare performance to other help desks, or to industry best practices.

Customer Satisfaction

Metrics alone provide an incomplete picture of the effectiveness of the help desk, since they do not take customer satisfaction into account. Customer satisfaction ratings indicate end users’ perception of the help des value. This satisfaction cannot be fully measured by analyzing statistics from a call management database. To gain an understanding of the customer’s perception of service quality, companies may need to use customer satisfaction surveys or focus groups.

Today, when computer problems occur, the effect is felt throughout the organization. Both productivity and profits are at risk. Most companies acknowledge their dependence on technology and the resulting surge in the demand for technical support. The pressure to resolve problem quickly has dramatically increased. System problems are no longer an inconvenience to a few; they are now a costly time-out from conducting business. More than ever before, this is an exciting time to be pursuing a technical support career.

[Introduction to help desk concepts and skills, 07]

2.5.2 Help Desk Features

Easy to Learn – Graphical Interface

Important ‘Trouble Ticket’ Information cannot be overlooked

Staff Scheduling

Database for Client & Operator Details

Client Request and Self Help

Help Request Prioritization

Performance Reports

Password Logon Provides System Security

Customization of Help Desk Pro is Possible

– Easy to Learn – Graphical Interface

The Help Desk features an intuitive, easy to use, graphical tabbed interface. Administrators, Technicians, and Clients need only application setup to utilize the application. And many systems need a steep learning curve but Help Desk customer service trouble ticket system is intuitive and the well designed screen layouts make the system easy for operators to both learn to use and to interface with on a day to day basis – little, if any, training is required. An on screen ‘help’ system can be called up at any time.

– Important ‘Trouble Ticket’ Priority in performance Priority in performance (tickets for the problem) should contain both the basic data for the client, such as’ name of the client, the problem, and the date of receipt of the problem, and time of the call through the call recording so they can see the solution and also know the problems unresolved in the form of a report and on, weekly or duration time to get to know the functioning of the receiving problems.

– Staff Scheduling Schedule-tables, which can be used in the order and scheduling of events such as tasks, backup, repair, and upgrades that, are on the operating systems or applications.

– Database for Client & Operator Details There should be detailed data on the customer’s name, address, e-mail address and telephone numbers are displayed in all the previous data also for the client in the form of a report and also if the client has a history of calls should immediately view the details of this call without reference to another screen that is in the same screen contact and provide details in an easy to reach.

– Client Request and Self Help

Must be among clients and easy to use interface and simple to make requests and communications, and also offer all the updates that are made to the previous client requests. Determines the end-user what type of assistance needed and to seek help updates dynamically and quickly to display is as easy to have to be custom fields, in the form of text boxes, pop-up menus and radio buttons or check boxes, the type of problem that he had identified the client (end user). Is it possible for the operator to solve the problem ‘unsolved’ and respond to call, must change the situation call (design) to be listed any of these ‘unresolved calls in this operator is not resolved to stand in queues to remember on the spot’ at any time. Agent can ‘see’ call to another operator or supervisor if they feel unable to deal with it themselves after being the first time on the call.

– Help Request Prioritization to determine which is set technician must apply a new ticket Assistance Office program that uses intelligent business logic. Using a combination of many functions, the timetable and specific skills to work, you can always get the desired progress and appropriate for this task. There are separate entities within the institution is managed centrally, the location of the group and to allow different departments to track requests from the client. It can also be allocated to the pool jobs group technique is the other separately?

– Extensive Reports Quickly Available (Performance Reports) Depends on getting the service to connect with end user in same time and finish work. Aided and use of appropriate tools that assist the director of the Office of help to identify how to perform the work and they need extra help or not, and what kinds of problems that cause the most problems.

– Password Logon Provides System Security Both users and technical support team of help desk can login to the system through the control password. There are also different levels of ‘privilege’ system allows administrators to get more control, and different levels of privilege for each user and another.

– Customization of Help Desk Pro is Possible Users can customize many areas of data entry to suit particular jobs; you can adapt the priorities of the call, call groups, and fields that are commensurate with the asset classification of the type of your business. Almost no limit to further customization can be done to adapt your operating system (fees apply for individual customization).

2.5.3 Raise Awareness of the Help Desk Team

How to Improvement skills of help desk team? Follow these tips to jump-start the process.

1- Never be shy about your mission

This is how I see the help desks anyway. The best thing is to complete the task efficiently, you may see the happiness in the eyes of the customers who carries out their work and higher profitability for the company, you provide a very valuable service for the company and its customers, however, some companies consider it as a necessary evil in terms of cost, and could wipe out or the use

2- Start with the company mission statement

You must define the company’s goals and also be a target group to assist the Office and be in the form of a document so as to indicate the main tasks and place of a company and you’ll want to make sure to align with your goals and support objectives of the company and use that document to the mission statement a company and individuals within them.

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3- Tell it like it is

4- The usual promises

For example help desk of the (University) in any country. Must be Helpful and friendly first point of contact for the Instructional Technology Department.

Basic support for computing, audio/visual, and distance education services.

The necessary online forms to request equipment, repairs, and network account changes.

Get online FAQ’s, manuals, and tutorials to empower users to self troubleshoot.

Equipment delivery and repair services.

Media duplication services.

5- Establish a scope of services

Supported software. It’s in writing that you’re not supposed to Rogue users will still try to install their own software, but at least.

From the help desk of the

6- Get the word out

If your department, and company’s management already requires, including the help desk, to write and maintain data or mission statements, you’ve probably promised in meeting minutes somewhere to review your mission statement. If you haven’t done so in a while, and make sure it’s up to date.

What would you do to help the team to accomplish the mission assigned to him in the data center? That task may be associated with a set of specific objectives and will come in handy when it’s time to evaluate the performance of help desk managers and analysts. Everyone gets the same task.

2.5.4 Ways to Improve Your Help Desk’s performance

How to Improve Your Help Desk’s performance?

Their ware Three Ways to Improve Your Help Desk’s performance, some of the suggestions I would make to resolve help desk problems.

1- Team IT/help desk is problem solving. It’s like being a policeman. No one calls in to say that everything is going well. Users only call you when a crisis occurs. Can become daunting for workers is impossible. And work with unhappy customers all day, every day, can negatively affect your teams or maybe leave positive effect.

– Administrator or IT manager in any company needs more information to make sure off is that their help desk staff feel supported during day. Give them somewhere they can vent safely without any information being passed on to anyone else, Also rotating your staff so that it isn’t always the same person answering the phone. This is the true way to workflow and team working is one team.

– respect between all the team members this work of IT manager. The help desk person is seen as unprofessional because of their lack of respect towards the competence of their fellow workers. Make sure that people are able and willing to work as a team, and you work without a doubt, increase the efficiency and morale of the department

2- You can say that there is nothing worse than having to crash your computer only when you are pushing for a deadline. In reality, but worse, that no one can fix it. It seems that many people believe that if someone can install software, fix computer, determine the problem or search in websites they knew enough to run their departments or work in information technology support.

– Looking for someone really wants to help others to represent your company has a can do attitude, to try to identify the answer to their problem. To fine the answer you must depending on the end-users and help desk support, either company employees or external customer’s fellow, you will need different types of staff of the Office for help.

– To search for an internal support staff to your information technology, first identify the expertise and skills of the person in the field of information technology applications, software and understanding of the work in general. Is it enough to work within the company.

External customers can support them but you need to probably and train your employee (support staff) on your own support software. But, the most important in work quality and time, you want in the employee you hire to take care of your customer service. Add to that excellent phone manners, patience, confidence and logic. This is a good way to save your customer and back again more than once.

3- Tools are most important to Support your Team, The help desk team need system is fast, easy to learn and effective in helping to solving problems, when use this system no calls get lost and thus improving your customer service.

– must be always prudent to know what your help desk team is working on and what issues are common. One way to ensure that your customers are not left waiting for days to get an answer is to have an issue escalator. This way easy to fined and solve problems in same time.

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2.5.5 Advantages of a Help Desk

The Advantages of a Help Desk solution to provide the following services:

· Coverage all times of large.

· Support for new application software and hardware.

· More resources when happened unplanned support emergencies.

· Extra support for internal help desk into your company.

· Find support in all mergers, and other transitions

Coordinates interactions across all channels in (real time)

Provides single view of the customer across the enterprise from sale’s lead to purchase to help desk support.

In depth customer management to acquire and retain customers and increases customer satisfaction.

Business and sale’s opportunities and lead development to improve sales team efficiency.

Customizable Sales Pipeline to manage leads to sales at every step.

Groups customers by keywords for profiling, sales and marketing campaigns, training and more

Supports multi-message campaigns via e-mail, mail etc.

Allows unlimited contacts per customer

Advantages of a Help Desk solution has full, definable three tier system – organizations, departments, contacts – tiers are customizable.

Advantages of a Help Desk include many other services which integrate with other client server applications for powerful data analysis like:

SQL based

Deploys rapidly.

Active Directory Integration.

Data export to Excel and HTML.

Drag and drop files and attachments.

Text indexed database.

Microsoft Word merges for form letters.

Links to Crystal report writer.

Supports multiple site replications.

Supports major e-mail systems.

Outlook integration.

[helpdesksurvival.com]

2.5.6 Benefits of Help Desk Software

Use the software help desk in any organization whether big or small business startup.

The implementation of office software solution help?

Improved some of the benefits programs, help desk and customer service.

Faster response and less expensive information technology.

What steps are being taken? When the user connections to support information technology professional in your organization does not depend on it – Who answered the phone?

Is it down immediately about any task and visit your office?

Corn down on your note pad?

Do they try to resolve the problem by phone at length?

What are the criteria that deserve this call should be transferred to another member of staff, information technology, or benefits call the software vendor?

Can you respond to all these questions in some way to use the software help desk?

Must training staff deal with information technology help desk software help desk calls in an organized manner that can be relied on every time.

When you receive a call the help desk, should be immediately entered into the database record of a call even if it was easy to answer. At this point there is now

View the contents of this issue and makes it a simple task for the staff,

Allows others to provide information technology solutions for the IT staff of others.

Prohibit the advocacy of being lost in the shuffle if staff is busy when you receive a call.

Trust much more that when Put this special appeal to help staff on the desk, call handling in a structured approach to ensure their satisfaction

He can continue to work, they will not feel the need to maintain a call or check with the staff of information technology.

Respond to their call within a reasonable period of time.

Focus on tasks, and should not interested in the case of call.

To deal with help desk calls in an orderly manner

Offer a way to self-help many of the software solutions help desk

Allow for staff in the company to apply directly to the help desk system help desk. And can increase the time to respond to all users.

To record contact information stop working in another case

To provide every request possible with this method should be encouraged by the information technology staff. Allows any member of support staff available to respond to the request when the request is entered in the system.

Also allows support personnel to diversify their calls, even if it is shown, and it calls on the problem is likely to enable the employee to resolve the problem faster than a special that has more experience.

Will then become available for consultation to solve at once all calls are resolved.

You will receive from the use of the help desk this is one of the greatest benefits of the organization.

By searching the database for calls to other allows support staff new to be able to answer many questions simply.

Faster response to the end user and also to prevent support staff from the need to search for a solution, these benefits at a time.

To contribute to the quality of the service in your organization from all of the above, you will be happier staff and faster response time means lower costs and increase productivity for your organization and yourself.