1. How Student Workers Enhance a
College Technology Service Desk
RVCC Service Desk Success
Raritan Valley Community College
Presented by Philip Strollo and Mary O’Mara

2. RVCC Service Desk Structure
Director
Sr. Tech Sr. Tech
Help Desk
Supervisor
Sr. Student
Aides (3)
Student
Aides (17)
Jr. Tech Jr. Tech
Help Desk
Coordinator

3. How Student Aides are Selected
What does it take to be a technical aide
Our Requirements:
• Must be an RVCC student with at least 6 credits
• Do not have to be a Technology Student
• Must be able to commit for 2 semesters
• Must be willing to learn

4. Student Aide Training
Checklist
* Human Resources paperwork – 30 min
* Student Aide work schedule – 15 min
* Tour of Help Desk areas – 30 min
* Counter/window operations – 60 min
* Overview of RVCC’s computer network – 15 min
* Lab responsibilities – 15 min
* Storage Areas & Recycling Area – 15 min

5. Customer Service is Key
How to Handle the Challenging Customer
Patience, Patience, Patience…..and more Patience

6. Customer Service is Key
1. We support customers as a team
2. Listen to customers – ask questions
3. Engage the customer – talk to them
4. Be honest about what we do not know
5. Be kind
6. Know your product
7. Fast Service – Get answers quickly

7. Dress Code
This is an Office Environment
We have a strict dress code
• No Hoodies/Hats
• No Bare Midriffs
• No Bare Shoulders
• No Inappropriate T-shirts
• Unsuitable graphics/writing on any clothing

8. Non-Typical Work Day
Expect the unexpected……
RVCC Service Desks operate on a Salesforce Ticket System
• User calls the 24 hour Call Center
• Outsourced to BlackBeltHelp
• User emails the Help Desk
• User walks into a Help Desk location
• All methods generate a ticket
Tickets are evaluated and assigned by Help Desk Coordinator

9. Typical Work Day
(Is there such a thing?)
Service Desk Techs evaluated the ticket
A Tech will then follow up on the ticket
Techs may assign a ticket to a Sr. Student Aide
• Sr. Student Aides have access to ticket system
Techs may hand a ticket to a Student Aide
• Student Aide is dispatched to the user

10. Student Aides – Tier 1
Benefits of Student Aides as Tier1 Support
• Student Aides can handle basic calls
• Out of paper, Out of toner
• Add Printers
• Add machines to the Domain
• Hardware and Software Tickets
• Student Aides get projects
• Classroom Maintenance – all year long
• Lab imaging – summer break
Student Aides get hands on experience

11. Student Aide Benefits
There are benefits for the student aides
• Hands on technical experience is priceless
• 1st time job experience
• Learn customer service skills
• Learn how to be good co-workers – Respect
• Students/Staff from around the globe
• United States, Brazil, Cambodia, Haitian, Iran, Iraq,
Kenya, Colombia, Philippines, El Salvador, India,
Morocco, Pakistan, and Poland

12. Benefits from Student Aides
There are benefits from the student aides
• Three students developed an “Emergency Chat”
• “Chat” App is used on instructor stations for classroom
emergencies – paper out, projector not working
• Improving response time for faculty
• One student coded a program to poll all printers
• This helped reduce “out of paper, out of toner” tickets
• Helping save money on tickets
• Also monitor classroom “open” times for repairs

13. RVCC Service Desks
The real key to our success
• Treating the student workers as a team
• Listen to student workers
• They have some great ideas
• Promoting team work
• Having them mentor each other
• Thanking the student workers
• Pizza parties
• Acknowledging Birthdays

14. Questions, Comments
Thank you!
ً‫شكرا‬
Arkoun
‫متشکرم‬