2. 2
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 Sisay Getu
3. 3
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
by Sisay Getu
4. 4
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
by Sisay Getu
7. 7
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 Sisay Getu
9. 9
Help Desk Tools and
Technologies
1. Help desk software
2. Computer telephony systems
3. Web Site support
4. Physical layout of help desk work areas
by Sisay Getu
11. 11
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
by Sisay Getu
12. 12
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
by Sisay Getu
13. 13
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
by Sisay Getu
14. 14
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
by Sisay Getu
15. 15
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
by Sisay Getu
16. 16
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
by Sisay Getu
18. 18
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
by Sisay Getu
19. 19
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
by Sisay Getu
20. 20
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
by Sisay Getu
21. 21
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
by Sisay Getu
22. 22
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
by Sisay Getu
23. 23
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
by Sisay Getu
26. 26
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
by Sisay Getu
28. 28
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
by Sisay Getu
29. 29
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
by Sisay Getu
31. 31
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
by Sisay Getu
32. 32
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
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
by Sisay Getu
33. 33
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
by Sisay Getu
34. 34
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(Expert), a coworker who learns to use
new tools quickly and who helps other employees
unofficially
by Sisay Getu
35. 35
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
by Sisay Getu
36. 36
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
company’s products and services
External support groups may be called “customer
support”, to differentiate them from internal support
groups
by Sisay Getu
37. 37
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 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
by Sisay Getu
38. 38
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
by Sisay Getu
40. 40
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
by Sisay Getu
41. 41
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
by Sisay Getu
42. 42
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
by Sisay Getu
