CIS 285 Lecture 8 Help Desk Operation Outline (Fall 2021-2022) PDF

CIS: 285: End User Training and Support Help Desk Operation Outline Mohammed Al Nakshabandi MBA, PMP 2 1 Fall 21-22 10/31/202 ...

CIS: 285: End User Training and Support Help Desk Operation Outline Mohammed Al Nakshabandi MBA, PMP 2 1 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Last Lecture review 6,7 – Common Support Problems and utilities (Ch 5, 12) textbook) Several categories of common end-user technology problems Examples of problem-solving processes applied to typical support problems Software utilities and information resources used by support specialists Categories of common user support utilities Some useful support utilities 2 2 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Lecture 8 – Help Desk Operation Outline (Ch 6 of textbook) Help desk operational procedures The multilevel support model Incident management workflow Best practices in help desk operations The physical layout of help desk work areas Job stress in help desk work Hardware and software tools used by support agents, managers,and end users Help desk industry trends 2 3 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Lecture 8 – Help Desk Operation Outline Help desk operational procedures The multilevel support model Incident management workflow Best practices in help desk operations The physical layout of help desk work areas Job stress in help desk work Hardware and software tools used by support agents, managers,and end users Help desk industry trends 2 4 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 5 What is Help Desk An organization that provides a single point of contact for users in need of technical support. Goal: Enhance client satisfaction by effectively and efficiently resolving problems and questions Many companies organize their user support function internally as a help desk because: 1. The help desk is usually very visible services provider and well-publicized 2. It provides a single point of contact for users who need technical support through email, visit physical location, call hotline, Chat session, or port Organizations structure their help desks differently, depending on several factors, including. – whether their users are internal or external – Number of users and products they support – Organization’s goals and objectives for computer support – Maturity of the Organization and size 2 5 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Lecture 8 – Help Desk Operation Outline Help desk operational procedures The multilevel support model Incident management workflow Best practices in help desk operations The physical layout of help desk work areas Job stress in help desk work Hardware and software tools used by support agents, managers, and end users Help desk industry trends 2 6 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 7 Multilevel support model (1-2) Organizations frequently structure their help desks into several levels (or tiers) of support, sometimes called a multilevel support model or frontline/backline model 2 7 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 8 Multilevel support model (2-2) In this model, each level is staffed by a worker with different skills. Level 1. Incident screener (also called an incident dispatcher or receptionist) is usually an entry-level worker Level 2 Product specialist is usually a more experienced help desk worker Level 3 Technical support position, staffed by a programmer, product designer, or engineer Level 4 Support is typically staffed by a supervisor or manager. Example: I at UFV: Leve 1: Help desk analyst Level 2: Functional analyst and specialist Level 3: Vendor Support Level 4. Functional Director 2 8 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Lecture 8 – Help Desk Operation Outline Help desk operational procedures The multilevel support model Incident management workflow Best practices in help desk operations The physical layout of help desk work areas Job stress in help desk work Hardware and software tools used by support agents, managers, and end users Help desk industry trends 2 9 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 10 Incident Management Workflow (1-9) Incident management the process used by Help desk to respond to an unplanned event or service interruption and restore the service to its operational state. They – Handle problem incidents – Get information to users – Solve user problems – Maintain records about the incident Call management is a subset of incident management, and describes the steps in handling telephone contacts between users and support agents. 2 10 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 11 Incident Management Workflow (2-9) 2 11 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 12 Incident Management Workflow (3-9) ❑ 1. Receive the Incident:Whether a help desk incident is initiated via telephone, by email, in person, or through a web-based contact. – Agent first step is to establish a relationship with the user. Some support groups follow a specific script. The script can be standard greeting in a phone conversation, or a standard introductory paragraph in a reply to an email message or chat session ❑ 2. Pre-screen the Incident:Prescreening is a filtering process that helps agents quickly identify and respond to simple requests for information, sometimes without even initiating an official incident. Some help desks do not prescreen incidents. ❑ 3. Authenticate the User: many help desks use an authentication procedure or entitlement verification ; Agent determines whether the help desk is authorized to handle the incident and provide information or services to the user this may involve asking a user for a product ID number, product serial number, model number or employee number etc. 2 12 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 13 Incident Management Workflow (4-9) ❑ 4. Log the Incident: Agent begins documenting the incident. The agent may make an initial entry in a problem log, on a trouble report form, or in an incident tracking database. ❑ 5. Screen the Incident:During incident screening, a help desk agent asks a series of questions to categorize and describe the incident. Incidents are often categorized in one of the following ways: ▪ Requests for information ▪ Raise an issue ▪ Complaints, ▪ Follow up on work (or service) orders 2 13 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 14 Incident Management Workflow (5-9) 6. Prioritize the Incident: Based on the category and nature of a problem or request, an agent typically assigns each incident a priority code. A priority code indicates how serious the problem is, how many users are affected, impact to the business – Examples of priority for Network issue: ▪ Priority 1—The network is down, no workaround is available, and business processes are at a critical stage ▪ Priority 2—The network is badly degraded, business processes are impacted, and no workaround is possible ▪ Priority 3—The network is degraded, but most business processes are working ▪ Priority 4—Caller needs support for installation or configuration, or information on a Cisco product The type of incident and its priority often determine the queue into which an incident will be placed. 2 14 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 15 Incident Management Workflow (6-9) 7. Queue: a waiting line into which incoming incidents are placed when they cannot be answered immediately by an incident screener – Queues may be defined for: ▪ Each priority code ▪ Different products ▪ Types of customers (free support versus fee-based) ▪ Levels of support – Example: standard, enhanced, gold, platinum, premium 8. Assign the Incident:If the level 1 help desk staff cannot resolve an incident immediately, they may assign or refer the incident to another staff member or queue who has the technical expertise to provide the information, respond to the request, or solve the problem quickly 2 15 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 16 Incident Management Workflow (7-9) The type of incident and its priority often determine the queue into which an incident will be placed. 2 16 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 17 Incident Management Workflow (8-9) 8. Track the Incident; Incident tracking refers to the process of updating the incident record with information about a problem as it progresses – An automated help desk system often records in a database the date and time each support staff member worked on a problem. These entries provide a complete record of what happened, when it happened, and who worked on the problem. Incident tracking provides an important history of a problem, how it was handled, and how it was resolved. This historic data cab be used to generate Knowledge base(KB) 9. Escalate the Incident: If initial attempts to resolve a user’s problem are unsuccessful, most support groups have policies and procedures to escalate an incident. Incident escalation is a normal workflow step in which a problem is transferred to a higher level of support that is better able to handle more difficult problems. – Escalation is not a sign of failure of a level 1 or 2 worker to solve a problem. Rather, it is a recognition that not all problems can be resolved at the lower support levels. – In some automated incident management systems, the escalation process is automatic 2 17 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 18 Incident Management Workflow (9-9) ❑ 10. Resolve the Incident; Ideally, help desk staff members will be able to resolve all users’ problems and questions. In the incident resolution step also may give a client authorization to return a product for replacement or a refund ❑ 11. Close the Incident: A support agent may review the steps the help desk took to solve a problem. An agent may also get feedback from the user about her or his satisfaction level. In this step agent will add additional entries in a problem log or database to indicate how the problem was resolved. ❑ 12. Archive the Incident:Closed incidents are often retained in an incident management system for some predetermined period in case the user calls back or sends a follow-up message. A help desk’s policies usually specify how long a closed incident is retained before it is archived and stored in database for refence and Knowledge base(KB), further analysis and reporting purposes 2 18 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Lecture 8 – Help Desk Operation Outline Help desk operational procedures The multilevel support model Incident management workflow Best practices in help desk operations The physical layout of help desk work areas Job stress in help desk work Hardware and software tools used by support agents, managers, and end users Help desk industry trends 2 19 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 20 Best Practices for Help Desk Operations (1- 3) Best practices are procedures, tools, and methods employed by successful support group. One widely followed set of guidelines is the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), which is designed to help organizations align and integrate their computer services with their business objectives. The ITIL is intended as a “framework” rather than an industry standard in the traditional sense. ITIL is an extensive series of publications that document guidelines organizations should consider as they design and manage a help desk or information services function Some of ITIL processes are : – Incident management: processes of handling service disruption and restore technology services to normal operation ASAP. ▪ Goal: Restore technology services to normal quickly – Problem management: strategies to find and fix the root cause of problem incidents; the goal of problem management is to anticipate, repair, and eliminate the root causes of technology problems ▪ Goal: Anticipate, repair, and eliminate the causes of problems 2 20 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 21 Best Practices for Help Desk Operations (2-3 ) Change management:Methods for managing the constant changes that occur due to an organization’s use of technology; a goal of change management is to develop plans to minimize the business impact of technology changes ▪ Goal: Minimize the impact of changes on business operation Release management: is the deployment management. The main purpose is to plan, schedule, and control releases from end to end ▪ Goal: Smooth implementation of changes Configuration management: The maintenance of an organization’s database of hardware, software, users, support staff, and vendors; a goal of configuration management is to help an organization identify, control, monitor, plan, and audit its investment in technology. ▪ Goal: Identify, control, monitor, and audit technology assets Knowledge management, Involves collecting, storing, updating, and sharing knowledge amonghelp desk workers ▪ Goal: Information resources 2 21 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 22 Best Practices for Help Desk Operations (3-3 ) An Overview of ITIL Concepts and Summary Process 2 22 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Lecture 8 – Help Desk Operation Outline Help desk operational procedures The multilevel support model Incident management workflow Best practices in help desk operations The physical layout of help desk work areas Job stress in help desk work Hardware and software tools used by support agents, managers, and end users Help desk industry trends 2 23 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 24 Physical Layout of Help Desk Work Areas Desk in a cubicle Access to one or more computer systems Access to reference information library Telephone headset permits freedom of motion Issues – Job stress – Diversions for staff – Workplace ergonomics 2 24 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 25 Job Stress in Help Desk Work Job stress is a common complaint of help desk workers. It results from the physical and emotional responses help desk staff Job stress can be worsened by: ▪ Inadequate training ▪ Lack of qualifications or experience for a position ▪ Inadequate resources (equipment, software, and access to information) to perform tasks ▪ Poor ergonomic design of the help desk workplace ▪ Unrealistic management expectations (including workload volume that exceeds resources to handle it, lack of adequate breaks, long work shifts, and extensive overtime requirements) ▪ Abusive callers, or those with unrealistic service or product expectations ▪ Ineffective help desk management practices (including inadequate communication within an organization and unclear employee evaluation and promotion criteria) ▪ Work style differences between employees (covered in ch2) Solutions to job stress ▪ Personal stress management techniques and strategies ▪ Changes in working conditions reduce job stress (reduce noise, interruption), breaks, lounge ▪ Organizational change 2 25 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 26 1. (True/False) Incident management is the process followed by help desk staff to receive, solve, and close problems reported by users. Answer: True 2. A(n) ____ indicates how serious a problem is and the consequences of not addressing it immediately. Answer: priority code 3. Incident ____ refers to the process of updating information about a problem as it progresses. Answer: tracking 4. An incident ____ is a database or paper file used to store and retain records relating to closed incidents. Answer: archive 2 26 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Lecture 8 – Help Desk Operation Outline Help desk operational procedures The multilevel support model Incident management workflow Best practices in help desk operations The physical layout of help desk work areas Job stress in help desk work Hardware and software tools used by support agents, managers,and end users Help desk industry trends 2 27 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 28 Group discussion 2 28 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 29 Group discussion “If you really wanted to reduce workplace stress among help desk workers, each worker should have their own enclosed office space instead of a cubicle.” Do you agree or disagree? What are the pros and cons of offices and cubicles in a help desk operation? If you would to replace cubicles what layout would you use and why? 2 29 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Lecture 8 – Help Desk Operation Outline Help desk operational procedures The multilevel support model Incident management workflow Best practices in help desk operations The physical layout of help desk work areas Job stress in help desk work Hardware and software tools used by support agents, managers,and end users Help desk industry trends 2 30 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 31 Help Desk Technology and Tools Help Desk Software: The incident management workflow described last slide often results in a large volume of incident transactions being collected, processed, and stored. A large-scale help desk operation may receive and process hundreds (or even thousands) of incidents every day that are tracked and stored in help desk agent tool – A. Help Desk Agent Tool – B. Help Desk Management Tool – C. Help Desk Tool for End user A. Help Desk Agent Tools: Help desk agents need a variety of tools to be successful. A help desk software application can be quite useful to ensure agent productivity. These applications range from simple, open source software that small help desks can download and implement (free) to enterprise-wide packages – Ex: help desk application (ticket system): 2 31 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 32 A. Help Desk Software (1-4 ) Core of common capabilities of help desk application are: INCIDENT LOGGING AND TRACKING FEATURES Help desk software applications include features that allow agents to: ▪ Manage incident queues ▪ Interface with telephone system ▪ Set incident priorities ▪ Assign incidents to support staff ▪ Escalate incidents CLIENT INFORMATION DATABASES: Help desk software includes capabilities to: ▪ Store, edit, and recall contact and location information LINKS TO PRODUCT INFORMATION: Many users contact a help desk to request product information. Help desk software that contains links to: ▪ Product features ▪ Product limitations ▪ New versions ▪ Configuration constraints ▪ Known bugs ▪ Product availability 2 32 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 33 A. Help Desk Software (2-4 ) ❑ ACCESS TO USERS’ CONFIGURATION INFORMATION: Help desk software applications ordinarily include ▪ Hardware configuration ▪ Software licenses ▪ Network access protocols ❑ PROBLEM-SOLUTION KNOWLEDGE BASES A knowledge base (sometimes called a “smart database”) ▪ Contains information about common problems and their solutions ▪ May use search strategies based on artificial intelligence (AI) ▪ Expert systems (sequences of IF-THEN rules) ▪ Case-based reasoning (pattern-matching strategies) ❑ DIAGNOSTIC UTILITIES: Some help desk software packages include utility software to assist a support agent to diagnose problems. Diagnostic software is useful for analyzing the performance of a remote system and identifying potential problem areas (ex. Remote Access) 2 33 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 34 A. Help Desk Software (3-4 ) ❑ COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION RESOURCE LINKS: Connections to communication and information resources are critical for both end users and support agents, and help desk applications typically include – External connections to email, chat, and web – Internal connections to: ▪ Online help ▪ Product documentation ▪ Problem archives ❑ PRODUCT ORDER-ENTRY CAPABILITIES: Many help desk software packages include ▪ Order entry capability ▪ Can integrate with other business systems, such as inventory, shipping, and invoicing 2 34 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 35 A. Help Desk Software (4-4 ) ❑ AGENT TIME MANAGEMENT TOOLS: Help desk software often includes time management tools, which are features designed to increase agent productivity. These tools include: ▪ Calendaring ▪ Automated reminders ▪ Meeting and project scheduling ▪ Warning alarms ▪ Collaborative tools ▪ To-do priority lists ▪ Project management tools 2 35 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 36 B. Help Desk Management Tools (1-4 ) Help Desk Management Tools:Managers of help desk operations need tools to help them and their team members perform a variety of tasks that fall outside the standard incident management workflow ASSET MANAGEMENT: Many support groups are responsible for technology asset management. They keep track of – Equipment inventory ▪ Asset ID numbers ▪ Software licenses – System installation information SERVICE MANAGEMENT: Organizations often outsource hardware and peripheral maintenance and repairs to outside vendors. In addition to managing configuration and asset information, some help desk packages include features such – Warranty information – Reminders of next preventive maintenance – Service history 2 36 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 37 B. Help Desk Management Tools (2-4) SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT (SLA) MANAGEMENT: Managers of help desk operations are often responsible for managing service level agreements. A service level agreement (SLA) is a contract that defines the expected performance of user support services or external vendor services. Service level agreements may specify that a help desk will respond to internal or external incidents within a defined time period and that incidents will be resolved within another defined time period. CLIENT FEEDBACK CAPABILITIES: normally includes evaluations of the level of user satisfaction with an organization’s products or services as well as satisfaction with specific help desk services 2 37 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 38 B. Help Desk Management Tools (3-4) STATISTICAL REPORTS Help desk applications include built-in statistical reports and dashboards that report on: ▪ Abandonment rate (callers who hang up) ▪ Number and percent of unresolved incidents ▪ Average length of time on hold (or waiting for response) ▪ Average time to resolve problems ▪ Productivity of agents based on performance indicators ▪ Performance compared to SLA expectations ▪ Inventory control reports ▪ Frequency of problem types Customizable interfaces, forms, and reports – Enhanced and predefined reports to address specific management information needs 2 38 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 39 B. Help Desk Management Tools (4-4) Telephone system interface – Manages large numbers of incoming and outgoing calls Automated incident management – Defines IF-THEN business rules to automatically: ▪ Route incidents to agents ▪ Route incidents to queues ▪ Escalate incidents 2 39 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 40 C. Help Desk Tools for End Users Help Desk Tools for End Users: Although help desk software is intended primarily for agents and their managers, an increasing number of packages include tools that end users can access directly (portal) ❖ Direct end user access to help desk software and databases reduces the cost to provide support – Access to information on support website Product information Problem incident archive – Ability to submit an incident via web or email – Monitor resolution progress – Submit incident feedback 2 40 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 41 Computer Telephony Systems (1-3) Computer telephony the integration of computer and telephone technology into a seamless help desk communication tool An automated call distributor (ACD) is a computer telephony system (a package of hardware and software) that can Answers calls Greets callers Provides menus Manages call queues Routes calls to available support agents ACD goals: – Reduce time and cost to respond to calls – Route calls to appropriate support agent – Collect information about performance of help desk operation – Monitor calls 2 41 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 42 Computer Telephony Systems (2-3) ACD problems: Although computer telephony systems are designed to make efficient use of scarce support staff resources, many of these systems have a – Reputation for poor customer service – Poor design of menus – Lengthy hold times – Repetitious requests for information – Inability to reach a live agent – Dropped calls Common features of ACD systems include the following: ▪ Skill set distribution—Routes each call to an agent who has predefined expertise ▪ Overflow routing—Sends calls to another queue when one queue is long ▪ Call accounting—Provides statistics on the number of calls received ▪ Lost call reporting—Provides statistics on calls that were abandoned ▪ Queue time—Provides statistics on the length of time calls wait in a queue ▪ Agent performance—Provides statistics on each agent’s call handling, including average length of calls and idle time ▪ Call monitoring—Permits supervisors to listen to or record calls for training and support staff evaluation purposes 2 42 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 43 Computer Telephony Systems (3-3) Interactive voice response (IVR):Another computer telephony product with applications in user support is an interactive voice response system. IVR allows a user to interact with a database of information by pressing keys or speaking simple words into the telephone. Based on a caller’s input, an IVR unit retrieves information from its database and plays a recorded response for the user. IVRs, which work together with ACD systems, can be programmed with decision tree logic to ask questions to narrow a search for the specific information a user needs or rout call to the specialized area. 2 43 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  Lecture 8 – Help Desk Operation Outline Help desk operational procedures The multilevel support model Incident management workflow Best practices in help desk operations The physical layout of help desk work areas Job stress in help desk work Hardware and software tools used by support agents, managers,and end users Help desk industry trends 2 44 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 45 Trends in Help Desk Operation (1-9) Technology Trends: Some trends that have impacted the help desk field are due to more general changes in technology 2 45 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 46 Trends in Help Desk Operation (2-9) Cloud Computing: – Providing access to computer applications, data, and services by subscription over the Internet. When a user or an organization transitions to cloud computing, some or all information storage, computer processing, application access, and computing facilities shift off-site. On-premises → Cloud – Instead of purchasing, downloading, and installing software on their PCs, individual users or organizations pay a fee to license the use of applications (SaaS) – Vendors who offer cloud computing services maintain a server farm, which is a collection of interconnected computers with large, networked storage devices that hosts cloud computing services over the Internet. Server farms are usually located in large data centers that may house several thousand Internet- accessible computers that are networked together with built-in redundancy 2 46 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 47 Trends in Help Desk Operation (3-9) Cloud Computing – Subscription-based services – Pay-as-you-go model Advantages – Instant availability on a software vendor’s web server (in the cloud). – Latest version of a software application – Up-to-date patches and new features. – User data is stored on Internet servers, which means high availability – Collaboration among members of a project team. Disadvantages – “When the Internet is down, you’re down.” – Security concerns – May not reduce costs 2 47 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 48 Trends in Help Desk Operation (4-9) Virtualization of Computing Platforms; – Is a method of allocating the resources of an individual physical computer into several execution environments, in which each virtual machine, operating in its own partition (memory and disk space) – Each virtual machine shares the hardware resources of the host computer which permits a help desk agent to respond to questions about multiple operating systems and applications from a single host machine. – Goal: ▪ Reduce equipment costs ▪ Increase support resources available to agents Support for Wireless Technology: – Increased reliance on mobile and wireless devices that help desk agent need to support Cell phones Smartphones Tablet PCs Bluetooth devices MP3 players PDAs Netbook PCs Book Readers GPS units Wi-Fi networks Digital cameras Wearable devices 2 48 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 49 Trends in Help Desk Operation (5-9) Remote Diagnosis and Voice Response Technologies: – Remote diagnosis is the use of a computer and software at a help desk site to connect to a client’s PC. With a remote connection, a support worker can test the various components of a user’s hardware devices, examine the user’s application configurations, and attempt to replicate a problem scenario Voice Response – Increased use of voice recognition and response in technology products will find their way into support service tools Workplace Trends: Other trends that will impact future help desk is changes in the workplace environment – Outsourcing: user support trend is the outsourcing help desk services. Outsourcing can be onshore (same country) or Offshore (other country) Worker Certification – Another IT industry trend is the increasing reliance on certifications. Certifications are now available for more general knowledge, skills, and abilities required of help desk agents 2 49 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 50 Trends in Help Desk Operation (6-9) Telecommuting as a Work Style: – Telecommuting is full or part-time work performed at a home office for an employer. An increasing number of help desk employers permit or encourage telecommuting as a way to attract workers, reduce worker turnover, and decrease office space and operational costs. – Telecommuting provides workers with greater flexibility in work hours and conditions, and it reduces the amount of money employees must spend on transportation, child care, clothing, food, and other employment-related expenses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – Is a technology that makes telecommuting for help desk work more feasible. In VoIP, voice communications are transmitted over the Internet rather than via telephone lines. – As the quality of VoIP has improved, it has allowed help desk workers to maintain communication with end users and work colleagues from a home office 2 50 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 51 Trends in Help Desk Operation (7-9) Industry Best Practices such as ITIL – The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), is one of many evolving frameworks, guidelines, and standards that continue to develop and expand as the help desk industry matures. Adoption of industry best practices contributes to help desk staff productivity and effectiveness. Web-Based Support Portals – One response to the need to reduce user support costs, many organizations are developing support portals that provide a single point of web access for all support services Pressure to Reduce Support Costs – Many of the help desk industry trends in this section are the result of pressures to reduce the cost to provide user support services. Increased use of outsourcing, telecommuting, web-based etc. The challenge for the support industry in the next decade will be to further reduce costs while increasing the quality of services provided 2 51 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 52 Trends in Help Desk Operation (8-9) Reliance on Quantitative Metrics – As more help desk functions become automated, help desk managers need access to high quality reports and statistical information that will alert managers and staff to trends in the volume of problem incidents – Statistical reports help measure ▪ Volume of support incidents ▪ Need for support workers ▪ Categories of support incidents impact staffing needs ▪ User satisfaction with support services ▪ Provide justification for help desk staffing levels – Performance measures ▪ Help managers evaluate workers ▪ Provide input on training needs of support staff 2 52 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 53 Trends in Help Desk Operation (9-9) Computer Security – Despite continuing efforts to develop effective tools to fight viruses, spyware, spam, rootkits, keyloggers, phishing, and other malware attacks on servers and user devices, security threats will never be eliminated. – Help desk practitioners need to keep up to date on trends in security threats and increase their knowledge of tools to manage them Client relationship management (CRM): meet the needs of each client by providing excellent customer service – Help desk services and user support are part of the larger business and government agency challenge to successfully manage the entire spectrum of client relationships 2 53 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 54 1. A(n) _____ is a contract that defines the expected user support services or external vendor services. Answer: service level agreement (SLA) 2. A(n) _____ is a collection of interconnected computers that provide networked storage for cloud computing. Answer: server farm 3. _____ allows you to allocate the resources of a computer so that it uses different partitions to run different operating systems and application software. Answer: Virtualization 2 54 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 55 Chapter Summary (1-3) The steps in the incident management workflow are designed to effectively and efficiently manage the process of handling an incident 2 55 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 56 Chapter Summary (2-3) The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) provides guidelines for support industry best practices A help desk’s physical environment includes the workspace, furniture, computer equipment, and specialized telephone headsets Job stress may occur when the expectations of a position do not match an agent’s personal characteristics Help desk software packages include tools for agents, managers, and end users designed to automate many incident management tasks Other automated tools include computer telephony systems such as automated call distributors (ACDs) and interactive voice response (IVR) Web-based and email support offer cost and efficiency advantages over face-to-face and phone support 2 56 Fall 21-22 10/31/202  10/31/2022 57 Chapter Summary (3-3) Technology trends Help desk workplace trends – Cloud computing – Outsourcing – Virtualization of software – Worker certification platforms – Telecommuting – Wireless technology – Industry best practices – Remote diagnosis – Web-based support portals and voice response technologies – Pressure to reduce support costs – Quantitative metrics – Computer security – Help desk software integration 2 57 Fall 21-22 10/31/202