Managing & Improving a HelpDesk

Objectives Prerequisites Who should attend Course Outline Hands-on Sessions

MA-1.0

What you will learn...

If you are supporting a high volume Help Desk and are not properly organised, chances are that stress is on the daily menu. Stress for not only the support staff but for the users. You may think it's time to become more effective and more efficiently utilise sparse resources. This two-day course will resolve common Help Desk questions relating to:

  • Maximising the efficiency
  • Providing superior service
  • Hire and train a first-rate team
  • Track equipment problems and user history
  • Use Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure customer satisfaction

Prerequisites

To gain the most from this course you should already have a background in a support role. You will need to have a working knowledge of user environments and a basic knowledge of computer operations.

Who should attend

Anyone who is already involved with a support function. You will probably have a title such as: PC Co-ordinator, Support or Systems Analyst, Operations Manager, Help Desk Manager, Consultant, EDP Team Leader, Technical Services Manager or Network Manager.

Course Outline

Re-engineering Help Desks for today's support needs

  • Understanding the Help Desk structure, the needs and benefits for your company
  • How to justify the need and the cost
  • Who pays for the Help Desk service
  • What are the pitfalls if you have to sell the concept
  • How should you go about winning support for the idea

Establishing or re-organising a Help Desk

  • Perceiving the IT industry's corporate role and distinguishing the strategic impact of planned development
  • The Help Desk's critical role
  • Understanding the basic five organised Help Desk structures: dedicated, hierarchical, integrated, point of contact, multiple
  • Structures that work
  • Creating an environment where you are appreciated by your users/clients
  • Restructuring your Help Desk for efficiency and quality customer service
  • Staffing for various structures
  • Defining, implementing and managing Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Help Desk and human resources

  • Agreeing to a level of support
  • Staffing the Help Desk
  • Training the Help Desk staff
  • Setting the operating hours of the Help Desk and comprehending critical periods
  • Coping with stress and burnout and reducing employee turnover
  • Identifying staff needs and career paths
  • Classifying Help Desk responsibilities

Outfitting the Help Desk

  • Investing in the right equipment and staff
  • Identifying and filtering client information for their environment
  • Setting up and maintaining a library of clients' reference materials
  • Creating a documentation register of clients' machines and past problems
  • Consideration of levels of spare parts and diagnostic software packages
  • The Help Desk support equipment
  • Type of telephone system needed
  • Why a dedicated fax and photocopier are important
  • Support tools to reduce wasted effort
  • Expert systems and the Help Desk
  • Maximising Help Desk reliability

Problem reporting

  • Central logging and problem reporting
  • Using your client database to create an information checklist
  • Clarifying, prioritising and allocating the problem
  • Resolving problem ownership
  • Monitoring the escalation of problems
  • Trend analysis for reporting
  • Maintaining positive user satisfaction
  • Using models for problem solving
  • Working to reduce customer downtime

Mainframe vs PC Help Desk issues

  • Identifying the difference
  • A single centralised system
  • Controlling software releases
  • Software and hardware upgrade/change control
  • Network and PC issues

Internal vs external Help Desk issues

  • Differences between in-house/external services
  • Accommodating the differences

Client (user) environment

  • Reviewing diverse user biographies in detail and dealing with each of them
  • Environment sensitivities
  • Significance of downtime for the client
  • Creating user manuals
  • User accountability
  • Surveys of user satisfaction

Local Help Desk software review - demonstration

  • Locating suppliers
  • Resource management software
  • Help Desk evaluations and problem solving models
  • Developing Help Desk specifications

Maintaining positive Help Desk user relations

  • Developing the Help Desk as a product
  • Using formal and informal feedback
  • Managing a user group
  • Maintain a Help Desk newsletter
  • Maintaining management support
  • Recommending new products and services
  • Help Desk telephone number selection
  • Promoting the Help Desk

Interactive Sessions

You will work through case studies using the “Needs Analysis Guide” as reinforcement.

The purpose of a Help Desk

You will learn how to identify users' needs and define Help Desk objectives while keeping within a budget.

Human resources management

While using a practical guideline you will help to recruit, reward, motivate and develop suitable Help Desk staff.

Improving productivity

Learn what employing the latest technology, hardware and software, can do to improve the Help Desk's productivity.

Promoting your Help Desk

You will develop a program promoting your Help Desk concept.

Handling problems with confidence

This session will have you identifying practical methods of reporting, resolving and managing problems.

Help Desk facilities in practice

Complete a case study in setting up a Help Desk facility in a real world situation. Explore the different approaches available.

Archiving and accessing information

Learn how to keep records and data on clients' software and hardware and maintain information on experience, procedures and setups.

The future of support

You will learn about the future directions in service and support. Find out what leading-edge services are offered and available today.