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University of Hartford Builds a Better Help Desk
5/20/2004
The university selected HelpSTAR help desk software to handle these tasks because it was relatively inexpensive, could be deployed quickly, provided the flexibility needed to accommodate UofH’s organizational structure and work processes, and offered an easy-to-understand user interface requiring virtually no training.
The HelpSTAR client software is installed on 20 desktops, including those used by the two help desk dispatchers, eight service technicians, eight systems analysts involved in maintaining the university’s administrative applications, student support staff, and the department supervisor. The server software is deployed on an HP NetServer PIII 8000 using a Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) database. (HelpSTAR is also available as a Web-based client and in Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL editions.)
Handling Service Requests
When end users phone the help desk to report a problem, dispatchers log the request in the HelpSTAR system and assign any request requiring technician intervention to the appropriate support rep based on his or her skill set – a vast improvement over the serendipitous "I’ll take this call" approach of the past.Dispatchers also assign a priority level to ensure that requests are handled according to need, and place each request in one of 176 UofH-defined problem categories for reporting purposes, simply by selecting from drop-down menus.
End users also have the option to email their requests to its@hartford.edu (the software can automatically convert the email to a trouble ticket) and soon will have the additional option of submitting service requests and checking job status through a Web interface that is included with the HelpSTAR software. All three options are designed to free help desk staff from unproductive activities by reducing phone call volumes.
Each support rep can consult his or her personal "My Workspace" screen to quickly determine what jobs are on his or her plate, overdue, or in need of follow-up. Reps are given the option of receiving alarms when new service requests are placed in their queue or under other circumstances to ensure timely responses to specific developments.
The software also expedites problem resolution by enabling the help desk to build a database of common problems and their solutions for ready reference. In UofH’s case, the "Best Solutions" database currently includes entries for issues such as how to create an out-of-office response for emails, how to apply a mail-merge to envelopes, what to do when a battery on an IBM laptop is not charging, and the 11-step process required to enable Mac users to interface with the university’s administrative systems.
These and other features significantly reduce the time it takes to resolve requesters’ problems. UofH dispatchers estimate they have referred end users to the instructions pertaining to creating an email out-of-office response at least 50 times in the past year, for example, eliminating the need to reconstruct the explanation every time the question arises.
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