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Date:         Mon, 14 Dec 1992 06:59:00 EST
From:         Edward Delaney - A legend in his own mind
              <EDWARDD@YIN.EARLHAM.EDU>
Subject:      The Help Desk Article

Dear Ed,

Thank you for your nice comments about my article on help desks.  I hope that
what we have learned from our experience will be helpful to you in your
planning.

The article is being sent to you in this message, and you can send it on to
the CUMREC-L list, as long as the notice about copyright is included at the
beginning.  I am also including a small addendum about the features of the
Clientele call-tracking system, which was mentioned in the article, since I
have had several requests for more information on it.  We have only begun to
become familiar with it, but I thought it would be good to include some of the
reasons why we chose it.  Please feel free to contact me if you have questions
on any of this information as you proceed with your own implementation of a
help desk.
                                        Sincerely,
                                        Bev Bisenius
                                        bisenius@kenyon.edu

****************************************************************************
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*****************************************************************************

Proposal:  30-minute presentation
Topic Area:  Strategies for Small Schools

        IMPLEMENTING A HELP DESK AT A SMALL LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE

Bev Bisenius                            Kenyon College
User Services Specialist                1,450 undergraduates
ICS-Information & Computing Services    130 faculty
Kenyon                                  250 staff
Gambier, OH  43050
614-427-5696                            ICS supports academic and
BISENIUS@KENYON.EDU                     administrative computing
                                        STAFF:  21 FTE


                                ABSTRACT

     In the past five years Kenyon College has taken a giant leap into
the computer age.  Its computing facilities have been transformed from a
small VAX system, with little more than 100 users, to a complete campus
network of 2400 users with access from hundreds of terminals and
microcomputers located throughout the campus.

     Because of this rapid expansion in equipment and services,  we at
Information & Computing Services (ICS) established a help desk in August
of 1991 to handle the increasing number of requests for services.  Our
help desk is primarily a phone-based facility, where anyone on campus
may call one phone number for help with computing problems or requests.
If the help desk person cannot handle the problem, it is then referred
to an appropriate member of the ICS staff.

     Because our financial resources for a help desk were very limited,
we were required to consider every aspect of planning from a strict
cost-benefit standpoint.  What resulted was a  low-budget "home-grown"
facility with a highly effective operation.

     We began planning a help desk facility in early 1991 with its
implementation scheduled for the beginning of the coming academic year
in August.  We gathered information on other help desk operations and
used it in drafting our own set of guidelines.  These guidelines
included:  objectives, budgeting,  support, physical setup, equipment
and software needs, staffing and training, marketing,  operating
procedures, credibility, call tracking, phone management, and
evaluation.   We began to realize, as the help desk developed, that this
in-depth planning phase was crucial to its ultimate success.

     This session will cover our approach to those above-mentioned
aspects of planning and how we modified that approach during our first
year of operation.  It will hopefully offer a practical model for other
small colleges who may be considering a help desk but have limited
resources to begin.


MISSION AND GOALS
     The very first step in implementing any service such as a help desk
is to articulate its mission and the goals by which it intends to
accomplish that mission.  The help desk (we called it the ICS HelpLine)
was established to support our academic and administrative customers in
using Kenyon's computing resources more efficiently.   It would also
serve an educational role by helping those customers to better
understand their computing environment, while at the same time  helping
them solve their computer problems.
 To accomplish this, we set the following goals for ourselves:

     1.   Respond to customer requests for help in an organized manner
          by developing a referral system to route those  requests to
          the most appropriate ICS staff member.

     2.   Develop a call-tracking system to monitor our help desk
          activities so that we could troubleshoot computing problems
          more effectively, target areas in training and documentation
          needing improvement, and evaluate our performance.

     3.   Develop an awareness of the help desk's role as educator as
          well as problem-solver when consulting with our customers.

BUDGETING

     With those goals in mind, the next step was to figure out how we
could fund the new help desk facility.  We had the support of our
department head, but money  was very limited.  We knew that we would
have to weigh each expense very carefully, and so decided to begin as
simply and  inexpensively as possible.  We felt we needed the following:

1.   A large desktop  area with space enough to hold the equipment for
     running a help desk.  The equipment and software would be
     duplicates of the most common setups on campus so that computing
     problems could be more easily diagnosed.  For our setup, this
     included the following equipment: a DEC terminal; a DOS
     microcomputer with hard drive equipped with software packages that
     we supported (both systems to be  connected to the campus network);
     an attached Epson dot-matrix printer; and an accessible  system-
     queued HP laser printer.

2.   A call-tracking system for recording call information on  computer
     problems.  A commercial package would have cost about $1,500.00, so
     we decided to create our own with database software we already
     owned.

3.   Documentation for software and hardware supported by the help desk.
     Much of it was collected from other offices of the department; some
     had to be purchased.

4.   A separate phone line to the  help desk.  We purchased an answering
     machine to handle phone calls after hours or when the help desk
     analyst was unavailable.  We also purchased a headset and long
     phone cord for ease of phone use at the help desk.


5.   Initial training expenses.  We spent $800.00 for a two-day seminar
     on Setting Up and Managing a Help Desk (sponsored by Help Desk
     Institute).  It was expensive, but it helped us benefit from the
     hard-won experience of other help desks,  so we felt it was money
     well spent.  Funds were also set aside for training seminars in
     interpersonal and problem-solving skills for the help desk analyst
     to be hired (about $500.00).

6.   Salary expenses for the help desk analyst.  We were not able to
     obtain College approval to create a new position for a help desk
     analyst, since there was a freeze on new positions.  We eventually
     worked around this problem by upgrading one of our department
     positions, as explained in a later section.

SUPPORT

     Regarding the issue of support, we had to decide on answers to the
following questions:  What do we support?  Who in ICS will provide that
support, and how?  When do we provide that support?   Once we decided on
these answers, we had to communicate them to our customers so that they
would understand what they could expect from us.

*    WHAT do we support?  We made a list of all the hardware and
     software products and services we would support.  This support list
     included services, such as:  software installations and upgrades;
     hardware installations, maintenance, and repairs; training in the
     use of software and hardware; advice on hardware and software
     purchases, etc.

*    WHO will provide that support?  All ICS staff members were expected
     to provide support in their own areas of expertise when calls were
     referred to them by the help desk.  Cooperation from all the staff
     was not automatic; it had to be forced by our department head in
     some instances; there were  inevitable conflicts with the help desk
     over responsibilities for support.

*    WHEN do we provide support?  We had to clearly establish the help
     desk's hours of operation.  We began by providing service during
     regular office hours.  We later extended those hours to 10:00 p.m.
     when we hired a night operator who became proficient in handling
     students' computing problems and took over the help desk phone
     after office hours.  The answering machine handled calls when no
     one was available.

PHYSICAL SETUP

     Where should the help desk be located?  At first we set it up in an
open office reception area, making it  easily available to walk-in
traffic.  But we soon learned that was a big mistake.  It should have
been more remote,  since the help desk analyst had to be protected from
potential distractions in order to focus attention on callers' problems.
We really had no other space to move it to, so we  changed the
arrangement of the desk area so that it was sheltered from walk-ins.
Walk-ins were instead re-directed to student computing assistants in the
nearby terminal room.   They could phone the help desk  from the
computing assistant's desk phone if they needed further assistance.
That way the analyst could handle all requests by phone in an orderly
manner.

     There had to be space near the help desk for reference materials.
We centralized all the  documentation for our supported hardware and
software to make it easily accessible to the help desk staff analyst on
duty.  Included were vendor manuals, locally written documentation,
subscriptions, etc.  An important reference resource was the file of
miscellaneous articles, tips and hints on various computer-related
topics that we had collected over time.  This information was organized
under the same computer topics that we used in our call-tracking system,
which made it easy to find when helping a caller.

STAFFING

     Since we couldn't get approval for  a new position for the help
desk, we had to become very creative.  We upgraded the duties of our
secretary/operator position (whose duties already included answering
simple computing questions) to those required for running a help desk.
We couldn't offer an increase in salary immediately,  but we planned to
begin an appeal to Senior Staff for a  reclassification of the position
from clerical to administrative status (with an appropriate salary
increase).  We were sure that we would be successful, as the value of
the help desk to the campus became evident during the first year of
operation.  I was  assigned to work closely with the new analyst in a
mentor relationship to teach her the technical skills required for the
help desk.

     We found that, even though a strong technical background is
desirable in an analyst, it is not the most important thing to look for.
The analyst must be a "people" person first, since those qualities are
much more difficult to teach than technical knowledge.   In fact,
interpersonal skills are the key  to the successful operation of a help
desk.

     Analysts must have an empathetic, patient, and courteous manner,
who understand the customer's point of view. Their purpose is to make
sure that problems are resolved to the customer's satisfaction.  They
must be able to deal well with the great variety of personalities
contacting the help desk, since some can be very difficult.  They must
also be able to handle stress well, since running a help desk is always
challenging and unpredictable,  and is very frustrating at times.  The
analyst must also be a team-oriented person, since so much of the job
involves close cooperation with other staff members to resolve problems.

     Analysts must be good problem-solvers, since much of
troubleshooting is logical and analytical.   They must have to be  able
to learn new things quickly, since hardware and software products are
constantly changing.   Good speaking and writing skills are also very
important, since much of the job involves  translating technical
knowledge into non-technical language for the customer.

     In our preliminary research on help desks, we learned that one of
the biggest problems in a help desk operation is burnout and high
turnover of personnel.  We needed to plan for frequent and regular
stress relief for the analyst.  The nature of the job involves a great
deal of pressure--trying to solve difficult problems "on stage,"
handling irate and often panicky customers, constantly redirecting
attention from one caller's problem to another with little opportunity
for uninterrupted thought.  At the end of a busy day one can become
completely "frazzled" from having to "switch gears" so often.

     Scheduling regular time  away from the phone each day is absolutely
necessary in maintaining the sanity of the help desk staff.  Varied
tasks, such as writing documentation, making house calls to perform
routine equipment maintenance, scheduling time to learn about new
hardware and software products, etc., can help to relieve the pressure
of the relentless phone.

     Ideally, even a small help desk should have two persons, each
handling the phone for half the day and doing other user support tasks
the other half.  We learned this the hard way.  Since we were struggling
to get even ONE person to operate the help desk, it was difficult to
plan time for her to be away from the phone.  After some time, we
realized we had to schedule regular "off-the-phone time"  or we would
lose her.  If it is not possible to hire two half-time analysts, then
limiting help desk hours each day in order to give the person a break
from the phone to do other things for a couple of hours is the only
solution.

TRAINING

     When hired, the analyst should have some preliminary workshops in
customer service/communications skills.  Some good seminars available in
this area are:

     Developing Good Customer Service Skills
     Successful Problem-solving Techniques  (Help Desk Inst.-HDI)
     Communicating Effectively with Help Desk Customers (HDI)
     In Search of Excellence  (Career Track)
     Dealing With Difficult People

     When  there is money available, there are several seminars
available for general training in managing the help desk:

     How to Manage and Improve Help Desk Operations (HDI)
     Call Management for the Help Desk (HDI)

MARKETING THE IDEA TO THE ICS STAFF

     The idea of the  help desk had to be marketed to the rest of the
ICS staff before we could get it off the ground.  We first had to
convince our department head of the value of a formal help desk facility
before we could expect to obtain the cooperation of the rest of the ICS
staff.   Before we could even get consent to start a formal help desk,
we kept track of the volume of "computer-problem" calls being received
on the office phone by the ICS secretary/operator.  It was averaging
over twenty calls per day, so the time involved in answering them was
considerable.  Then we had to show him how a help desk facility could
make our responses to those calls for help more efficient.  Once the
help desk was started, we published monthly reports to the ICS staff,
summarizing the volume and kinds of calls the help desk had received,
with descriptions of how the most common problems were solved.

     Once we had support from our department head, I attended a two-day
seminar on setting up and managing a help desk.  Afterwards I shared
what I had learned in a workshop presented to all interested ICS staff
members.   We discussed at length the idea of the help desk, its
operating procedures, and its impact on ICS, as well as the community.
Since ICS staff members would have to work so closely together on the
problems addressed to the help desk, we all needed to understand and
support its philosophy and operation.

     As the help desk's operation evolved during our first year, so did
the ICS staff's expectations for it; and differing expectations among
the staff caused conflict.  To prevent misunderstandings, we learned
about the need for continuous dialogue among ourselves about how the
help desk was evolving.
MARKETING THE HELP DESK TO THE CUSTOMER
     Once we made the plans for setting up the help desk, we had to let
our customers know  about its services.  There were a variety of ways
that we chose to market the help desk to the users.  They included the
following:

*    Articles were sent to campus publications.  Initially, we sent out
     an article describing the help desk, its services and operating
     procedures.  Other articles  discussed some of the most interesting
     common  problems encountered by the help desk.

*    An on-line  bulletin board was set up  where users could read about
     common computer problems and how they were solved.

*    The analyst attended user group meetings to get acquainted face-to-
     face with the participants.  At these meetings our customers had a
     chance to ask questions and offer feedback about the help desk.

*    We designed a  brochure listing the services of the help desk for
     all campus users.  This brochure contained the following
     information: phone number, hours of operation, a list of supported
     products and services, and phone procedures for callers.



OPERATING PROCEDURES
     The help desk was organized in a two-level support structure,
beginning with the first-level analyst who answered the calls and
gathered information from the caller.  The analyst resolved the problem
if knowledgeable about the topic, or referred it to an appropriate
"specialist" at the second level. Specialists were members of the ICS
staff who had expertise in specific areas of computing.  When a call was
referred, the analyst could "conference" the call in order to learn more
about the problem concerned.  If the specialists were unable to resolve
the problem, they would contact the appropriate hardware or software
vendor for help.

     Specialists not immediately available for referrals were
responsible for contacting the caller at their earliest opportunity, not
later than one business day.  When the problem was resolved, the
specialist had to contact the help desk analyst about how it was
resolved.  The analyst was to follow up  with the caller in a few days
to check that the request was handled to the caller's satisfaction.
This layered system of support obviously required a great deal of
cooperation, but it enabled us to handle more requests with greater
efficiency.

     The key to this support system  was the referral sheet.  It was
simply a list of all the specific areas of computing supported by the
help desk, with the corresponding names of ICS staff members
knowledgeable in each area.  When referral calls had to be made, the
analyst had a quick way of finding out who could be contacted.  In this
way, all members of the ICS staff shared in the user support load.  It
was up to the discretion of the analyst to determine the need for
referral and to distribute those calls as evenly as possible so that no
one received an excessive number of them.

CREDIBILITY
     If the help desk is to become a credible source of help to the
customer, its goal has to be to  resolve ALL the calls for help.  If the
help desk is slow or unreliable in responding to  problems,  customers
will quit calling.  When calls must be referred, the specialist's
response time has an big influence on the help desk's credibility.  An
urgent problem demands an prompt response, and the help desk analyst
must be persistent in following through until a problem is resolved.
Sometimes this means "bugging" the specialist until it is resolved, and
this can cause conflict among the staff.  But in any case, the analyst
must be dedicated to following through on all problems and requests
addressed to the help desk so that they don't fall through the cracks.

CALL TRACKING

     When we first established the help desk,  we chose not to spend
funds for a commercial call-tracking system,  and we instead devised one
of our own with the resources available.  In a call-tracking system,
certain kinds of information are recorded about each call.  We found the
most important information included:  caller's name and department;
phone number and location; hardware/software involved in problem;
description of the problem; description of the solution;
category/subcategory of problem; time of call; name of referral person;
and status of problem.  Commercial tracking packages are much more
sophisticated, but a simple database of call information will yield the
essential data needed to run a successful help desk operation.

     For the call-tracking system, we compiled a list of all the
computing topics under which we could organize the many kinds of
problems and requests we might encounter at the help desk.  By sorting
and analyzing these categories of problems, we were better able to see
patterns of recurring problems and solve them.

     After the first year of operation, when we received new budget
allocations, we purchased a commercial call-tracking system (Clientele),
which offered more options and easier methods for analyzing and
reporting the information obtained.  At this point, we are still in the
process of learning to use this system.

PHONE MANAGEMENT

     When we first started up the help desk, we had to educate callers
to use the new help desk phone number instead of the departmental office
for their computer problems.  It was important to keep reminding all ICS
staff members to direct problem calls to the help desk first so that the
analyst could log the call information into our call-tracking system.
Also, by taking calls first, the help desk would also buffer the rest of
the ICS staff from needless interruptions to answer questions that the
analyst could handle.

     Even with a separate phone line for incoming calls, our phone
system was and continues to be a weak link in the operation of the help
desk.  The phone was not set up to handle overflow calls when the one
help desk line was busy, and customers became discouraged when they
couldn't get through.  The problem has still not been solved.

     After experiencing several system crashes, with the inevitable
crush of calls to the HelpLine, we established a "crash" procedure to be
used to notify secretaries in all campus departments about the system
crash.  We established a channel of communication by which staff/faculty
computer users were instructed to contact the secretary of the
department, rather than the HelpLine, if they encountered a
disconnection or major problem with the system.  That helped to relieve
the phone line congestion at the help desk during emergencies.

EVALUATION

     There are many methods for evaluating the performance of the help
desk; using several approaches  can give us a more accurate picture of how
we were doing.  One way to get feedback is to send out a customer survey
about  twice a year to all users.  More informal are random calls to
customers to ask their opinions on specific aspects of the help desk.
We also established a HELPLINE account to which anyone could send
suggestions or complaints about the help desk.  An opportune time  to get
customer feedback is when following up with callers after a referral
call.  Attending user group meetings helps us tune in to what is
happening on campus.  Not to be overlooked is feedback from our own
staff on ways to improve the help desk, since they are often recipients
of complaints or suggestions on improving our services.

CONCLUSION


     The help desk's central position in the campus computing community
can be compared to the potbelly stove in the general store of an
earlier era.  The potbelly stove was the central meeting place of the
community, where news and information were passed back and forth.  Our
help desk functions in a similar way.  It distributes information to the
user community and gets  feedback on how we're doing.  It feels the
pulse of the computing environment and learns about what is working
well, what is not;  and by doing so, it helps us in planning strategies
that will help us better serve our computing customers.

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        NOTES ABOUT CLIENTELE CALL_TRACKING SOFTWARE

Below is a list of the some of the nice features of  Clientele:

        1.  It is micro-based rather than mainframe. If installed on a PC
            network, it can be accessed by several staff members at a time.
            We wanted something that would run in the event the main system
            had problems.

        2.  It has an "Answerbook" database where you can enter answers to
            common questions, and that database can be accessed by users.

        3.  It enables you to call up previous call information for the current
            caller, giving you a background of the caller's contacts with the
            help desk.

        4.  The cost is comparatively inexpensive: $1,500 for a single copy,
            relatively inexpensive, and the phone support people are very
            helpful.

        5.  There are many ways to sort the call information and generate
            reports that are very useful in analyzing problems.

You can also request a demo program and try it out for yourself.  The address
and phone number are below:

        AnswerSet Corp.
        21771 Stevens Creek Blvd.
        Cupertino, CA  95014
        408-996-8683
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Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU