The profusion of help desks has been a problem at Freightliner, especially in the Level 2 support area, the group that handles the more difficult problems escalated from Level 1. We're pulling all these functions together with new dedicated management and new hires where they make sense. Hassell anticipates that consolidation will allow his desk to collect data on user problems and achieve a new consistency in reporting and categorizing of problems. At some point we could take the knowledge base system and move it to our dealerships so that their first call for help can be to themselves. If they can't find their own answer in the knowledge base, the software will automatically escalate and transfer the inquiry to our help desk.
Centralization is often a first step toward a consolidated help desk.
At Autodesk Inc., a San Rafael, Calif., vendor of computer-aided design and manufacturing software, Thomas Barthold brought together personnel from about 10 IS service groups and created an enterprisewide help desk called the Assistance Center, which now provides Level 1 support to 21 company IS groups. That reorganization was just a start but a good one. This centralization ensured that users would no longer have to endure a mad shuffle to find the person who could address their particular problem. It also ensures a more sensible and specialized division of labor. And Autodesk is no longer paying high salaries for skilled network administrators just to change a password or set up a new employee's account.