ICL s 10-point guide to avoiding an IT Day from Hell 1. Be proactive Establish a proactive IT management service that prevents problems from occurring, rather than a reactive service that tackles problems that have already occurred. Look for problematic trends and act on them before they impact on the operation. Treat your employees as customers Develop a responsive help desk service that is professional, courteous and speedy. The result will be an improved working environment and greater efficiency.
Poor service leads to more calls, irate users and more wasted time for both agents and users.
Good training and best practice guidelines can be enforced to establish this environment. Email is often handled badly by helpdesks, leading to more phone calls and slower service. The web can be used to help people find their own solutions and solve problems faster by showing processes in pictures, words and video, not just through verbal explanation. This allows speedy diagnosis, improved management of software licenses and increases availability for users. It can also help personalise the service offered by understanding the exact requirements of each user. 5.