Customer Services
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Distributed Support
Historically, technology has been primarily managed and maintained centrally. The trend today is towards placing the support resources required to manage technology on the sites where the help is needed.
In UCD, distributed support has resulted in the implementation of IT Centres, a one-stop shop offering on the ground local IT support including advice on the purchasing of equipment, network connectivity, provision of computer accounts and other IT services designed to suit users' needs
Since August 2005, UCD IT Services have been rolling out this new level of support and have enjoyed substantial success with four IT Centres strategically placed around campus, plus a dedicated support team to specifically address the IT needs of the administrative users within the Tierney building.
The IT Centres.
The University’s campus has been divided into specific support zones assigned to each IT Centre. Each zone was decided based on detailed analysis of call volume and call types on a building by building basis.
The services provided by each IT Centres are:
- Full support for students and IT Services computer laboratories within the supported zone.
- Full support for staff including desk-side visits within the supported zone.
- Face to face enhanced support to drop-in customers through fully trained staff on a variety of IT issues.
All support phone calls are still fielded through our central Helpdesk, but calls are assigned to the IT Centres and appointments for customers are managed locally.
ITCentre Daedalus
Our first and largest IT Centre was opened in April 2005 and primarily catered for students. By September of that year preparations had begun to support both staff and students from this location. Because of its previous status as a student facility, queries here are still primarily student related.
ITCentre Newman
Opened in August 2005, the IT Centre Newman was the first IT Centre to cater for students and staff from the time it opened. It is a small centre catering for up to 12 laptop users.
Its location means it deals with the highest number of staff queries compared to the other IT Centres and caters for most staff desk-side visits (for the size of its zone).
IT Centre Health Sciences
Opened in September 2006, this IT Centre caters for up to 12 laptop users. The supported zone includes 4 main teaching hospitals: Crumlin; Holles Street; Mater and St. Vincents.
IT Centre Newstead
Opened in September 2007, this IT Centre caters for up to 18 laptop users. Its locations means it caters for the IT needs of the west end of the Belfield campus, including CASL.
IT support for the Tierney building
From June 2007 a new dedicated support team was created to specifically address the IT needs of the administrative staff within the Tierney building. It offers the same IT support services provided by the ITCentres, but from a virtual location.