User Support Workshop
Preliminary agenda

1. The Customer  

Undergraduates
    Basic requirements - Computer ID, disk space, mail and WWW access
    Special requirements
Postgraduates
    Basic requirements - Computer ID, disk space, mail and WWW access
    Special requirements
Staff
    Requirements - access to applications
    Special requirements
The Single ID and Password problem
    Single ID and password for all services
Services
    E-mail, WWW access, packages

2. The User Support Service

Defining the Service
    Supporting whom
        College Community (Undergrads, Postgrads, Staff)
    Supporting what
        Desktop, hardware, software, network
    Single point of contact
    Service level agreements

3. Support Service Resources

Support staff
    Job design
        phone
        e-mail
        front desk (person to person)
        field (on-site work)
        project work maintaining a balanced set of tasks
    Training
        main competencies
        requirement for specialists
        customer care
    Status of user support staff (within IT departments)
Technology
    Help desk management software
        Interfaces
            GUI
            e-mail (call logging, query call status)
            phone (voice menu) WWW (call logging, query call status)
            other databases e.g. customer (i.e. staff students), equipment
        Operational issues
            call assignment
            call categorisation
            call priorities/ escalation procedures
            call tracking/management customer access to call progress and status (transparency)
        Re-use of problem logs
            good categorisation hierarchy
            work logs
            integrated knowledge base
    Network management software (computers and network components)
    Desktop management software
        (PC/MAC inventories, software delivery, remote access and raising of alerts)
    Use of a Knowledgebase
Supporting services
    Assignment of tasks to other units in the IT department
    Interface to other IT units in the IT department
        (Service partners) (technicians, systems, development, documentation and training)

4. Support service organisation

Implementing the job design
    Scheduling (phone, front desk etc.)
    Project work (?)
Support procedures
    Supporting documentation
    Call escalation procedures
    Procedures re interfacing to other IT department units (e.g. network failures)
    Production of statistics
Towards a “managed” environment
    Software tools e.g. desktop management software

5. Policy development and Service Planning

What determines policy development and service deployment
    Committees/working groups
    User groups
Policy development within the IT department

6. Customer Feedback

Measuring the performance of the service
    Committees/working groups
    User groups
    Survey feedback
Handling complaints

7. Problems of scale

Sufficient knowledge of the IT environment at the user support level
Backup
Forgotten passwords
Damaged floppy disks
How to handle backup

8. User Training

Range of courses
Course levels (introductory, intermediate, advanced)

9. Documentation

Information sheets
Detailed documentation
WWW availability

10. Other Issues