Help Desk Operations Chapter 10

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Help Desk OperationsChapter 10

• CENT 315
• Network Administration

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Introduction10.1

• Distributed computing environment
• Desktop processing
• Resource sharing
• LANs and WANs
• Growing Need for end-user assistance
• Ignoring help calls
• Poor returns on investment
• Lost productivity
• Impede response to customers needs

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In-house Help Desk10.1

• Assist new users
• Supporting new services
• Coordinate resolution of computer and
  communication problems
• Orderly flow of tasks and assignments
• Means of tracking problems and solutions

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Help Desk Functions10.2

• Range of possible functions
• Resolving problems on individual basis
• Overseeing entire PC population
• Including inventory and maintenance
• Help desk software is available
• Modular to allow phase in of functions

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Help Desk Software10.2

• Call Management
• Problem logging and prioritization
• Trouble ticket processing and tracking
• Reference Database
• Problem tracking and escalation
• Maintenance history
• Trend Analysis
• Management Reports

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Types of Help Desks10.3

• Most common Network, System, Application support
  for internal corporate users
• Telecom support
• Customer service center
• Quality control facility
• Sales support
• Can be integrated into enterprise system

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Infrastructure Requirements10.5

• Easy to remember phone number
• Phones should include high tech features
• Last number redial
• Call waiting
• Conferencing
• Message waiting
• Mobility
• Integrated Email system
• Call tracking

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Operation10.6

• Incoming call
• Log caller, type of equipment, nature of problem
• Database used for problem and resolution history
• Search can be done by
• keyword or topic
• Expert system - decision tree
• Rules based

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Operation10.6

• When caller calls again, operator can bring up
  profile
• For new problem - database search is done
• If problem cannot be resolved immediately
• trouble ticket is issued
• Problem handed off to higher level of expertise
• Help Desk Personnel should solve 80

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Remote Control Software

• Works for LAN users at Application level
• Most problems are Application Problems
• Screen Echo - view users screen
• Remote Run - take over workstation
• Communicate interactively with select workstations

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Security10.6.2

• Remote control programs can be security hazard
• Invasion of privacy
• Activate only capabilities needed by operator
• Individual user can disable at any time
• Access control by password
• Audio or visual notification of remote operation

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Staffing10.7

• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• People skills are more difficult to acquire than
  technical skills
• Help Desk operator is primary point of contact
• Self-motivated and self directed
• Resourceful

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Staffing10.7

• Careful attention to hiring from the outside
• Many benefits from a strong support team
• Payback on technology investments
• Improved productivity
• Network manager must motivate high performance
  from support team
• High turnover in help desk personal
• Maintain staff continuity

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Staff Responsibilities

• Available during advertised hours
• Answering and recording calls
• Defining and categorizing user problems
• Maintaining problem records
• Guiding end-user problem solving
• Updating problem reference lists
• Closing trouble tickets

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Staff Responsibilities10.8

• Narrowly defined responsibilities
• Known to all managers, and end users
• Help desk tasks are not the same as the
  designated technical help staff

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Not responsibilities of the help desk staff10.8

• Service and maintenance
• Training
• Visits to the end user
• Off the record assistance
• Undermines the job of the help desk staff
• Confusion as to where to get help

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Help Desk ToolsHelp desk challenge - status of
network when user calls in with performance
related problem.

• Help Desk support tools
• Problem logging
• Problem identification
• Problem isolation
• Problem correlation
• Problem resolution
• Problem record closing

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Role of Expert Systems10.10

• Collection of information from expert
• Experts maintain answer base
• Once answer base is complete - non-experts can
  use it to solve problems

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Intelligent Text Retrieval10.10.1

• CDROM storage
• Keyword search
• Can be web based
• Can contain pictures and diagrams

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Case Based Reasoning10.10.2

• Makes use of a collection of previously solved
  problems
• Knowledge base - The cases
• Inference Engine - logic to extract solutions
• Easy to use - hard to build

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Rule Based Expert Systems10.10.3

• Procedural system that analyzes both data and
  relationships
• Rule sets for accomplishing a certain task or
  procedure
• Use inference engine - login software
• Difficult to implement
• Require programming expertise

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Neural Networks10.10.4

• Cognitive processing
• Computer science - fuzzy logic - neuroscience
• Recreate human deductive processing without
  programming
• Pattern recognition and weighted layers

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Delivering support via the Internet10.11

• Web based trouble ticket systems
• Password protected home page
• Customizable incident logging forms
• Internal network support
• Devices now contain ROM based web servers

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Outsourcing the Help Desk10.12

• Services can monitor and control individual
  endpoints
• Local Level Management
• Integrated event monitoring
• Remote access
• Software distribution
• Asset Management

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NMS-Integrated Help Desks10.13

• Integrate help desk and trouble ticket within a
  Network Management System
• If an alarm goes off, a trouble ticket is
  automatically generated
• Recommended actions are detailed on ticket
• Logging of user complaints

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Conclusion10.14

• Help Desk is a critical part of any network
• Reporting and resolving
• Tracking and archiving of incidents
• Trained personnel
• Possible automation