Distributed User Support and the Gemini Observatory HelpDesk

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Distributed User Support and the Gemini
Observatory HelpDesk

• Simon Chan and Phil Puxley
• SPIE
• March 2000

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Overview

• Gemini user support model and rationale for the
  HelpDesk
• Division of responsibilities
• Desirable features of a HelpDesk
• Implementation model
• HelpDesk tiers and structure
• Remedy AR system
• Workflow
• Life cycle of a request
• Knowledgebase
• Metrics and user support performance

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Shared Support

• Operational context
• Gemini Observatory operates two geographically
  separated 8m-telescopes (Hawaii and Chile)
• Gemini partnership includes nine user groups
• 7 partner countries (US, UK, Can., Chile, Aus.,
  Arg., Bra.)
• University of Hawaii
• Gemini staff
• Each partner country has established a National
  Gemini Office (NGO) to support facility
  development and users
• Principal issue recognised was that NGOs would
  not have adequate staffing to cover all areas of
  expertise and Gemini staff could be overwhelmed
  by large volume of queries

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Distributed User Support Responsibilities
Gemini Observatory
National Gemini Offices

• Observation execution and on-site support
• Including Contact Scientists assigned to each
  classical or queue program
• Expert support for user queries
• Distribute to support network as necessary

• Before and after observations
• First point of contact for user queries
• Distribute to support network as necessary

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Challenges for Distributed Support Model

• Open access and fairness to all potential users
  of Gemini
• Efficient and reliable distribution of queries to
  designated responsible staff and of responses to
  users
• Any metric must recognize time zone dependency
• Accountability to funding authorities
• Staff training
• Communications bandwidth
• Implementation and infrastructure maintenance

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HelpDesk Solution to User Support

• Leverage commercial help desk (a.k.a. knowledge
  database) technology.
• Undergoing major investment in software,
  electronic hardware and service industries.
• Evolutionary step forward from static web page
  solutions to problem and knowledge management
• goal is the control and reduction of calls per
  person
• Provides call management...
• the ability to accurately and effectively
  log, track, hold, forward and escalate calls as
  necessary, preventing any call from being lost or
  forgotten
• ...and problem resolution tools
• the timely discovery of an accurate solution
  to a help desk problem

(PHD White Paper)
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Desirable Elements of a Help Desk I

• (NB all are featured in existing commercial
  help desk products)
• User-friendly web GUI
• Easy user access
• Filter and route queries to designated support
  individuals
• Send all GMOS queries to person X in country Y
• Accounting and analysis tools
• Assist management of user support, generate usage
  reports, efficiency metrics etc.
• How many queries about GMOS gratings?
• Feedback for updating static web information

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Desirable Elements of a Help Desk II

• Audit tracking and history
• Track changes to database information identify
  who answered a specific question
• Integrate existing web-based documentation
• Complement to primary information resource
• Intelligent language interface, options include
• Natural language queries
• What is the best GMOS grating for Ha?
• Expert or rule-based systems
• Efficiently moves through stored set of rules
• Fuzzy logic
• Guesstimates a solution when no exact match can
  be found

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Desirable Elements of aHelp Desk III

• Experience-based learning
• Resolved problems stored in the database and
  available to future queriesthe system learns!
• Distributed read and write access to database
• Support staff located at NGOs (and in some
  instances more widely)
• Simultaneous access by multiple users and
  scalable.
• Peak access around telescope application
  deadlines
• Multimedia capabilities
• Use video files, sounds and pictures to make
  complex issues clearer

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User Support Model and the 3-Tier HelpDesk

• User self-support
• Aim for majority of queries to be addressed by
  1 use of static web info or 2 Help Desk
  solutions database (via search engines)
• Those that cant are handled by the 3 HelpDesk
• Tier 1 Front-end support
• NGO staff field requests for information from
  their own community
• Queries that cannot be answered are escalated to
  Tier 2 support
• Tier 2 NGO-designated experts and Gemini staff
• Respond to queries from entire community
• Queries that cannot be answered are escalated to
  Tier 3 support
• Tier 3 Gemini staff

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phone/email
web interface
solution found automatically from existing
database information
no solution found - route to NGO
resolution
request resolved and entered in database
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HelpDesk Structure

• Queries are categorised into three broad subject
  areas
• Instrumentation
• Telescope performance and capabilities
• Proposal and observing process
• Subjects are sub-divided further

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Helpdesk Responsibilities

• Each NGO has assigned support staff personnel to
  each subject sub-category in Tier-1 look-up table
• Includes other staff to be notified
• NGOs with community-wide responsibility and
  Gemini have assigned support staff in Tier-2
  table
• Generally, partners that are providing the
  instrument or facility provide tier-2 support
• Gemini provides tier-2 support for visiting
  instruments, telescope capabilities and observing
  process
• Gemini has assigned support staff in Tier-3 table.

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Remedy AR System

• Remedy Action Request system selected for Gemini
  HelpDesk
• Very robust and flexible toolbox of HelpDesk
  components that is readily customised
• Possesses many of the features of a desirable
  system
• Has a large share of commercial market
• Deployed elsewhere in astronomical community
  (Keck, STScI, ESO) for various functions
• Used for internal Gemini Fault Reporting System

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Implementation of Remedy AR System
remote users support staff (any modern browser)
user interface server
AR system hosted at Gemini North
queries and knowledgebase
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Example support- staff form
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Helpdesk Workflow Design
Tier-1, -2 and -3 escalation

• Requestor logs on to helpdesk (or registers if a
  new user).
• Request is routed to their local NGO using Tier-1
  table.
• Staff member is e-mailed that a request has been
  assigned to them uses web tool to resolve.
• Support staff member can escalate the request
  (using Tier-2 or -3 table) to the responsible
  individual (within an NGO or Gemini).
• Requestor can check status on web and is e-mailed
  on each action or resolution.
• Resolution is copied to previously-assigned staff
  in lower tiers.

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Knowledgebase

• The knowledgebase (a.k.a. solutions database) is
  a self-help database
• Provides a searchable repository of solutions to
  common requests
• 2nd stage in user-support model
• Its purpose is to reduce the number of similar
  requests being submitted to the HelpDesk
• Entries in the knowledgebase are derived from
  existing HelpDesk requests
• Currently a simple free-text search engine is
  used with the knowledgebase
• Search by sub-category or keywords

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Knowledgebase Search Screen
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Help Desk Metrics

• Remedy system time-stamps status changes
  corresponding to key events
• Submission of request, assignment to responsible
  individual, changes to work-in-progress log,
  resolution of the request, closure
• System also records
• User contact details, assigned group, subject
  category etc
• These data provide feedback for static web
  pages
• Update / improve existing primary information

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Example User Support Performance Metrics

• The system data can be analysed in a multitude of
  ways some examples
• Measurement of load and balance
• Number of requests received per NGO
• per subject category, per country of origin etc.
• Number of requests escalated (e.g. to Gemini)
• Measurement of performance
• Number (fraction) of responses and response time
• Measurement of fairness
• Distribution of response times
• by country of origin, by subject category etc.

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Integrated User Support
web user interface
static web info
knowledgebase
HelpDesk
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Integrated User Support
web user interface
static web info
knowledgebase
HelpDesk