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HELP DESK FRAMEWORK CD-ROM:
HOW TO WIN AND KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS
By Andrew Hiles & Yvonne Gunn

Published by Rothstein Associates Inc.

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The HELP DESK FRAMEWORK CD-ROM contains:
- Help Desk Handbook
- Power Help Desk
- A sample Desktop Support SLA that was a work product of a $25,000 consulting
engagement
- A unique Customer Satisfaction Survey

- AND A BONUS -

- Help Desk PowerPoint Courseware - from a $1,500 seminar!

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“Concise, clear...just what I needed" -- IT Service Manager, Utility, UK

"An important contribution to an increasingly significant aspect of I.T." -- IT Manager, UK

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HELP DESK FRAMEWORK CD CONTENTS

1. POWER HELP DESK: CONTENTS
(These files also appear in the book CREATING A CUSTOMER-FOCUSED HELP DESK:
HOW TO WIN AND KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS)
Appendix A: Bibliography & Contacts
Appendix B: Example Desktop Support Services and Metrics
Appendix C: Example of Desktop Support SLA
Appendix D: Example Job Descriptions
Example Terms of Reference for Customer Account Managers
Example Job Description: Help Desk Analyst
Appendix E: Help Desk Checklist
Appendix F: Features, Functions and Characteristics of Help Desk Software
Appendix G: Example Customer Satisfaction Survey
Appendix H : Staff Skills Assessment Matrix
How to Use
Scoring System
Skills / Experience Assessment
Quality
Customer Management

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2. HELP DESK HANDBOOK
Contents: Section 1 - Text
Managing the Help Desk
The User Requirement
Business Satisfaction Analysis
Benefits of the Help Desk
Help Desk Staff
Tools for Help Desk Staff
Phonetic Alphabet
Call Logging and Progress Chasing
Inhibitors
Service Level Management
Charge Out
Access Control
Where Next? Tasks and Facilities
Marketing
Staffing and Organisation for Growth
Terms of Reference for Marketing and Sales Manager
Terms of Reference for Customer Account Managers
Job Description: Help Desk Analyst
Picking Winners: Personnel Selection
Productivity Through Leadership
Example Service Level Agreement for Desktop Services

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3. *BONUS* HELP DESK COURSEWARE

This 100+-slide Microsoft Powerpoint file is the courseware for an intensive Help Desk
seminar which is normally $1,500!

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4. ILLUSTRATIONS

Tables and charts from the book are conveniently included on the CD so you may adapt
them for your use.

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EXCERPT:

MANAGING THE HELP DESK

THE USER REQUIREMENT

Why do users need a Help Desk? Users have to deliver their contribution to the corporate
plan; they have to meet their own deadlines; they have to live within their budgets; they have
their own staffing constraints and may have as their objective a requirement to add value to
the services they receive from the Computing Service. In addition they have to live within
audit and security constraints. The users therefore are dependent upon effective and rapid
response from the Computing Service to permit them to meet these objectives.

They may need instant first aid in several areas:

. engineering call-out and support in the event of the equipment failure;

. provision of service during the hours they require;

. response to operational queries;

. management of their data and retrieval of corrupted or lost data;

. scheduling of their work;

. analysis and resolution of problems;

. rectification of failure of communications or networks;

. applications of changes to the system.

BUSINESS SATISFACTION ANALYSIS

Many Computing Service Managers assume they have a good relationship with their users
when in fact there may be some serious problems. Perhaps those Computing Service
Managers do not have regular contact with the users or perhaps the users have just given up
trying to get a decent service.

Some Computing Service Managers still do not give a high priority to users' satisfaction while
others expect a certain level of dissatisfaction and as long as this 'noise level' is not too high
they ignore it.

Users may have built up their own informal contact network to get some satisfaction. This
may be user-oriented individuals within the Computing Service; it might be other users from
whom they can get advice; or worse still it might be suppliers. In the worst case the
suppliers may be actively working against the Computing Service in order to sell users
hardware directly and so 'solve' users' dissatisfaction by putting resource directly into their
hands. Even if surveys are carried out the people to whom the survey is directed may be the
manager of those who use the service and the message passed back to the Computing
Service may be highly sanitized or political.

Where Service Level Agreements are in place, the targets may have been met in terms of
overall percentages against achievements. However although the targets may be achieved,
individual problems may have made a major impact on the user and this may not be reflected
in the service level achievement.

A way round these problems could be the Business Satisfaction Analysis.

What it is

A Business Satisfaction Analysis programme may consist of a business analysis to
establish whether or not the Computing Service aims are in line with the aims of the business
and its users. It identifies any areas where this is not so.

A Customer Satisfaction Analysis then assesses the user's perception of how well
Computing Service products and services meet user needs. It measures the procedures,
processes, systems and services of the Computing Service and their interaction with the
users.

In information analysis may then take place to assess how well computer produced
information and computer based procedures support the user - how relevant they are, how
timely they are and what the user perception is of their value.

Finally a Service Level Analysis identifies the service level requirements to align capacity and
resource to the Service requirement.

Benefits

Benefits include:

. a methodology for improving relationships between the Computing Service and the user
and thus better utilisation of computing technology;

. an on-going method of monitoring user satisfaction;

. a catalyst clearly to concentrate the computing service to meet the business
requirements;

. identification of areas in need of attention;

. improvements in efficiency and effectiveness of the Computing Services support of users;

. greater user orientation among Computing Service management;

. increased user satisfaction with the Computing Service;

. emphasis on the value of the products and the services rather than on the mechanics of
their delivery;

. definition of a starting point for the Help Desk in terms of:

- present satisfaction levels
- identification of problem areas
- identification of priorities (triage).

BENEFITS OF THE HELP DESK

Information is required about the benefits that have accrued to the user from his use of the
Help Desk. This may be supported by accounting data on his machine costs.

Benefits, which may accrue, are:

Tangible benefits - improved productivity
cost reduction or avoidance
profit or revenue increase
earlier achievement of benefits
avoidance of lost benefits
headcount avoidance
headcount reduction

Intangible benefits - improved service to customers
ease of change when business changes
increased accuracy
reduced staff turnover
higher staff morale and job satisfaction
better management control
increased availability of information
improved decision-making capabilities.

The inhibitors to growth in end-user productivity may be defined as:

LACK OF USER INTEREST

AND MOTIVATION - lack of support staff
- lack of communication ability of Computing Service staff
- blocks imposed by user management

LACK OF USER SKILL

DEFICIENCIES IN THE
SOFTWARE - protracted learning curves for user
- persuading users to fit the software

LACK OF COMPUTER
CENTER RESOURCES - possible low priority
- possible lack of capacity
- possible lack of formal management procedures

HELP DESK STAFF

The Help Desk staff do not necessarily need to be able to answer every problem themselves.
However they do need to know to whom to refer problems beyond their own expertise. They
also need to progress chase the resolution of such referred problems to a satisfactory
solution. Help Desk staff should be:

. service oriented;

. courteous;

. efficient;

. analytical;

. "do now" - ers;

. accurate;

. consistently reliable;

. results oriented;

. honest - balanced with discretion.

Overall they must have a clear understanding that their role is to support BUSINESS.

TOOLS FOR HELP DESK STAFF

Most Help Desks provide a telephone answering facility or 'hot line'. However, this may be
supplemented by:

. internet / intranet

. Help Desk software tools

. expert systems and case databases

. fax;

. electronic mail

. written requests for help from users;

. personal calls by visitors;

. advice of problems to be resolved from others within the Computing Service

. systems messages

. diagnostic tools

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

ANDREW HILES is a Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute and a Member of the British
Computer Society. Andrew was founder Chairman of the influential European Information
Market (EURIM) group which supports the UK Parliament's All-Party EURIM Group in
handling European legislation. His first book on Service Level Management was published in
1991; his second book in 1993. He contributed to Croner's Guide to IT Purchasing. His
software package, SLA FRAMEWORK™ [also published by Rothstein Associates Inc.], has
been purchased by leading international companies.

Starting his I.T. career with the Royal Air Force in programming and systems, Andrew moved
to London Transport in an operational role. Later, in their Central Productivity Unit and
subsequently as I.T. Projects Manager and as Manager of the Business Process
Re-engineering function, he led several major technical and organizational reviews involving
the reorganisation of key functions of London Transport. From there he moved to the Post
Office as their first Business Systems Consultant with responsibilities for major projects.
Subsequently as Computer Services Manager at Harwell Laboratory he provided
supercomputing, mainframe, midrange and client / server bureau services and operational
support of mainframe and midrange installations that Harwell facility managed. He also had
Customer Support and Quality Assurance responsibilities for the Datacenter.

Andrew is a Director of the Kingswell Partnership of I.T. Consultants - an international
consultancy specializing in delivering service and managing business risk. He has helped
hi-tech, financial, transport and government bodies to develop and enhance Customer Support
and Service Desk functions and has supported both customers and suppliers in Service Level
Agreements, Market Testing, Outsourcing and Facilities Management.

Andrew is a published writer and international speaker on service management. He has
presented at Cranfield, Henley, Ashridge and GEC Management Colleges and at numerous
conferences in Europe, USA, Southern Africa, the Middle East, Hong Kong, the Philippines
and New Zealand and Australia. He has broadcast on IT topics on radio and television.

- - - - - - - - - -

DR. YVONNE GUNN, BSc, MSc, PhD, is a Fellow of the Institute of Statisticians, a Member
of the British Computer Society and a Chartered Physicist.

Yvonne is a Director of the Kingswell Partnership, with more than ten years experience of
supplying consultancy on service management, Help Desks and customer support to a
variety of blue-chip clients. She delivers in-company and public training presentations on
Service Level Agreements and on Help Desk management in the UK, Europe, South Africa
and South America.

Her clients include Cyta (Cyprus), BATELCO (Bahrain), Cyprus Popular Bank (Cyprus),
Columbus Stainless (South Africa), Dell, EDS (South Africa), Caterpillar (Switzerland) and
Unipalm-Pipex.

Yvonne has broad experience as a Computer Services Manager; in providing marketing and
technical support for software sales; and in developing software.

For some 6 years Yvonne was Customer Support Manager for a major Computing Center
which provided services on a wide range of platforms and workstations. Her responsibilities
included Service Level Agreements. Yvonne supported high quality clients including
demanding multi-national oil companies. Subsequently she was responsible for technical
support and marketing of software packages with an international user base.

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SPECIAL OFFER: Purchase HELP DESK FRAMEWORK CD-ROM plus the companion
book CREATING A CUSTOMER-FOCUSED HELP DESK: HOW TO WIN AND KEEP YOUR
CUSTOMERS and save $$$!
Order #SL451PROM

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2000, CD-ROM. Order #DR490
ISBN # 0-9641648-8-4.
Published by Rothstein Associates Inc.
In stock for immediate shipment.
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