Helpdesk case study

A Malaysian company with a large IT function is setting up helpdesk to handle

hardware and software problems concerning its IT systems and its customers.
Whenever anyone within the company or outside the of the company (customer)
has a problem they can contact the helpdesk. One of the helpdesk operators will
deal with the enquiry him or herself if possible, but if an immediate answer cannot
be given the problem is passed on to one of a number of specialists.

A computer system is needed to log and track the helpdesk quires. This will enable
analysts to see how the equipment is performing overall, whether the helpdesk
specialists are sufficiently resourced to solve problems in an acceptable time, and
whether there are subjects’ areas where training should be given to employees.

Proposed system

When a new call comes into the helpdesk the names of the caller and helpdesk
operator are logged with the time of call, the serial number of the computer and, if
relevant, the operating system and software being used. The caller’s name will be
checked against the register of all personal to retrieve the caller’s ID number, job
title and department. The equipment will also be checked against a register of
equipment type and make. The software will be checked to see if it is licensed
software.

Each problem is given a problem number and this is supplied to the caller so it can
be quoted on any subsequent calls about the same problem. Occasionally a call will
be concerned with more than one problem, in which case a different problem
number is given for each problem is reported. Every call is logged even if it relates
to a problem already reported. The caller’s name is also logged as subsequent calls
may not come from the same person. The helpdesk operator will also record notes
and description of the problem. A reason for each call is always recorded even if it
is, in the case of a follow up call, just a note to say how desperate the caller is
getting.

When a problem is first reported the helpdesk operator will also allocate a problem
type, selecting it from a list of problem types. It is the skill of the operator to know
what problem type is most relevant and how specific the problem is. Some
problem types are refinements of more general problem types. For example a
problem type could be recorded as printing, printer software or printer queue
cancellation on how much information was possible to extract from the caller. It is
a possible that a problem type allocation may be altered at a later time if more
information becomes available.

When a problem area is identified the helpdesk operator can look up previous
problems of the same type to see if the problem has occurred before and if so how
was it resolved. It is also possible to look up previous problems with same
equipment or from the same caller to see if there were other related problem can be
resolved.

If the problem cannot be solved immediately the helpdesk operator will use the
system to look up which specialist to refer the problem to. Each specialist will be
an expert in or more problem types and specialists for each problem type are listed.
If there is no specialist listed for more specific problem type then a specialist from
the more general problem type will be used. For example, if there is no specialist
listed for “word processor tables” then a specialist for “word processing” will be
used. The system will also list how many problems the specialist who is currently
the least loaded can be allocated.
When a problem is eventually resolved, the helpdesk operator or the specialist will
log the date and time it is resolved and record some indication of how the problem
was resolved. This can be either the problem number of an earlier problem
resolved in the same way, a reference to a standard problem solution (i.e. “software
corrupted reloaded from the CD ROM”) or some notes on how this particular
solution was implemented.