| Aim of Module | To provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to support users in an ICT environment. |
| Credits | 7 |
| Student Learning hours | 70 |
| Prescription Expiry Date | Nov 2007 |
| Topics | Highest Skill Level | Suggested Assessment Percentage | |
| 1 Processes and Procedures | C | 10 | |
| 2 Customer Service Skills | A | 20 | |
| 3 Tools & Technologies | A | 15 | |
| 4 Roles & Responsibilities | A | 15 | |
| 5 Implementing a Help Desk | P | 40 | |
| 100 | |||
| LEARNING OUTCOMES The Student Will | ||
| C | 1 | Describe help desk processes and procedures |
| A | 2 | Practice customer service skills |
| A | 3 | Demonstrate the application of help desk tools and technologies |
| A | 4 | Assume the roles and responsibilities associated with staffing a help desk |
| P | 5 | Implement and manage a range of help desk activities |
| 1 | Processes and Procedures |
| > | Help desk processes and procedures may be described using the following terms: | |
| >“World Class” help desk | ||
| >Customer support | ||
| >Customer service | ||
| >Technical support | ||
| >Call tracking systems | ||
| >Single point of contact | ||
| >Service Level Agreements (SLAs) | ||
| >Outsourcing | ||
| >Skills Based Routing (SBR) | ||
| >Tools & technologies | ||
| >Key skills required | ||
| >Roles and responsibilities – customer and management | ||
| >Any other terms relevant to current practice | ||
| 2 | Customer Service Skills |
| > | Soft skills | |
| > | Perceptions of service | |
| > | Monitoring customer satisfaction | |
| > | Internal and external customers | |
| > | Dealing with customers in terms of: | |
| -Complaints | ||
| -Expectations | ||
| -Giving feedback and Information | ||
| -Options | ||
| > | Self-management skills | |
| > | Service contracts | |
| > | Policies and procedures | |
| 3 | Tools & Technologies |
| > | Staff a help desk (where manageable) | |
| > | The way in which technology can be applied to benefit the help desk will be explained | |
| > | Primary help desk technologies will be described in terms of: | |
| >Telephone technologies, which may include: | ||
| -Voice mail | ||
| -Fax | ||
| -Fax-on-demand | ||
| -Announcement systems | ||
| -Automatic call distributor | ||
| -Voice response unit | ||
| -Computer telephony integration | ||
| -Recording systems | ||
| > | ||
| > | The Internet and the World Wide Web | |
| > | Call Tracking systems | |
| > | Search retrieval techniques and storage methods | |
| 4 | Roles & Responsibilities |
| > | The use of techniques for identifying, proposing and implementing solutions for problems may include: | |
| > | Questioning | |
| > | Active listening and echoing back | |
| > | Providing assistance in the form of | |
| -A quick reference guide | ||
| -A training manual | ||
| -Specific training | ||
| -Any combination thereof | ||
| > | Establishing priorities | |
| > | -Staffing a help desk | |
| > | -Providing first level maintenance | |
| > | -Identifying and allocating resources | |
| > | Managing stress in a help desk environment | |
| > | Record keeping | |
| > | Performance measurement | |
| 5 | Implementing a Help Desk |
| > | Scheduling (maintenance routines) using appropriate electronic media | |
| > | Keep records (in the form of logs, diaries, and reports) using electronic office tools | |
| > | Process fault reports, prioritise, identify possible solutions and resolve or delegate | |
| > | Other optional activities as noted below | |
| Note | ||
| NOTES TO TUTORS | ||
| > | The type and level of the problem envisaged is in the order of: | |
| -Hardware | "The printer won't work" | |
| "The computer won't start" | ||
| -Software | "I can't get my spreadsheet to sort properly" | |
| -Simple Problem Solving | "I've got student information duplicated three times over" | |
| "How do I organise the hard disk which is arriving tomorrow?" | ||
| > | This is the opportunity to practice the skills, and utilise the knowledge, taught elsewhere. | |
| > | In recognition of the fact that it may not be possible to have students staff a help desk the following range of optional activities may be employed: | |
| -Visiting an industry site help desk where students are required to interview help desk personnel and to record their observations | ||
| -Visiting schools; e.g. a primary school (by prior arrangement) to provide one-on-one help with timetabled ICT activities | ||
| -Assisting with the “National Netday Project” | ||
| -Providing training to other students, either one-on-one or small groups | ||
| -Providing first level maintenance of institute/IT department computer labs (with the agreement and co-operation of Information Technology Services (ITS) | ||
| -Any other associated help desk activities deemed suitable | ||
| LEARNING RESOURCES | ||
| Suggested textbooks: | ||
| > | Knapp, D. (1999) A Guide to Help Desk Concepts, Course Technology: International Thomson Publishing | |
| > | Bruton, N. (1997) How to Manage the IT Helpdesk, ComputerWeekly Professional Series: Butterworth-Heinemann. | |
| > | Czegel, B. (1998) Running an Effective Help Desk: Wiley Computer Publishing. | |
| > | Czegel, B. (1999) Help Desk Practitioner’s Handbook: Wiley Computer Publishing. | |