External Charges Helpdesk
Since we live in a world
subject to entropy, sooner or later, wear and tear will affect IT equipment,
causing devices like hard-drives to capitulate, backup tapes to wear-out,
keyboards and mice to fail and printers to burn out etc. The environment
that we live in also affects equipment. Changes in temperature, airborne
dust particles, smoke etc, finally take its toll. Also, no one can predict
disaster events, like flooding and/or fire.
Providing help facilities to
users is another cost consideration. The level of internal user-support will
vary, depending on the size of the company and the extent of the support
facility. Smaller organisations may well manage user-support with the
services of an individual or small team, but large enterprise networks will
require a dedicated 2-teir system, called a helpdesk.
Users with problems contact the
helpdesk by telephone and state the nature of their fault to the helpdesk
operative. The operative immediately logs the fault, and other relevant
information into the online database system. Next, the operative attempts to
resolve the problem by using various tools of the trade. Online,
pre-programmed aids, or manuals can be used, which guides the operative
through a series of questions regarding the fault, and providing possible
solutions. Remote control software may also be used. This method allows the
operative to take control of the problematic machine, and to control it as
though it were a local machine. The operative can then attempt to fix the
machine. This software can allow remote connectivity to the next room or
across the world.
Should these measures fail, the
helpdesk assistant logs the fault, and assigns it a priority. The priority
will determine whether or not the fault is logged onto the system for the
next available technician to pick up, or if the technician should be
contacted directly.
In most cases, the above system
will take care of user-support requests, however, problems that lie out with
the capabilities of the help team are then escalated to an external
organisation who will then resolve the problem. |
