Chapter 2

Organisation and People

HD Location

• Centralised– Single physical location within an organisation

• Decentralised– Multiple support sites located throughout the

organisation

HD Structure

• Pool– Simplest, shared resource, generalised

• Dispatch– Log and pass onto second-level personnel

• Tiered– First-line resolution(80%), ownership, timed resolution

at each level• Specialised Structure

– By product or business• Method Structure

– Organised in manner in which support is provided

Question

Which kind of HD structure offers the best career opportunities for a HD analyst?

Why?

Outsourcing

• Process of using an external company to provide support services for internal employees.

Reasons for Outsourcing

• Lack of resources

• Global issues

• Language differences

• Core competencies

• Advantages– Reduced support costs– Access to latest tools & technologies– Flexible staff size– Highly qualified support staff

• Disadvantages– Lack of familiarity with the business– Lack of quality control

Roles of a HD analyst

• Team member

• Problem-solver

• Communicator

• Marketer

• Researcher

• Expert

• Customer Service representative

Qualities of a HD analyst

• Focus

• Problem solving skills

• Initiative

• Communication skills – written & verbal

• Technical aptitude and skills

• Customer relations skills

Reflect

Do your own skills and personality traits match the requirements for working on a help desk?

Which of the required skills and traits are your strongest and which do you feel you need to develop further?

Careers

• Help desk management– Managing, monitoring, planning of the HD

function

• Network Engineer– Building and maintaining the network

infrastructure

• Quality Assurance/Test Engineer– Responsible for ensuring that the technology

products are error free before going live

Careers

• Software Engineer/Developer– Design, develop and maintain software – VB, C++,

Java …

• Database Administration– Develop, implement, update, test and repair

company’s server databases

• Project Manager– Plan and monitor project executions

• Web Production and Development– Creating, maintaining, revising and optimising web

sites

Question

In your opinion, should companies require helpdesk employees to perform other kinds of work, such as configuring workstations for a network? Why?

Case Study

You are the new head of IT in a medium-sized company with approximately 500 employees that manufactures outdoor clothing. You have facilities in Mayo and Donegal. The company recently invested heavily in new technology for inventory and distribution.

Describe how you would organise the IT support function for the organisation. Give reasons for your suggestion.

Case Study

You are the manager of a HD with a tiered structure. Your job performance ratings for HD analysts are based primarily on the number of calls they handle. The first-level analysts who answer all calls, have 15 minutes to resolve the problem before passing it on to second-level analysts.

The first-level help desk analyst with the highest rating (highest number of calls answered) does not solve as many problems as most of the other first-level analysts.

Questions

• What might explain why this analyst solves fewer problems than others at the same level?

• Would you want this analyst to solve more problems? Explain your answer.

• What steps could you take to encourage the analyst to solve more problems?