HDI Desktop Support Technician Participant Handbook

HDI®

Desktop Support Technician release 2.2.0

PARTICIPANT HANDBOOK

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HDI Desktop Support Technician Certification Training

v.2.2.U.S.Stud.

Participant HandbookSample

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AcknowledgementsMany thanks to the following people and companies for their time and assistance in the release of the HDI Desktop Support Technician (HDI-DST) courseware:

Ingrid Bradford, Training Development Manager, HDI

Rick Joslin, Executive Director of Certi�cation and Training, HDI

Fancy Mills, Co-Founder, Results Focused Training

Simone Moore, Certi�ed Instructor, Help Desk Association Australasia

Mike Rabinowitz, Certi�ed Instructor, HDI

Paul Dooley, President, Optimal Connections, LLC

Robert Last, Content Manager, HDI

Ric Mims, President, Support Center Global Technologies, Inc.

Mia Melanson, Principal, Performance Consulting

Copyright © 2012 UBM, LLC All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN: 978-1-57125-052-0

HDI 121 S. Tejon Street • Suite 1100 Colorado Springs, CO • 80903 • US US and Canada: (800) 248-5667 www.�inkHDI.com

HDI assumes no liability for error or omission.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of HDI, with the exception of trade publications reporting on the data. In such cases, credit must be given to HDI.

HDI is a registered trademark of UBM, LLC. HDI is a part of UBM TechWeb, a division of UBM, LLC.

Portions of this document include information based on the ITIL and IT Infrastructure Library publications of the UK O�ce of Government Commerce. ITIL is a registered community trademark of the O�ce of Government Commerce, and is registered in the US Patent and Trademark O�ce.

Portions of this document include information based on the Knowledge-Centered Support publications of the Consortium for Service Innovation. KCS is a registered service mark of the Consortium for Service Innovation.

All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.

Copyright © 2013 ITpreneurs. All rights reserved.

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Welcome to HDI®.Thank you for selecting HDI for your professional development needs. By participating in this course, you will learn knowledge and skills based on the IT service and technical support industry’s best practices, frameworks, and methodologies with the guidance of industry experts and practitioners from the HDI community. HDI is the world’s largest membership association for IT service and technical support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry. This course has also been designed to assist you in preparing for the related HDI certification exam.

Why is industry certification important? It demonstrates that you—and your staff—are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to provide best-in-class support. Achieving HDI certification speaks to your personal commitment to excellence and your desire for continual growth. I challenge you to get HDI Certified and to promote yourself as a certified support professional.

HDI’s membership association is built by industry professionals like you. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for support center emerging trends and best practices. HDI offers a vast repository of resources to our members. Through our online community, you can connect with your peers and industry experts, access publications and information to help you with your support center processes and goals. If you are not a member, I personally invite you to join our community.

If you have suggestions on how to improve our offerings, or if you would like to become an active member in our community, please call us at 1-800-248-5667.

Best of luck in your journey to support excellence!

Regards,

Rick Joslin, HDI Executive Director of Certification and Training

WELCOME Letter

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TABLE Contentsof

IIntroduction

Section 1: Getting Started .....................................................2 Section 2: Maximizing Your Learning Experience ................4 Section 3: About HDI ...........................................................6

Unit 1: Support Center Overview

......................................2 Section 2: Role of Desktop Support Technician ....................8 Section 3: Support Center’s Role in the Business ................. 18 Unit Summary .....................................................................22

Unit 2: Strategic Framework

Section 1: Strategic Perspective ...............................................2 Section 2: Service Level Agreements (SLAs) ..........................6 Section 3: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) .............. 11 Section 4: Business Alignment .............................................12 Unit Summary ..................................................................... 14

Unit 3: Service Delivery Methods and Technology

Section 1: Service Desk Infrastructure ...................................2 Section 2: Service Delivery Methods .....................................4 Section 3: Telephony Systems .............................................. 10 Section 4: Service Management Systems ............................. 14 Unit Summary ..................................................................... 16

Unit 4: Support Center Processes and Operations

Section 1: IT Service Management (ITSM) ..........................2 Section 2: ITIL Service Support ............................................6 Section 3: Additional Processes ...........................................13 Section 4: Security Management ......................................... 16 Section 5: Knowledge Management .................................... 18 Section 6: Quality Assurance (QA) .....................................24 Unit Summary .....................................................................32

Unit 5: Customer Management Skills

Section 1: Total Contact Ownership ......................................2 Section 2: Procedures for Call Handling ...............................5 Section 3: Procedures for Onsite Visits ................................ 15 Unit Summary .....................................................................22

Unit 6: Communication Skills

................................2 Section 2: Cultural Sensitivity .............................................12 Section 3: Vocal Elements .................................................... 14 Section 4: Active Listening .................................................. 18 Section 5: Body Language ...................................................20 Section 6: Incident Documentation .....................................22 Section 7: Writing Skills ......................................................30 Unit Summary .....................................................................34

Unit 7: Problem-solving and Troubleshooting Skills

...............2 Section 2: Questioning Skills ................................................6 Section 3: Solve Incidents ..................................................... 10 Section 4: Additional Customer Service Skills ..................... 15 Section 5: Root Cause Analysis ........................................... 19 Unit Summary .....................................................................28

Unit 8: Maximizing E�ectiveness

Section 1: Your Customer’s Psychological Needs ...................2 Section 2: Emotional Intelligence ..........................................4

.............................................. 10 Section 4: Di�cult Customer Behaviors .............................. 17 Section 5: Stress Management .............................................22 Section 6: Power of a Service Attitude .................................25 Section 7: Managing Your Use of Time ...............................27 Unit Summary .....................................................................33

Appendices

Appendix A: HDI-DST Certi�cation Standard ................ A-2 Appendix B: Exam Preparation ......................................A-112 Appendix C: Practice Test ..............................................A-114 Appendix D: Glossary of Terms .................................... A-125 Appendix E: Bibliography .............................................. A-137

Release Notes

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Contents

Section 1: Getting Started ................................................................................ 2 Section 2: Maximizing Your Learning Experience ............................................ 5 Section 3: About HDI ...................................................................................... 8

INTROduction

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H D I D e s k t o p S u p p o r t T e c h n i c i a n ( H D I - D S T )

C o p y r i g h t © 2 0 1 3 H D I , V e r s i o n 2 . 2

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INTROduction

Section 1: Getting Started

Course ObjectivesWelcome to the HDI Desktop Support Technician (HDI-DST) certification course. In this two-day course, you will learn to:

• Assess customer business needs and exceed customer expectations

• Improve critical thinking skills to resolve incidents quickly and consistently

• Satisfy customers by using, problem-solving skills, active listening skills, and effective communication strategies

• Identify and defuse challenging customer behavior

• Create win-win interactions with customers, management, and team members

• Develop an awareness of the core processes and best practices used in service and support

• Explain your service delivery responsibilities within the ITIL process framework


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I n t r o d u c t i o n


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IntroductionsBe prepared to share the following information about yourself with the class:

• Name and company

• Brief description of your current position

Your expectations from this course

Course MaterialsYou are responsible for reading all of the materials you receive as part of this course. The course materials include:

• Participant Workbook—This course manual is yours to write in or highlight as needed for future reference.

• Activities—Discussions and activities are part of the course to reinforce learning objectives and concepts.

• Slide Presentation—Instructors may present slides that are not in this manual. Taking notes is strongly encouraged.

Site LogisticsTake a moment to note a few important details about the training facility, including the locations of restrooms, reception areas, telephone and data ports, and eating places. Your instructor will explain the basic logistical details of the course, including:

• Instructor’s name and contact information

• Daily start, finish, and break times

• “Parking Lot” for questions and ideas

• Facility restrictions on food and drink in the training room

• Confidentiality of information in classroom discussions

Online Student ResourcesAdditional resources are available for download. To access the online student resources, login to http://www.thinkhdi.com/students and type in the password lavender.


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INTROduction

Course AgendaThis course has been designed to cover material from general to specific. The following represents a typical agenda for the course. The instructor may modify the agenda to suit the individual needs of the class.

Day One

• Unit 1: Support Center Overview

• Unit 2: Strategic Framework

• Unit 3: Support Delivery Methods and Technology (homework assignment)

• Unit 4: Support Center Processes and Operations

• Unit 5: Call Handing Procedures

Day Two

• Unit 6: Communication Skills

• Unit 7: Problem Solving and Troubleshooting Skills

• Unit 8: Maximizing Effectiveness


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Section 2: Maximizing Your Learning ExperienceThis course alone does not prepare you for the certification exam—you must also study the HDI Desktop Support Technician (HDI-DST) Standard document. The certification exam for this course is based on the HDI-DST Standard. In this course, your instructor will highlight and cover the majority of the topics in the standard and the key concepts that are critical to your job, as well as provide you with a safe learning environment to practice important concepts and ask questions.

As you prepare for the certification exam, review the information you learned in this class and, most importantly, review and study the HDI-DST Standard. In Appendix A of this coursebook is the HDI Desktop Support Technician Standard. The last column in the standard provides the page number where the competency is discussed within the unit. If a page number is not listed next to the competency, then it is not discussed in the course. You are responsible for reviewing and learning all of the competencies in the standard in order to prepare for the certification exam. If you have a question about a competency not covered in this course, please see your instructor during a break or send your instructor a message.


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INTROduction

Your ResponsibilityYou will optimize your time here by applying yourself to, and being responsible for, mastering concepts presented in this course. Please be prepared to:

• Attend all classes

• Participate fully

• Take risks

• Take notes

• Ask questions

• Share your experiences

• Enjoy yourself

Note: As a courtesy to others, please set pagers, cell phones, and other electronic devices to silent/manner mode. Time will be provided at breaks to allow you to check for messages.

Learning ActivitiesThis course is designed to build skills as well as assist in preparing you to take the HDI-DST certification exam. Lectures, discussions, activities, and role-plays are designed to be an essential part of this course. It is critical that you understand and are able to apply the topics and concepts presented in this course. These activities make the course fun and will help you get the most out of your learning experience.


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HomeworkTo facilitate class discussion and help you prepare to take the certification exam, we encourage you to complete the homework assignment. After today’s session, review Unit 3, “Support Delivery Methods and Technologies.” This unit will not be covered in-depth in this course; however, this unit discusses topics and concepts that are part of the HDI Desktop Support Technician Standard. Your instructor will briefly review this material in class at the beginning of Day 2.

Course EvaluationAt the end of this course, all participants are asked to complete a brief course evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine strengths and identify areas for improvement. Your candid comments and feedback are greatly appreciated. Please return your evaluation to the instructor at the end of the course.


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INTROduction

Section 3: About HDIHDI is the leading professional association and certification body for technical service and support professionals. Facilitating collaboration and networking, HDI hosts industry conferences and events, produces comprehensive publications and research, and connects solution providers with practitioners, while certifying and training thousands of professionals each year. HDI serves a community of over 110,000 members, followers, customers, solution providers, and contributors throughout the service industry, supporting sixty local chapters across North America. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the community’s premiere resource for best practices and emerging trends.

HDI Certification ProgramsHDI awards certifications to individuals and support centers. HDI certification programs include objectives and criteria for various levels of individual certification and site certification. HDI individual certification exams are based on open international standards developed and maintained by the HDI International Certification Standards Committee, which is made up support industry practitioners, experts and active members of the HDI community from across the world. Our training programs are developed to reinforce the information in the standard and to provide skills building for a variety of experience levels.


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HDI Customer Service Representative (HDI-CSR)

This course is recommended for front-line staff in the support center environment who are dedicated to providing outstanding levels of customer service and support. Course participants will be introduced to valuable information and everyday solutions for addressing the attitudes, behaviors, and relationships between customers and the support team. This one-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Customer Service Representative certification exam.

HDI Support Center Analyst (HDI-SCA)

This course focuses on support center processes, tools, and problem-solving techniques, while examining the skills needed for excellent customer support. Using real-world scenarios, analysts learn skills to manage the relationships between customers and their support team, thus improving individual performance and the overall efficiency of the entire support organization. This two-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Support Center Analyst certification exam.

HDI Desktop Support Technician (HDI-DST)

This course is designed specifically for IT professionals who provide support at the customer’s work location or home office. It focuses on support processes that improve overall support operations and the customer’s experience. This two-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Desktop Support Technician certification exam.

HDI Support Center Team Lead (HDI-SCTL)

This course is designed specifically for support center analysts, team leads, and supervisors that require fundamental management and leadership skills due to current or future increased responsibilities. This skills-building and certification course focuses on best practices for support center operations and how to effectively coach and lead a team. This two-day course will prepare current and future team leads for excellence in their changing roles and assist them in preparing for the HDI Support Center Team Lead certification examination.

HDI Support Center Manager (HDI-SCM)

This course is designed for help desk and support center supervisors, team leads, and managers who are responsible for day-to-day operations and have three to five years of experience. Successful support center managers must effectively manage relationships throughout their organization, while marketing the value of the support operation to the executive team. Knowing how to build and deliver on service level agreements, managing the strategic and tactical aspects of the support center, and building and retaining great teams are what set apart the best managers and leaders. In addition to skills building, this three-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Support Center Manager certification exam.


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INTROduction

HDI Desktop Support Manager (HDI-DSM)

This course is designed for desktop support supervisors, team leads, and managers who are responsible for day-to-day desktop support and services and have three to five years of experience. Successful desktop support managers must effectively manage relationships throughout their organization. Knowing how to build and deliver on service level agreements and operational level agreements, managing the strategic and tactical aspects of desktop support, and building and retaining great teams are what set apart the best managers and leaders. In addition to skills building, this three-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Desktop Support Manager certification exam.

HDI Support Center Director (HDI-SCD)

This course is designed for experienced support center managers, directors, and other management positions directly responsible for providing strategic leadership for the support organization. This course is designed to show support center leadership how to use their knowledge and communication skills to align their department with organizational goals; operate under constraints such as budget, resources, and increased expectations; and discover techniques to help market the value of the support center to upper management. This three-day course will assist participants in preparing for the HDI Support Center Director certification exam.


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HDI Knowledge Management Foundations: KCS Principles

This course is designed for IT support professionals who are responsible for service improvements. Course participants will learn a set of practical steps for capturing, storing, and successfully reusing mission-critical knowledge that will shift your support center from a call-centric model to a knowledge-oriented one. This three-day course will assist participants in preparing for the Knowledge Centered Support Principles certification exam.

HDI Support Center Certification

The HDI Support Center Certification program provides the only globally recognized certification created specifically for support centers. The certification is an award that recognizes a support center’s commitment to excellence, efficiency, and service quality. The certification is based on the HDI Support Center Standard, an industry standard developed by an international standards committee comprised of more than 25 practitioners and experts from around the world. The standard was designed to conform to existing international quality standards, such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). It provides a framework for successful leadership, strategic planning, people management, resource and technology optimization, and service delivery that is designed to produce performance and satisfaction results. The standard is organized into eight categories representing five enablers and three results. Each category contains activities with four levels of maturity. In order to qualify as an HDI-Certified Support Center, a center must successfully complete the audit requirements and achieve minimum maturity-level scores in each category and overall as defined by the HDI International Certification Standards Committee.

For a complete list of certification objectives for each certification course, please visit us at www.ThinkHDI.com.


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INTROduction

HDI Membership Provides Unmatched ValueHDI membership brings you a value of belonging to a community bigger than yourself. Including discounts on the HDI Annual Conference & Expo, special events, training and certification, access to industry reports and publications, networking opportunities, online discussion forums, webinars, and more, HDI membership provides you and your organization with innumerable benefits and incredible value.

Here’s just a small sampling of what’s included in an HDI membership:

Local Chapter Membership

Network with professionals in your area when you participate in local chapter meetings and events. There are more than sixty local chapters located throughout the United States and Canada.

SupportWorld Magazine

HDI’s award-winning, service and support industry-leading magazine focuses on the latest strategies, best practices, people management, technologies, tools, and techniques in its six annual issues.

HDI Industry Insider eNewsletter

Distributed bi-weekly to more than 45,000 subscribers, every issue of HDI Industry Insider contains crucial information on trends and developments, as well as tips and information to keep you up to speed in this ever-changing industry.


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Support Center Practices & Salary Survey Report

This essential report for any support manager contains comprehensive research data gathered from support organizations around the world. Providing a first-hand insight on the industry, department structure, personnel, service request profiles, practices, and tools, it takes an in-depth look at compensation levels for the support profession and provides analysis and trending over several years, making it an especially invaluable tool for managers preparing budgets and forecasts.

Desktop Support Practices & Salary Survey Report

HDI is pleased to announce that in addition to our traditional Support Center Practices & Salary Survey, we’ve expanded our research efforts to focus on the desktop support community. The HDI Desktop Support Practices & Salary Report provides insight into current processes, technologies, metrics, staffing models, and salaries within desktop support.

HDI Support Center Self-Evaluation

The HDI Support Center Self-Evaluation is an online tool that enables you to compare your support center against the HDI Support Center Standard and learn what your rating might be during an HDI Support Center Certification audit. This tool is available free to HDI members with a gold membership or higher.

White Papers

Read about the latest practices and processes in the industry or become an integral part of the white paper library and share your knowledge through articles, templates, case studies, presentations, and research findings. The HDI white paper library offers information on a wide variety of topics, including SLAs, global support, processes, surveys, and more.

HDIConnect

HDIConnect.com is your direct line to the HDI community. Read and comment on blogs from industry experts and your peers, post questions to the message boards, and get feedback on your current projects or challenges.

Please Note: Membership deliverables vary depending on membership package.

We invite you to join the world’s largest network of technical service and support professionals. To join, call 1.800.248.5667 or visit www.ThinkHDI.com/Join


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INTROduction

HDI is a Member of the IT Certification Council (ITCC)As a member of the IT Certification Council (ITCC), HDI is committed to enhancing the value of certifications for employers, professionals, and IT certification providers. The ITCC, a consortium of industry leaders focused on IT certifications, has recognized the need for a qualified workforce to support the world’s technology needs and is committed to growing professional certifications. The ITCC is a resource for employers, government officials, academia, and individuals seeking information about the many benefits of IT certification. The council establishes industry best practices, markets the value of certification and exam security, and addresses other certification issues.

A partial list of ITCC members includes Certiport, Cisco, Citrix Systems, Inc., EXIN International, HDI, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Kaplan, Linux Professional Institute (LPI), Microsoft, Novell, Prometric, and Pearson VUE—all of whom are recognized industry leaders in IT certifications.

ITCC is developing an international standard for testing ethics and a means for employers to verify that professionals hold the IT certifications they claim on their resumes and transcripts. HDI is proud to be a member of ITCC, collectively we enhance the IT industry.


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Unit 1: Support Center OverviewLearning ObjectivesBy the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Discuss the evolution of the support center

• Explain the roles and responsibilities of the support center

• Explain your role and value to the business

• Discuss the three elements of a best-in-class organization: business image, business impact, and company culture

Unit Agenda Section 1: The Evolution of Support ................................................................. 2

Section 2: The Role of the Desktop Support Technician ................................... 8

Section 3: The Support Center’s Role in the Business ......................................18

Unit Summary ............................................................................................... 22

UNITOne


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UNITOne

Section 1: The Evolution of SupportIt is important to understand the evolution of support in order to appreciate the impact of advancing technologies and levels of service on customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and performance results. Understanding the past enables people to develop better strategies for facing the future.

The Evolution of the Support CenterThe support center has evolved from a message desk supporting batch processing to a single point of contact for the customer—supporting transaction processing, applications, and solutions. These transformations have dramatically changed the role of the support center and the skills required by a support center’s staff. What began as the message center for programmers, systems operators, and administrators has evolved into key, value-added services for IT and the organization.

Past

The first computers were mainframes designed specifically for business applications. Business users had little access to the system, rather they relied on data entry clerks to run reports so they could analyze business conditions and financial results. When a user needed a report, they contacted the computer programmers or operators, who had to interrupt their normal operations to run the job. The programmers’ primary role was to write software and ensure that the mainframe did not go down.


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U n i t 1 : S u p p o r t C e n t e r O v e r v i e w


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Help desks started in the mid-1980’s as a reactive “back office” operation, with the introduction of desktop computing, for inexperienced employees needing technical assistance. The help desk developed as an afterthought, designed to assist internal customers with issues about the tools they were using day-to-day. These support centers were staffed with entry-level staff who could resolve technical issues over the phone or be dispatched to the customer’s desk to resolve issues.

As time went by and technology developed a pivotal role in the operation and growth of business, management started to recognize the value of the help desk as a vital resource and the support center took on a more proactive role. In the late 1990’s, the model for a support center changed significantly. The support center evolved into a single point of contact (SPOC) model, a problem-solving resource positioned at the center of all IT-related activity.

Present

In today’s support center, paper-based systems have been replaced with automation, resulting in significant changes in the support center environment. Support has grown from a transaction-based service with little input from customers to a proactive, integrated, and highly valued company asset. Users are seen as customers, and new and advanced telephony and service management systems have resulted in advances in customer service and the establishment of standardized processes and procedures.

Today’s support centers are critical to the health and performance of an organization, and are increasingly seen as: the core of an organization’s technical proficiency; the barometer for the organization’s attitude towards customers, employees, and partners; and the hub for communication throughout the organization. The support center is a functional unit with specialized resources and capabilities.

Today, the role of the support center in the organization is to:

• Serve as the single-point-of-contact (SPOC) for end users and the business

• Deal with all incidents and service requests

• Execute the Incident Management and Request Fulfillment processes (which will be discussed later in this course)

• Communicate with users in terms of providing information, advice, and guidance


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UNITOneThe support center must clearly communicate its role and responsibilities to the customer, as well as understand and provide for the technical support needs of its customers. Customer satisfaction is a key performance indicator (KPI) for the support center today. Key performance indicators are clearly defined goals and objectives that are well documented, easily measurable, and are critical to the success of the support center. From these goals and objectives, the support center can clearly communicate its purpose and role to its customers.

The value of the support center to the organization is realized in:

• Improved customer service satisfaction

• Increased accessibility through a single operational point of contact

• Improved teamwork and communication

• A proactive approach to service provisioning

• Reduced negative impact on the business through Incident, Request, and Access Management processes

• Improved usage of IT support resources and increased productivity of business personnel


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Future

The role of the support center continues to evolve in most organizations. The scope of support center services will continue to increase as new programs, intended to contain costs and improve customer satisfaction, are implemented. To meet these new challenges, support centers will need to reinvent themselves—implement new tools such as self-service and self-healing technologies, and enable business success through skilled people and streamlined processes.

Future support centers will have an expanded scope of services and be expected to provide a truly proactive approach that is both customer and business-centric. Metrics will be redefined with more focus on customer satisfaction, customer retention, and the revenue/profitability per customer and support center professional.

The evolving support center model will capitalize on valuable customer interactions with a central database (i.e., knowledge base) to share information throughout the enterprise. Thus the support team will effectively leverage information for the benefit of the entire organization—improving loyalty, profitability, and productivity.


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UNITOne

The Evolution of Desktop SupportIn the past, desktop support emerged as a reactive environment, accepting calls from the help desk and/or the users directly, and then dispatched out to a location to troubleshoot a problem where little technology at the user location was available. As time went on, paper-based systems were replaced with service management systems; and as hardware reliability improved the need for reactive desktop support diminished.

Presently, desktop support manages a higher percentage of incidents related to software issues and an expanded breadth of technology is supported, such as laptops and mobile devices. The support center is the single point of contact (SPOC) taking ownership of incidents and when necessary escalating issues to desktop support.

Desktop support, like its sibling, the support center, was an afterthought until a customer experienced a problem or had a need. However, unlike its relative the support center, desktop support has lacked both strategic and tactical advice, practice, and research about desktop support management and desktop support practices. It may be that the desktop support function is so intertwined with the operations of the support center that the practices used in its execution have not been clearly identified. Today, the desktop support organizational structure runs the gamut from being part of the support center to being a totally separate entity with little, if any, coordination between the two functions.

In the future, as technology and support evolve, a shift from reactive to proactive support takes place and with that the function of desktop support will need to change. Desktop support of the future involves full integration with the support center. This proposed structure will likely spur considerable debate and some discomfort as structural and role responsibilities will need to shift in many organizations.


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Additionally, as support evolves, desktop support has to be managed by a full-time supervisor or manager, depending on its size and complexity, so that this individual can assist in integrating the work of the desktop support technicians, the causes of their tickets, and the results of their audits into the support center’s work. Desktop support will see continued growth in devices supported and software incidents will be reduced as self-healing technologies grow. Both the support center manager and the desktop support manager will report up to the same support director. This approach is a natural extension of the single point of contact (SPOC), both teams being under the same umbrella becoming more customer and business-centric.

Activity: RoundtAble discussionWhat is the current state of your desktop support organization?

What challenges do you face?

What can you do to foster an improved relationship between desktop support and the support center?


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UNITOne

Section 2: The Role of the Desktop Support TechnicianAs we delve into discussions in this course about desktop support services and practices, let us define... What is desktop support? Desktop support can be defined as the activities involved in providing face-to-face, onsite support for desktop PCs, peripherals, and other related equipment, as well as assisting users, on location, with their software and hardware questions and problems. A goal of desktop support is to return an employee to productivity as quickly and efficiently as possible when a deskside visit is required to resolve an incident or fulfill a service request.

As a desktop support technician (DST), it is crucial for you to understand your value in the support center. If the front line support center analyst is the voice of the support center, then you are the face of the support center. Together, both support groups work as a team to provide front line service and support while representing the entire organization. For this reason, it is important that you offer the highest quality customer care with every contact. Desktop support provides value to the organization by:

• Improved customer satisfaction with IT services

• Serving as the face of IT support center to most users

• Improved teamwork and communication

• Proactive approach to service provisioning

• Reduced negative impact on the business through Incident, Request, and Access Management processes

• Improved usage of IT support resources and increased productivity of business personnel


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1-9

The role of desktop support is to:• Serve as an escalation point from the service desk for incidents and service requests

• Execute or facilitate the Incident Management and Request Fulfillment processes

• Communicate with users in terms of providing information, advice, and guidance

You are a valuable resource for the customer, as well as an important interface for various departments within the organization. You bring definite value to the organization and to customers in the roles that you play.

An Expert—A person with a high degree of knowledge, skill, or experience in a particular field. Whether you have been a support professional for two months or two years, in the eyes of the customer, you are the expert. As such, use your knowledge and expertise to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently, providing them with a sense of comfort and security.

An Expeditor—A person who executes quickly and effectively. While you may be knowledgeable and have expertise in an area, it is of little use if you cannot execute. The business impact and the urgency of the customer’s issue are critical factors for setting the priority of an incident. You must expedite resolutions as quickly and efficiently as possible. The end result is an accurate solution, minimal frustration, and a strengthened relationship with the customer.

A Customer Champion—A person who actively promotes the image and services of the support center, and supports the needs of the customers. As a customer champion, you are an advocate for the customer, and should have a genuine interest in and concern for them. The way in which you resolve incidents and how you make the customer feel is just as important as the service you provide.


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1-10

UNITOne

Activity: QuAlities of An it seRvice And suppoRt pRofessionAl

To excel in your role, you must first understand the role of the support center in the organization and then work to master the necessary skills. In an HDI Practices Survey, managers were asked to identify the top ten essential qualities of an IT service and support professional. What do you consider to be the top ten most important qualities?

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1-11

LeadershipLeadership is the ability to influence group members to help achieve the goals of the group. An important quality of a desktop support technician is the ability to lead by example. In doing this, you become a catalyst for change. An effective leader:

• Leads by example

• Motivates others

• Encourages participation, creative thinking, and initiative

• Demonstrates a positive attitude

• Demonstrates active listening skills

• Displays ethical behavior

EthicsLeaders know that they must set examples of honesty, consistency, and commitment in their endeavors and relationships. An ethical support center environment is characterized by support professionals who:

• Provide consistent service to all customers

• Demonstrate honesty and integrity in their actions

• Take ownership and hold themselves personally accountable for their actions

• Fulfill commitments

• Protect and enhance the image of the service center

• Are loyal to their team

IntegrityIntegrity in the workplace means taking ownership and being accountable for what happens, especially when mistakes occur. The integrity of the support center as a whole is built on the personal integrity of its individual team members. Personal integrity means that if you provide a customer with an incorrect solution, fail to follow through with a request, or mistreat a customer, you will hold yourself to be personally accountable. Personal accountability includes:

• Taking ownership of incidents and/or service requests

• Admitting to errors

• Adhering to a work schedule

• Knowing your responsibilities and fulfilling them

• Meeting personal commitments

• Adhering to organization policies and procedures concerning dress and performance of duty

• Representing the organization positively outside the regular work environment


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1-12

UNITOne

Adhere to PolicyPolicies define what is or is not permitted within an organization. A policy establishes expectations and limitations related to behavior. Organizational policies:

• Provide clear definitions of boundaries within which to work

• Define what is acceptable and unacceptable employee behavior

• Provide guidelines for dealing with inappropriate behavior

• Set customer expectations

Adhering to organizational policies is important because it:

• Encourages consistent behavior throughout the support center

• Provides a framework for the delivery of consistent service to customers

• Protects the organization against legal liabilities

• Helps protect organization and customer proprietary information and other assets


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1-13

Team PlayerA team is defined as two or more people working together toward a common goal. In order for a team to be successful, everyone has to work together. As a desktop support technician and team player, it is important to take responsibility for your share of the team contributions.

The characteristics of a team are to:

• Work together to complete a task

• Assist one another

• Share ideas

• Listen actively to each other

• Support one another

• Respect the abilities of all team members

• Behave courteously towards all team members

• Participate and contribute equally

There are a number of responsibilities for team members in a team environment. It is up to you to take the initiative for participating in team discussions and activities in order to share ideas and knowledge, be open and receptive to the ideas of other team members, and be punctual—arrive promptly for meetings and for work. Additionally, each team member is responsible for being respectful, and taking personal accountability for one’s actions and performing one’s responsibilities.

Characteristics of a Successful Team

When individuals are working together, there are certain characteristics that, if present, will allow teams to succeed. Successful teams:

• Have clear goals, objectives, and expectations

• Achieve their goals in a coordinated and effective manner

• Encourage trust among team members

• Are willing to help and defend each other

• Receive leadership and support from management

• Share knowledge and ideas among team members

• Communicate effectively within and outside of the team

• Create, update and follow processes to ensure quality

• Encourage participation in decision making

• Provide for the recognition of individual and team performance

• Are well regarded within the organization


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1-14

UNITOne

Benefits of Teamwork

Working together as a successful team reaps several benefits. The benefits of teamwork include:

• Synergy—the results of combined efforts will be greater than the equal amount of individual effort

• Increased motivation and job satisfaction

• A team that is flexible and adaptive to change, thus providing high quality service

• A team with collective knowledge, collaboration, and resourcefulness

• Team members that are more committed due to a sense of ownership in decisions

• Enhanced communication

discuss:

• What problem most interferes with the teamwork of the desktop support team?

• How can you improve the teamwork of the desktop support team?

• How can you improve the teamwork of the desktop support team with other internal support groups?


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1-15

Know Your CustomersAre your customers internal, external, or both? You may have some customers that you see every day and others with whom you maintain telephone or e-mail contact only. Some may be one-time customers and others may contact you multiple times. Knowing who and where your customers are enables you to provide them with the most appropriate type and level of service. Keep in mind, regardless of who your customers are, all customers typically expect:

• Respect from you

• Acknowledgement of their time and, perhaps, their monetary investment

• A knowledgeable support professional

• Progress on achieving results for resolving an incident

It’s important that we define the terms “customer” and “user” and how these terms are used throughout this course. According to the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)1:

• The user is “hands on the keyboard”—the employee who uses the IT services to support their routine activities.

• The customer is the one who “pays the bills”—the person who is authorized to conclude an agreement with the IT organization about the provisions of IT services (i.e., service level agreement), and who is responsible for ensuring that the services are paid for.

However, throughout this course, HDI uses the general term customer. When the term customer is used in the HDI standard or throughout the course, we are referring to end-users of a customer organization that are using IT services. Businesses use the term customer to refer to people using their products or services. Support center services are evolving and becoming more business-centric; therefore:

• Customer satisfaction is our number one goal (not user satisfaction)

• Using the term customer makes an internal IT service desk realize that whoever uses their services is truly a customer

• Using the term customer helps us to become more customer-centric

1 Foundations of IT Service Management Based on ITIL, pg. 27


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1-16

UNITOneThe support center is the central repository of information for incidents that affect customer experiences. On a daily basis, you also receive valuable information from various groups. This information increases your value to the customer, as it enables you to assess business impact, prevent service disruptions for customers, be more proactive, make useful recommendations, and keep customers informed and updated. You must know and understand the different audiences you will encounter. Some of these various groups may include:

• Support Analysts—You are part of the support center team. As a team player, take the initiative for participating in team discussions and activities in order to share ideas and knowledge. Ensure that customer incidents and requests are documented and communicated to team members prior to escalating an incident. This promotes communication amongst team members and helps to build a collective knowledge base.

• Internal Support Partners—IT organizations, product development groups, and support partners need real-time feedback on incidents. If information is provided proactively, the support center can preempt future calls by providing the appropriate information to resolve issues.

• Vendors—The support center may also interact with other external organizations, such as vendors. The support center can only deliver on its commitments in the service level agreements if and when the vendor consistently delivers on its commitments as stated in the underpinning contracts, an agreement with an external supplier covering the delivery of services. Therefore, it is essential to establish positive relationships with your vendors.


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1-17

Drive Consistency Within The Support CenterThe communication that desktop support technicians have with the customer is critical to the support center. Desktop support technicians often serve as the liaison between the customer and the support center—this relationship impacts the customer’s perception and satisfaction with the organization’s products and services. By listening to the customers you support, serving as their champion within your organization, and continually communicating with them, the support center can lay the foundation for consistently delivering quality, and exceeding customer expectations. The primary role and goal of support services for any organization, whether it is delivering internal or external support is...

“... to provide consistent, high-quality customer support that enables the customer and/or organization to continue performing at the highest possible level.”

Consistency is the cornerstone of a best-in-class support center. Providing consistent service includes:

• Providing all customers with the same quality of service

• Assigning priority levels consistently, in accordance with the service level agreement (SLA)

• Enforcing standard policies and procedures, while meeting customers needs

It is your responsibility as a support professional to deliver consistent, quality customer service by:

• Receiving and resolving incidents and service requests in a timely manner

• Updating incidents in a timely manner with appropriate troubleshooting and resolution information

• Understanding the business impact of specific incidents

• Making specific commitments, then consistently meeting or exceeding those commitments, while remaining faithful to organizational policies

• Resolving or assisting in resolving incidents within established service levels

• Enhancing the customer’s relationship with the support center and organization

• Promoting the image of the support center

• Identify and draft solutions for the knowledge base


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1-18

UNITOne

Section 3: The Support Center’s Role in the BusinessAs the support center evolves to provide additional value-added services the customer service philosophy must also be strengthened. To understand the importance of the support center, one must first understand the business it supports. It is important to maintain a business focus by understanding the image of the support center, the organization’s company culture, and the business impact and urgency for each customer experience.

Business ImageThe support center acts as a business unit within an organization providing a service for internal and external customers. Therefore, the image of the support center must always be one of professionalism and efficiency. The support professional should maintain a business image with every interaction. It is this interaction that the customer’s perception of the support center is based upon.


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1-19

You can help to promote the image of the support center by:

• Delivering a consistent, quality greeting and closing

• Avoid making negative comments about the support center

• Keeping customers advised of the steps being taken to resolve their incident or service request

• Providing customers with accurate information

• Delivering consistent results with professionalism

• Being aware of personal conduct outside of the work environment that could affect the organization’s image

• Exhibiting professionalism and confidence

• Taking ownership—even when you do not have a ready answer

Company CultureCulture sets companies apart from one another, and generally a unique sub-culture exists within every organization. Every support team must strive to recognize the differences between its culture and that of the company it supports.

It is important to blend the culture of support with the culture of the organization. This cultural blending begins by gaining an understanding of the nature of the company’s business and values. To the extent possible, the support center should integrate itself into the organizations culture, and adopt its core values; this will help lay the foundation for solid business and operational alignment.

Business Impact The traditional support team focuses only on supporting technology, but a best-in-class support team focuses on supporting the business as a whole. The successful customer service representative understands his/her customer’s business, strategy, and goals. When a customer contacts the support center, the customer’s primary goal is getting his/her business needs met.

Business impact should be at the forefront of every support professional’s mind. When a customer is experiencing a problem, understand how that problem impacts the customer’s productivity. By having a greater understanding of the implications of lost productivity and addressing the issue as soon as possible, you become a champion for the customer.


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1-20

UNITOneIn order to meet the needs of your customers and establish a service culture within your support center team, partnerships need to be made. Organizations do not benefit from islands or silos of people and information. Every team or department within the organization needs to come together in the interest of the customer.

To establish and maintain effective relationships with other departments:

• Be aware of how your team contributes to the success of other teams

• Treat others as you would like to be treated

• Treat others in your department as if they were your customers

• Understand the responsibilities and roles of other departments

• Inform other departments about the roles and responsibilities of your group

• Focus on the steps necessary to resolve the incident or service request, not on blaming others

• Adhere to the procedures outlined in the support center’s operating level agreement

• Look for opportunities to share information

• Adopt a “we’re all on the same team” attitude

• Recognize others for their contributions

• Optimize communication to suit your audience


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1-21

In summary, to understand the importance of the role of the support center, it is important to maintain a business focus by understanding the image of the support center, the organization’s company culture, and the business impact for each customer experience. These three components impact the value and perception of the support center.

Discuss: Make a list of what you perceive to be your customers’ needs.

How do you know what your customer’s need are? What happens when you fail to meet your customers’ needs?


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1-22

UNITOne

Unit SummaryIn this unit, you learned to:

• Discuss the evolution of the support center

• Explain the roles and responsibilities of the support center

• Explain your role and value to the business

• Discuss the three elements of a best-in-class organization: business image, business impact, and company culture

Review1. What are some significant changes that have taken place as the support center has evolved

over time?

2. Describe your role in the support center and how you show and communicate your value.

3. Considering the support center’s role in the business, explain the three components that have an impact on the business.


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1-23

HDI Desktop Support Technician StandardListed below are the standard competencies covered in this unit.

Standard Number Competency

1.1.1 Identify the characteristics of an effective leader.

1.1.2 Exhibit personal accountability.

1.2.1 Describe ethical behavior in the support center.

1.6.1 Identify ways that the desktop support technician can deliver consistent, quality customer service.

1.6.3 Describe the role of desktop support in the organization.

1.6.4 Explain the value of desktop support to the organization.

2.1.1 Identify ways to promote the image of the support center.

2.2.1 Define policy.

2.2.2 List the importance of adhering to organizational policies.

2.2.3 List the purpose of organizational policies.

2.3.1 List the responsibilities of the support center in meeting the needs of its customers.

2.3.2 Identify major phases in the evolution of support center services.

2.3.3 List the phases in the evolution of desktop support services.

3.1.1 Explain the objectives of teamwork.

3.1.3 Define responsibilities of members in a team environment.

3.1.4 List the benefits of teamwork.

3.1.5 Identify characteristics of successful teams.

5.18.1 List strategies for establishing effective relationships with customers.

5.25.3 Identify the characteristics of providing consistent service.


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Unit 2: Strategic FrameworkLearning ObjectivesBy the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Explain the three structural elements of the support center framework

• Define the purpose of a vision statement

• Define the purpose of a mission statement

• Describe the purpose and the main components of a service level agreement (SLA)

• Describe operational level agreements (OLAs)

• Define standard operating procedures (SOPs)

• Reiterate how business alignment is created within the support center’s framework

Unit Agenda Section 1: Strategic Perspective ......................................................................... 2

Section 2: Service Level Agreements (SLAs) ..................................................... 6

Section 3: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) ..........................................11

Section 4: Business Alignment .........................................................................12

Unit Summary ................................................................................................14

UNITTwo

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UNITTwo

2-2

Section 1: Strategic PerspectiveStrategy is defined as a careful method or plan1. Strategy in the support center means planning to realize the goals and objectives of the business. A strategy is normally implemented through a set of operational plans, which are plans of action that guide decisions and behaviors based on what is best for the organization, as determined by the management team (e.g., financial plans, training plans, staffing plans, etc). Support center strategies are communicated through the organization’s mission and vision statements.

There are three structural elements that every support center should have in place:

• Strategy Statements (Vision and Mission) provide direction

• Service Level Agreements (SLA) provide a documented commitment

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) provide consistency

This structural framework allows you to strengthen the organization’s business image, company culture, and business impact—the three components of an effective organization, which were discussed in the previous unit.

1 Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, p.1233.


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U n i t 2 : S t r a t e g i c F r a m e w o r k


2-3

In order to carry out the strategic plans within the organization, the support center must have vision and mission statements that are aligned with those of the organization as a whole. Strategic plans are developed from the vision and mission statements. This enables the support center to position service and support offerings to increase productivity, improve customer satisfaction, and enhance business success.

Clear and concise vision and mission statements:

• Are designed to communicate the support center’s values and future to the entire organization.

• Are directed to all stakeholders, which include customers, business partners, shareholders, employees, and vendors.

• Allow all team members to stay focused on the common goals.

The vision and mission statements should be published. They can be used as effective marketing tools that share who the support center is and what it does for customers.

Vision StatementsA vision statement is the view of the future state of the organization or department. It is an ideal picture of what the organization wants to become, as viewed by customers and employees. Vision statements are based on the values of the organization. They should inspire pride, commitment, and a sense of belonging, as well as stretch capabilities and the self-image of the organization. A vision statement should answer the following questions:

• What makes your organization special?

• How do you want others to view your organization?

• What unites your support center with the rest of your organization?

To develop a vision, you need to clearly understand the vision of the overall organization and the competencies of your team.

Sample Vision Statements

“McKesson’s vision is to help create a healthcare system where quality is higher, mistakes are fewer, and costs are lower.”

McKesson Corporation2

“The vision of RPR Support Services is to create a support center where customers are happier, costs are lower, and analysts love to come to work.”

RPR Support Services

2 Used with permission of McKesson Corporation.


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UNITTwo

2-4

Mission StatementsThe mission statement identifies the plan necessary to accomplish the vision. It outlines what business practices the support center will need to implement to achieve that purpose, and aligns the support center with industry best practices. The mission statement identifies how you will achieve what you are trying to accomplish, which will subsequently be translated into the organization’s goals and objectives. The mission statement should be a short and concise statement that incorporates the following elements:

• Purposestatement—What are we committing to do for the benefit of our customers?

• Businessstatement—How do we plan to accomplish our purpose?

• Valuestatement—Why do we do what we do? (E.g., commitment to quality, integrity, innovation)

Mission statements contain key terms that accurately and positively promote the image of the support center. These should be terms that can be measured and evaluated over time. You may include input and contribution from the support center staff when developing your mission statement. The team that contributes to the development of the strategy will be more likely to embrace it.

The mission of desktop support is to provide technical support and services to resolve escalated incidents and fulfill service requests to enable the productivity of end users.


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HDI Desktop Support Technician Participant Handbook

Documents

Transcript of HDI Desktop Support Technician Participant Handbook