How helpful is your IT helpdesk?

[downer]

One place I teach, a good sized university, has a rather unhelpful helpdesk. Interacting with them nearly always a challenging experience. With each new enquiry I get notification that my "ticket" has been opened and I soon get another email that it has been closed, whether I have been helped or not. I could go on about it.

I imagine that working at an IT helpdesk is a difficult job. I don't blame the individuals. But it is easy to get frustrated with the process.

What are your tricks to solve IT problems quickly and without too much fuss?

[nescafe]

What are your tricks to solve IT problems quickly and without too much fuss?

Not my current campus, but the last place I worked had a lot of IT problems and a much-remarked "unhelpful" help desk. The best way to solve problems was to show up in person. Doing so meant you were a PITA, but it also got the job done.

The IT people at my new campus are quite friendly and helpful. Still, the best way to get a problem solved is to show up in person at any time other than lunch.

[secundem_artem]

"Open a ticket" is pretty much the standard response.  Multiple emails in both directions follow.  Problems eventually get fixed and are apparently done so in accordance with some kind of priority sequence, but how priorities are determined is just another black box of mystery.

[onthefringe]

Ours is moderately helpful, but the automated emails make me want to avoid using it. Every request results in an "open ticket" email, then a "we strive to address all open tickets in 24 hours" email, then a "we think we've addressed your concern" email, then a "can you confirm the ticket is closed" email, and finally a "don't you want to complete a survey about your experience " email

[aside]

Ours is generally good, and the folks that work there are well-trained in both IT and customer service.  We are a large university, however, so the response time can vary.  We can fill out an online form requesting help or call and talk to an actual person who can access your computer remotely and often solve software problems on the spot.  Hardware issues may take a few days to fix, yet someone will be there to diagnose the problem within 24 hours.  We have a separate team for classroom IT, and they are on call and respond instantly.

[Aster]

Ours used to deliberately produce communications roadblocks that prohibited anyone from bothering them.

Like, not providing an email address to contact them (just a phone number that was rarely answered).

Or having broken weblinks to their services that lead nowhere. I thought that this was especially ironic coming from Information Technology.


But a few years ago something happened, and now our IT is exceptional. The hotline is always manned, there are easy email request forms to fill out, service is lightning fast, and problems are resolved very satisfactorily. We even get email "resolution receipt" messages sent to us that detail what services were provided and if any follow-up is needed.

[Hibush]

Ours is moderately helpful, but the automated emails make me want to avoid using it. Every request results in an "open ticket" email, then a "we strive to address all open tickets in 24 hours" email, then a "we think we've addressed your concern" email, then a "can you confirm the ticket is closed" email, and finally a "don't you want to complete a survey about your experience " email

Those are all familiar steps. Do they use the same work-ticket vendor?

Does your process also include a third step, in which your concern is satisfactorily addressed? Or does it just run thought the five responses to your submission without any other interaction?

[onthefringe]

Ours is moderately helpful, but the automated emails make me want to avoid using it. Every request results in an "open ticket" email, then a "we strive to address all open tickets in 24 hours" email, then a "we think we've addressed your concern" email, then a "can you confirm the ticket is closed" email, and finally a "don't you want to complete a survey about your experience " email

Those are all familiar steps. Do they use the same work-ticket vendor?

Does your process also include a third step, in which your concern is satisfactorily addressed? Or does it just run thought the five responses to your submission without any other interaction?

I assume, but have not tested, that if I responded to the "we think we've addressed your concern" email with a neagative response, that additional attempts to fix things would happen before the next email. But usually, they have fixed things and I just ignore all the emails.

[zoey]

In most places these desks are run by people who work temporarily in these jobs while they are headed elsewhere. Perhaps this is the reason we have all these issues. When the person leading a team of technicians is good and he/she hires people who are interested in such jobs, they can be a very effective helpdesk. I have had issues, but mostly they have been sorted out.