I do something similar but I record how you actually do something with
camtasia and I record my own voice as I proceed through the steps. I also
put subtitles in as well. I slapped the files on one of the servers here and
added links in IE favs using GPO. It has been a great time saver for us. I
got the idea from watching train signal training CDs.
James
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Peck" <[email protected]>
To: "NT System Admin Issues" <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 11:58 AM
Subject: Re: Help Desk Software
On user documentation / self service.
When I was employed elsewhere (understaffed and over worked :) Every
time one of the administrative assistants (that was their title, they
were more office managers for their departments) asked me something
more then once, I wrote a one/two page document with pictures. This
was simple stuff and you can grab most of the content from various
places on the web and customize to your environment. I put all the
documents up on an internal website. All of them. It wasn't fancy
(this was 9 years ago) but it was available in a consistent location.
(Today I would use a CMS)
Mostly this was simple stuff. How to setup your Outlook profile (we
had automation but this document still existed). How to schedule a
meeting. Where resources were located. How to connect to application
X, etc.
Every organization that is resource constrained on IT support will
have 'power users' in their user base (and those that think they are
power users). Over time, I found I tended to focus on those people
more and they in general would help those around them reducing my call
volume. One day as I was wandering by a new hire orientation I found
that the administrative assistants had put several of the 'help docs'
in the new hire packages and the link to the site.
Documentation is something that doesn't have an obvious and immediate
feedback on success. It is one that if you can pull it off
consistently will have an effect on an environments culture over time
and is a glacially slow process but can and will work. It can also
help with ensuring your technical staff are all on board and
configuring things the same way which helps with support.
Steven
On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 5:35 AM, John Hornbuckle
<[email protected]> wrote:
+1 on the part about quantifying time spent.
My org is laying people of and scaling back hours due to massive budget
cuts. I've stressed to my technicians that it's imperative that they
document how and where their time is spent so that we have no problem
justifying their positions.
As for users self-servicing... Well, I truly believe that in my
environment the percentage of users who would do it is in the single
digits. So in our case, it probably wouldn't be worthwhile to invest too
much time in creating and maintaining a system for it.
John Hornbuckle
MIS Department
Taylor County School District
318 North Clark Street
Perry, FL 32347
www.taylor.k12.fl.us
-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Peck [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 1:58 PM
To: NT System Admin Issues
Subject: Re: Help Desk Software
So, a comment on the folks who are still using 'paper and pencil'
tracking.
Implementing some sort of help desk system that you can log and track
calls is a pain. A huge time distracting pain. However, it can and
will be beneficial in these economic times.
So, "IT department, what value do you provide?"
If you track your calls, all your calls, you can provide numbers.
Management likes numbers. Depending on how you categorize your calls
you can also determine what areas are your biggest time sinks and
focus improvements there. Sometimes you can determine and document
'who' are your biggest time sinks and draw attention or provide more
training there as well.
While the stereotype mantra is 'no one reads documentation', I find
that isn't actually true. If you can provide a consistent place for
people to find it, and make sure it is maintained as part of any new
software upgrade / roll out to the user community, then it will help
reduce calls. There are and always will be those who will not avail
themselves of this resource and depending on your companies culture
may be something you have to live with, but by having the
documentation available, you will at least have a starting point for
users to check when you are not available.
Steven
~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~
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~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~
~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~
~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
