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CTS 217: Computer Training & Support. CHAPTER 6. User Support Management. In this chapter, students will learn about: The mission of a support group Steps to staff a support position The contents of a training program for support staff Certification for support professionals - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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CHAPTER 6User Support Management
CTS 217:Computer Training
& Support
Chapter ObjectivesIn this chapter, students will learn about:The mission of a support groupSteps to staff a support positionThe contents of a training program for
support staffCertification for support professionalsProfessional associations for support
workersEthical conduct guidelines for support
professionals
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Reasons to Study User Support ManagementApplicants for support positions need
to understand the perspectives of support managers
Support specialists in small organizations often perform management tasks Project lead or coordinator tasks Supervisory or lead worker responsibilities User support group management
3
Common User Support Management ConcernsMission statementPerformance measuresUser support staffingTraining for user support staff
4
Example of a User Support Mission Statement Mission statement: list of guiding principles
that communicate support goals and objectives to staff, users, and management
Example: The mission of the user support group is to: (a) maximize operational efficiency among users in an organization by providing timely resolution to technology use questions and (b) effectively manage problems to continuously improve the: Quality of support services to users Usability of information systems Effectiveness of documentation and training Users’ satisfaction with support services
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User Support Performance and Justification Performance statistics: objective summary
information about user support or help desk operation
Examples: Average time to respond to incidents (wait time) Percent of abandoned incidents (abandonment
rate) Average resolution time for incidents Percentage of problems that could not be resolved Percentage of closed incidents that had to be
reopened Number of unresolved incidents
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Use of Performance StatisticsMost useful when compared across
days, days of week, or months to display trends over time
Can be computed for an entire support organization, a help desk team, or to compare employees’ performance
Often used to justify the need and budget for support services
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User Satisfaction Surveys User satisfaction survey: questionnaire
to measure how satisfied users are with support services
Contents General questions about support services Questions about specific support staff members’
performance Methods
Follow-up phone call Mailed questionnaire E-mailed questionnaire Web-based survey
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User Satisfaction Surveys (continued)
Typical survey questions measure: Availability of help when needed Responsiveness of staff Ability to communicate effectively Usefulness of online resources Technical knowledge of staff Ability to resolve problems
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Justify Support ServicesUser support in an organization’s budget
may be a:Cost center
Support budget includes only expense items Expense examples: payroll, benefits, taxes,
equipment, software, overheadProfit center
Support budget includes both revenue (income) and expenses
Revenue examples: income from service fees, contracts, and per incident
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Justify Support Services (continued)
How to justify user support as a cost center Performance statistics User satisfaction surveys Sometimes difficult to justify support center
expenses when no direct income is produced How to justify user support as a profit center
Income based on level of support that clients need Free support (no income) Fee-for-service (pay-as-you-go income) Premium support (stable contract income)
Somewhat easier to justify support center expense when revenue offsets at least some expenses
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Staffing a Help Desk Management challenge: how many help
desk staff are needed to meet the level of service demands efficiently? Need to have sufficient staff available to meet
the demand for timely responses to incidents Need to keep staff to a minimum to avoid idle
agents and unproductive expenses Erlang: a unit of traffic (such as user calls) in a
given time period Erlang calculations estimate the number of help
desk agents required to meet peak demand and off-peak times
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Steps in Recruiting Help Desk Agents1. Use mission statement as basis for staff
planning2. Analyze knowledge, skills, and abilities
(KSAs) needed3. Write position description(s)4. Prepare advertising for open positions5. Screen applications received for best
match with KSAs6. Interview applicants with best
combination of KSAs7. Check interviewee employment references
13
Common KSAs for Help Desk Agents Hardware, operating system, and application
software proficiency Specific technical skills needed for position Network skills and experience Internet and Web expertise Troubleshooting and problem-solving capabilities Communication, listening, writing, and telephone
skills Work experience as a project team member Understands information systems and business
perspectives
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Example KSAs for a Help Desk Position Experience with Intel-compatible hardware
platforms Skilled in use and support of local area network
(LAN) in office environment Windows XP or Windows Vista operating system
experience Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications Ability to troubleshoot technical problems Ability to communicate effectively with users,
other agents, and managers Ability to work as an effective member of a
support team
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Categories of Interview Questions
Common categories of questions asked in an employment interview Knowledge and skills test questions Traditional interview questions
Directed questions Non-directed questions
Behavioral questions Scenario questions Stress tolerance assessment
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Employment Interview Tools Knowledge and skills question: measure an
applicant’s knowledge and problem-solving abilities
Interview questions about applicant’s educational and work background and experience Directed question: determine whether applicant has
specific qualifications Non-directed question: give applicant an opportunity
to talk in general terms about their qualifications Behavioral question: asks applicant to describe
actions they took in a specific situation
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Employment Interview Tools (continued)
Scenario question: gives applicant a specific problem representative of problems agents actually encounter
Stress tolerance assessment: interview environment designed to evaluate an applicant’s performance under pressure Noisy Interruptions Multiple interviewers Overly technical questions
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Illegal Interview QuestionsQuestions or characteristics that it is illegal to inquire about in an employment interview Age Ethnicity Marital status (and family background) Sexual orientation Religious affiliation (and political beliefs) Disabilities (except to determine need for
accommodations under Americans for Disabilities Act – ADA compliance)
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User Support Staff TrainingStaff training for help desk agents
includes:New employee orientation
Organizational culture, policies, and procedures Payroll and employee benefit information Specific job skill training Help desk tools used Support group policies and procedures Performance appraisal criteria and procedures Professional development and career path
opportunities
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User Support Staff Training (continued)
Ongoing help desk training Requires scheduled downtime for agents Goal: keep help desk staff current with changes
in computer and help desk technologyProfessional growth and development is a
joint responsibility of company and help desk staff members Attend conferences, training sessions, and
workshops Read trade publications
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Performance Appraisals for Support AgentsPerformance appraisal: process to
evaluate support agent according to established criteria Based on support mission statement Based on position description Related to employee’s professional growth
objectivesCommon performance appraisal tools
Performance statistics Monitored calls
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User Support Certification Certification - assessment process to
measure and document employee knowledge and skills
Individual certification Formal education (certificate, diploma, degree) Vendor-specific product knowledge and skills Industry-standard (vendor-neutral) knowledge
Certification of a support group Evaluated against support industry best
practices, which are procedures, tools and methods that successful support groups use
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Vendor-Specific Certification Examples Microsoft Office
Specialist (MOS) Office applications
(Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint)
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Cisco network
administration Apple Certified Support
Professional (ASCP) Mac OS X operating
system
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Industry-Standard Certification Examples Comptia’s A+, Network+, Security+,
Project+ A+ covers hardware, operating systems,
configuring, installing, diagnosing, and maintaining PCs
ICCP’s Associate Computer Professional (ASP) Knowledge and skills earned in academic and
vocational degree programs Linux Professional Institute’s LPIC certificate
Linux operating system administration
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User Support and Help Desk Certification ExamplesHelp Desk Institute
Support center analyst (SCA) For help desk agents
Desktop support technician (DST) For user support workers who provide face-to-
face technical support Others:
Customer service rep (CSR) Help desk team lead Help desk manager
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User Support and Help Desk Cert. ExamplesMicrosoft
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) Windows Vista support
Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) Configuring and supporting Windows Vista
and applications software that runs on Vista Microsoft Certified Desktop Support
Technician (MCDST) Configuring and supporting Windows XP and
applications software that runs on XP
27
Benefits of CertificationRecognized benchmark of minimum-
level job skills and expertise Justification for pay increases Justification for promotionsDocuments efforts to keep up-to-date
in fieldFeeling of accomplishment and
increased job satisfaction
28
Is Certification a Job Requirement?Some position descriptions and job ads
now list certification requirementFor other positions, certification is
optional Provides documentation of
knowledge and skills to supplement formal education
However, job requirements in user support vary; few agreed-on industry-wide standards
29
Certification Process1. Acquire knowledge and skills covered
by the certification exam2. Evaluate skills by taking a pretest
assessment exam (optional)3. Take certification exam
May include preparatory course to cover steps 1 and 2
4. Retake parts of certification test not passed
30
Common Ways to Prepare for Certification Exams College and vocational/technical courses
targeted to popular certification exams Crash courses: intensive exam preparatory
classes Expensive Time-consuming Sometimes called boot camps
Online tutorial courses: use computer-based (CBT) or Web-based (WBT) training methods
Self-study courses: self-paced tutorials in book format Lowest cost Little help available
31
Certification TestsCertification test formats Traditional fixed-length sequence of questions
and problems Adaptive test: method used in some
certification exams that asks selected questions from a computerized test database Questions are graded in difficulty to quickly
estimate a test taker’s proficiency Advantages
Asks fewer questions than traditional test Takes less time Reduces testing stress Reduces boredom from too easy or repetitious questions
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User Support as a Profession2006 employment: 800,000 workers in
US employed as computer support specialists and system administrators - US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
33
Changes in EmploymentEmployment trends 2000s decade: some reduction in support
employment 2001-2003 recession Overseas outsourcing of lower-level support
positions 2010s decade: forecasted increases in support
employment Computer support specialist: average rate of
growth Network and computer system administrators:
above average rate of growth
34
Professional Associations for Support WorkersProfessional association: formal organization that represents interests of a group of professionals and provides services to its membership Publishes journals, magazines, and books Encourages professional growth of members through
seminars and conferences Offers training and certification programs Facilitates membership contacts via e-mail, Web sites,
chat rooms, blogs, newsgroups, and local chapters Encourages members to adhere to code of ethical
conduct
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Examples of User Support Professional Associations
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Example Principles of Ethical Conduct for IT Professionals
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Example Principles of Ethical Conduct for IT Professionals
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Chapter Summary A mission statement defines guiding principles
and goals of a support group Performance statistics and user satisfaction
surveys help evaluate agent and support group performance
Support managers prepare position descriptions and job ads based on KSAs for open help desk agent positions
Interviews for support positions include knowledge and skill test questions, traditional directed and non-directed questions, behavioral and scenario questions, and perhaps a stress tolerance interview environment
39
Chapter Summary (continued)
Project management steps for special projects Definition Planning Implementation Monitoring Termination
Automated project management tools help prepare Gantt Charts, participant assignments, and budgets
40
Chapter Summary (continued)
Training for support agents includes new employee orientation and ongoing professional development
Certification for support professionals includes college degrees, vendor-specific, and industry-standard certification programs
Associations of support workers address the needs of support professionals
Codes of ethical behavior and standards of conduct guide members of professional associations
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