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Students supporting students – A Help Desk & Student Development Model
Nitish Khiria
Student Computing at UW
Student Computing support provided by:
• Faculty Help Desks (academic computing & some BYOD)
• IST Help Desks (BYOD, Infrastructure & Systems support)
IST Help Desks at UWThree IST Desks:
Desk & Staffing Hours Support For
CHIP:• 6 full time staff• 1 student staff
Weekdays: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm • Software & Media• Student Computing • Infrastructure & Systems
Library Desk:• 8 to 12 SCCs • 1 Co-op student
Weekdays: 8:30 am – 8:30 pm Weekends: 12:30 pm – 8:30 pm
• Student Computing• Infrastructure & Systems
Residence Desk:• 8 to 12 SCCs • 2 Co-op students
Weekdays: 8:30 am – 8:30 pm Weekends: 12:30 pm – 8:30 pm
• Student Computing• Infrastructure & Systems• Residence Technology
Student Computing Consultant (SCC) Program
• Highly competitive & popular!
• Part Time Employees (8 to 12 hours / week)
• Mix of 1st year & Upper Year Undergraduates
• Full Time students (minimum 3 courses)
Student Computing Consultant (SCC) Program
• Diverse fields (Arts, Engineering, CS, Science)• Very Low turnover• Technically inclined & trained • Strong Customer Service & interpersonal skills• Launching step for future careers!
Keys to Success
• Strict & Selective hiring process
• Practical Training and Documentation
• Enforce Duties and Expectations
• Intuitive and Collaborative Tools
Strict & Selective Hiring
• Advertise position early & generate interest
• Communication to incoming first years vital
• Plan for 12 month operation with co-op terms & terms off
Strict & Selective Hiring
Selection process searching for:
1. Attention to Detail
2. Technical Skills
3. Interpersonal Skills
Strict & Selective Hiring - Attention to Detail
• Important skill for learning • Crucial to following instructions/documentation• Test: asking for a cover letter with resume • Test (Interview question): “what hardware
brands do you prefer?”
Correct Answer: multiple brands that make hardware (watch out for software)
Strict & Selective Hiring - Attention to Detail
Test (Interview question): “Student comes to helpdesk stressed that their computer won’t turn on & an essay that is due today is on it. You try, but aren’t sure what the issue is and how to fix it. What is your priority / plan of action?”
Correct answer: anything with essay as a priority.
Strict & Selective Hiring – Technical Skills
• Awareness / interest in technology > Technical knowledge
• Combination of both is ideal candidate• Technical skills often easier to test than others• Well rounded technical skills are ideal (mixture
of hardware, software, development)
Strict & Selective Hiring – Technical Skills
• Test (Interview Question): “Tell me 4 hardware and 4 software specifications of your computer?”
• Test (Interview Question): “What do you prefer? Mac or PC, and why?”
Correct Answer: Look for logical and technical reasoning.
Strict & Selective Hiring – Technical Skills
Technical skills can be tested for by asking for meaning / abbreviations of technical terms: • DVI • Ethernet• OS X• HFS • DNS
Strict & Selective Hiring – Interpersonal Skills
• Hardest skill set to develop & train on • Looking for combination of interpersonal &
customer service skills • Skills closely tied with awareness of
interactions • Can be tested by scenario based / theoretical
questions
Strict & Selective Hiring – Interpersonal Skills
• Test (Interview Question): “You are working at a helpdesk and you see your supervisor providing incorrect information to a student. What do you do”
Correct Answer: includes being sensitive to supervisor authority / balancing factual information against it
Strict & Selective Hiring – Interpersonal Skills
• Test (Interview Question): “A lot of things in life are black and white. What is the importance of grey?”
Correct Answer: includes how not everything in life is black or white. A lot is left to discretion / extenuating / special circumstances
Training
• Training is one of the most important aspects of well trained staff & efficient operations
• Student staff programs need continuous training
• Training must reflect everything you expect from your staff
Training
• Must include thorough outlining of duties and expectations
• Must include technical content & referral material for after
• Must include Customer Service Training & interpersonal behavior scenarios
Training
• Based on turnover planning, SCC program commits to a 5 day training session in Fall
• Training held a week before Orientation • Mandatory to attend for all • Ideal training environment is hands on
Training
5 day Fall training divided in: • Day 1: Expectations, Contract, Preferences• Day 2: Campus / Residence Networking• Day 3: Staff support, Systems used • Day 4: Campus Infrastructure + OS Bootcamp• Day 5: Mobile Devices + Customer Service (by
Organizational & Human Development)
Training Tips
• Have a mixture of lecture, hands on and interactive presentations
• Take quizzes with prizes, regarding content at end of each day
• Offer evening / social activities to build a stronger team
• Offer lots of food!
Training
• Needs to be offered every term
• Depending on turnover, can be trimmed down to essentials
• University of Waterloo holds a 2 day technical training session before every term for co-ops.
Duties & Expectations
• Student Staff Management must never forget their primary goal (being a student)
• Student life vs helpdesk roles dictate: Allowed to do homework & browse when desk
is free (non offensive content) Highly competitive wages (Starting at $14.50/hr
to $16.50/hr) with a defined path
Duties & Expectations• Student staff allowed to book entire weeks off
for exams / opt for extra hours / shifts • Strict policies on late / no shows• Not allowed to listen to music • Not allowed to watch videos • Experienced and returning staff play a senior,
mentoring, and training based role (documentation & presentations)
Duties & Expectations
All Enforced through a Contract. SCC Contract:• Contract Requirements & Period• General Accountability • Time Commitments • Confidentiality • Keys & Door Access • Behavior (now includes social media!)
Tools of the Trade
Many tools used to ensure smooth operation: • Training Wiki / Site • Scheduling system• Ticketing system • Live Chat system • Remote Assistance system • Metric collection system
Training / Wiki Site (SharePoint)
Internal SCC SharePoint Site
Training / Wiki Site (SharePoint)
Made available to Faculty and Admin-Support Help Desks
Scheduling system (WhenToWork)
Scheduling system (WhenToWork)
• Allows for staff to post shifts as trades, drops • Supervisor controls automatic trading • Supervisor controls dropping permissions • Staff enter preferences, WhenToWork autofills• Used in conjunction with a SharePoint Check In
system (hoping to use biometrics soon!)
Ticketing System (Web Help Desk)
Live Chat (PHPLive Support)
• Internally hosted solution (Fully bought with source code)
• Allows transfers, ratings, canned responses• Adopted across 14 different areas /
departments
Remote Assistance System (Bomgar)
Metric Collection System
• Challenge to record foot traffic / quick fixes • Tried & failed attempts at simple buttons / web
scripts / SharePoint • Resorted to a technology from 1909 years
ago…
On a 8.5 x 14 clipboard:
Instant Success!
Thank You