Gold Winner
Information Technology Helpdesk
- Institution: Valdosta State University
Technical support is often defined as a combination of resolving problems associated with computers or other electronic equipment. The goal of successful technical support is to strive to provide effective problem resolution while providing a high level of client service satisfaction. While this basic goal is common to most technical support call centers, the Valdosta State University Information Technology (IT) Helpdesk seeks to provide a higher level of service by ensuring, rather than striving for, client satisfaction. With this goal in mind, the IT Helpdesk began examining means of utilizing current institutional resources to not only improve IT Helpdesk performance, but to ensure client satisfaction.
The IT Helpdesk is the front line for technical support for students, faculty, staff, and visitors on campus. The IT Helpdesk is staffed by one full-time staff member and six part-time student employees who provide support 80 hours per week and are able to assist approximately 10,000 interactions per fiscal year with less than 1% of users reporting client-service related issue. While client satisfaction is overwhelmingly positive, the IT Helpdesk continues to seek opportunities for improvement by expanding the quality, number, and accessibility of the services they provide.
To facilitate a continuous improvement process, the IT Helpdesk has partnered with Distance Learning's WebCT Vista to develop a WebCT Vista course system, which allows new employees to experience a combination of lectures, hands-on training, and shadowing. This system provides employees with access to up-to-the minute changes to policies and procedures, client service practice scenarios, and suggestions for improvement. It also provides the IT Helpdesk Coordinator a direct link to the IT Helpdesk to monitor employee progress through training modules, receive employee satisfaction feedback, and notify employees of scheduling changes and project assignments. This program has been recognized by the University System of Georgia and Blackboard, the publisher of WebCT, for its merit and innovation.
Another key factor in the success of the IT Helpdesk is the culture of ownership encouraged by IT Helpdesk Coordinator, Benjamin Li, who is a graduate of Valdosta State University's College of Education and a former Valdosta Technical Institute instructor. Due to his background in education, he has sought to cultivate a supportive culture at the IT Helpdesk in which employees not only take ownership over client requests, but over personal and professional development, as well as the development of the IT Helpdesk as a whole. Many of the resources in place for training employees and clients have been developed by student employees at the IT Helpdesk. In the last fiscal year, the IT Helpdesk succeeded in generating nearly 150 technical walkthroughs available to the public and over 50 internal training tools. In addition, they developed two additional courses for internal training of employees and staff members.
The VSU IT Helpdesk has been able to improve the quality of services offered without the resources available to a larger business or institution, illustrating that it is possible for any technical support service to exceed customer service expectation standards of success.
Excerpt from nomination by Dr. Louis Levy.
The IT Helpdesk is the front line for technical support for students, faculty, staff, and visitors on campus. The IT Helpdesk is staffed by one full-time staff member and six part-time student employees who provide support 80 hours per week and are able to assist approximately 10,000 interactions per fiscal year with less than 1% of users reporting client-service related issue. While client satisfaction is overwhelmingly positive, the IT Helpdesk continues to seek opportunities for improvement by expanding the quality, number, and accessibility of the services they provide.
To facilitate a continuous improvement process, the IT Helpdesk has partnered with Distance Learning's WebCT Vista to develop a WebCT Vista course system, which allows new employees to experience a combination of lectures, hands-on training, and shadowing. This system provides employees with access to up-to-the minute changes to policies and procedures, client service practice scenarios, and suggestions for improvement. It also provides the IT Helpdesk Coordinator a direct link to the IT Helpdesk to monitor employee progress through training modules, receive employee satisfaction feedback, and notify employees of scheduling changes and project assignments. This program has been recognized by the University System of Georgia and Blackboard, the publisher of WebCT, for its merit and innovation.
Another key factor in the success of the IT Helpdesk is the culture of ownership encouraged by IT Helpdesk Coordinator, Benjamin Li, who is a graduate of Valdosta State University's College of Education and a former Valdosta Technical Institute instructor. Due to his background in education, he has sought to cultivate a supportive culture at the IT Helpdesk in which employees not only take ownership over client requests, but over personal and professional development, as well as the development of the IT Helpdesk as a whole. Many of the resources in place for training employees and clients have been developed by student employees at the IT Helpdesk. In the last fiscal year, the IT Helpdesk succeeded in generating nearly 150 technical walkthroughs available to the public and over 50 internal training tools. In addition, they developed two additional courses for internal training of employees and staff members.
The VSU IT Helpdesk has been able to improve the quality of services offered without the resources available to a larger business or institution, illustrating that it is possible for any technical support service to exceed customer service expectation standards of success.
Excerpt from nomination by Dr. Louis Levy.
