Help Desk Operations: Capability Model and Methodology: 

It is understood that a successful deployment of Help Desk capabilities is the end result of cooperation and partnering between the Customer and Help Desk service provider. Beacon, as a Service Provider recognizes that we must provide the highest level of end user support, utilize current and relevant data, and track and report on trouble calls.

As an outsourced help desk service provider for inbound call management we: 
 

	Manage all technical and non-technical calls primarily covering  :: software application support :: compatibility & connectivity issues :: basic hardware support :: configuration, backup :: password resets :: upgrades, virus protection
	Assign tracking numbers and track for resolution
	Resolve issues as defined for bringing an incident to closure, and providing the solution to the end user.
	If an optimal solution is not possible, suggested workarounds or alternatives
	Report all unresolved incidents to the end user.
	Perform soft hand-offs as required
	Manage all electronic mail requests
	Manage Help Desk resource planning
	Provide management reporting
	Develop, Create and manage Knowledgebase
	Develop and maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans
	Demonstrate the ability to implement such plans
	Maintain network and systems operation
	Maintain staffs with necessary skills and knowledge to support the user community
	Maintain Security Management and the safeguard user information
	Position knowledgebase information such that the Agent/CSR and other Support Ring
	Members (Upon Escalation) can access data from their desktop
	Provide Support Ring access to Help Desk software and database
	Ensure operations environment to meet or exceed call center industry standards
	Meet or Exceed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) as agreed with the Customers.

As a typical illustration of the Help Desk and customer support services provided by us, we invite your attention to the following example: 

1 Scope of Services as Required by the Customer:

The set of applications for which end user Help Desk support is needed consists of various shrink wrapped O/S and commercial software applications, hardware and software issues, connectivity issues, and customized applications. The user base will access the applications via the customer’s LAN/WAN , either directly or through a remote connection. Unless otherwise noted, all applications supported by the Help Desk require the service levels and methods described below. 

The following are requirements for the Help Desk specified by the customer:

	Provide Tier 1 Help Desk support services to the user community.
	Provide easily understandable technical responses to users posing questions.
	Catalog all questions and responses through an application, including submitted questions, time of submittal, status, response/resolution to questions, ownership, and time of response.
	Create and Manage an indexed, searchable online database of non-redundant submitted questions and their answers. This database is searchable, minimally, by type of application and by key words.
	Allow for the creation of management reports, both electronic and hard copy.
	Provide electronic responses to persons submitting questions within 4 hours from the time the questions are submitted on 365x24x7 basis.
	Help Desk represents it self as an organization of Customer Corporation. And no advertising of any kind is permitted.

1.1 Problem Reporting Methods:

1.1.1 Telephone help line
 
Users have the option of reporting problems with any of the supported systems by means of a provided telephone number. The customer provides the user community with 6 digit ID numbers which are used for identifying the individual users. The information about this is provided to the Help Desk by the Customer.

	The Help Desk is able to accept calls forwarded/delivered by PSTN via the dedicated 1-800 numbers or via the e-mail or via Web Call back requests.
	The Help Desk is able to identify the call as having been originated from a Customers user base as soon as the user identifies himself through the ID. The same is achieved through the Auto Response feature in the Application
	The Help Desk answers all calls with an Customer specific greeting.

1.1.2 Voicemail Reporting

Users are able to leave a voicemail problem report if they are put on hold during staffed hours and during non-staffed hours.

1.1.3 Electronic Mail Reporting (and Web Portal) (Optional)

Users will have the option of reporting problems with any of the supported systems by means of electronic mail. E-mail is addressed to the Help Desk.

Users have the option of reporting problems with any of the supported systems by means of an electronic mail web portal. This web portal also enables the user community to enter trouble tickets directly into the trouble ticket database for action by the Help Desk. 

1.1.4 Multi-Lingual Support

Help Desk is capable of supporting in English and Spanish. (Optional)

1.1.5 Requirements For Speech Or Hearing Impaired (Optional)

Any specific requirements to support the speech or hearing impaired, can be addressed. 

1.2 Trouble Ticket Contents

Details of call/problem logs includes:

	User Name
	Status based on the Hierarchy/Importance of role such as C, and VP level executives.
	Email
	Phone
	Type of device
	Location
	Date
	Time
	Call Owner
	Priority
	Department
	Problem description/resolution
	Status
	Category Type
	Call Origin
	Operations System
	Application

Trouble tickets and database are searchable on any of the above fields.

The Help Desk has clearly articulated and documented procedures for escalating problems through an internal chain of command as well as to the Customer’s Relationship staff.

1.3 Response Times – Problem Reports Received During Operation

1.3.1 Telephone

	Calls must be picked up within 4 ring cycles
	Calls not answered by Help Desk after 4 rings should ring through to a voice greeting and enter the queue for Help Desk staff to answer.
	Calls are to be answered by a Help Desk staff member within 2 minutes.

1.3.2 Voicemail

	Callers put on hold are given the opportunity to leave a voicemail message requesting a callback.
	Problem reports left by callers put on hold should, at a minimum, receive an acknowledgement within 15 minutes.

1.3.3 Abandonment

Measures have been put in place and articulated to Customer to minimize call abandonment {when users who are put on hold they may like to abandon their call rather than continue to wait) The staffing levels are adjusted accordingly.

1.3.4 Electronic Mail

Problem reports received via email are acknowledged within 1 hour.

1.4 Incident Tracking

1.4.1 Supporting Technology

The Help Desk possess web-based technology (i.e., trouble ticket system) in place to track each incident reported from beginning upto it’s resolution.

1.4.2 Real Time Access

The Help Desk provides to the Customer support ring real-time access to problem report logs.

Customers designated staff has read/write access to the problem tracking system in order to update or close out problems that have been referred from the Help Desk, or to check the status of ongoing issues.

1.4.3 Problem Analysis

The Help Desk provides tools and methodologies to analyze patterns of problem reports documented in the tracking system, for management review by Customer.

1.4.4 Content and feedback

Problem reports contain sufficient detail so as to identify the locations or functions where users are having trouble and to bring trends to the attention of the Customer’s Relationship Manager as soon as possible.

1.5 Management and Reporting

The Help Desk manages the workload and adjust staff resources to meet demand.

The Help Desk produces reports to ensure SLA are being met. The reports include, but are not limited to:

	Call Volume (aggregate and segmented by faculty, student, staff)
	Types of Calls Received
	Call Handle Times
	Speed of Answer
	Abandoned Calls
	Problem Calls Escalated to Support Ring for Resolution
	Quality Assurance

The Help Desk also provides the capability to generate management and volume reports such as:

	Incident Request Reports including date and time of call, end user’s name, phone number, location, brief description of the trouble, status, and resolution.
	Analysis by Product/Application or Issue Type
	Resolution Times clearly outlining average and maximum resolution times to be used as performance and contract compliance.
	An ad-hoc report that can show the history of a specific end user
	Number of incidents abandoned
	The number of new, closed, and open tickets
	Average talk time per incident
	The number of closures on the 1st incident
	Calls by campus, total number of calls, total number of open calls, total number of closed calls, total number of application support calls, total number of password reset calls, total number of calls referred to Support Ring, etc.

The Support Ring has the tools and access to the database to make ad-hoc queries against the database for reporting purposes. 

The support ring requires the ability to access, view, modify, route, open, and close tickets using the same system the vendor will utilize.

1.6 Knowledge Base

1.6.1 Ownership

Most information remains in the joint ownership of the Customer and the Help Desk service provider and is properly catalogued and database generated as the direct result of user community trouble calls. 

The knowledge base data collected as the result of the Help Desk’s receipt of trouble calls and the issuance of trouble tickets and resolutions also is treated as the joint ownership of Customer and Help Desk if required to be so contractually.

However, the Help Desk can use the catalog and database for other purposes provided personal contact information remains confidential and may not be disclosed. This includes, but not limited to names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of the persons submitting questions or referred to in the questions.