ETC HELPDESK POLICY 1. Policy Title ETC Helpdesk Policy 2. Policy Number SCT-AD-005-V2 3. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to provide a system that will give an effective technical Helpdesk service to Salalah College of Technology (SCT). Specifically, the policy: 4. Scope gives technical support staff a proper and organized way of job delegation, provides systematic procedures for recording and responding to technical calls from the staff, prioritizes the calls received according to priority. formally records and documents each technical service request in the Helpdesk Control System(HCS) Staff from all college units 5. Policy Statement This policy ensures that all IT technical requests of the staff are logged, assigned and prioritized accordingly and will be attended by ETC technical support staff. The Helpdesk is looking to support the College with a new system in attending to all IT technical problems via phone, email and the web-based system to resolve problems. 6. Procedures Title ETC Helpdesk Procedures Page 1 of 8
7. Procedures Details Access to the Helpdesk 1. Any college staff member needing technical support contacts the Helpdesk via phone, email and the web based system for any IT technical problems by: Calling the Helpdesk hotline (111), Sending an e-mail to helpdesk@sct.edu.om, or 2. The Helpdesk records all complaints/technical problems into the HCS. 3. After recording all the details, the Helpdesk determines the priority of the recorded request. 4. For computer laboratories and classrooms request (priority 0), the staff goes directly to the tier 2 without contacting the Helpdesk, the tier 2 resolves the technical requests immediately. (Refer to 8. Guidelines C.) 5. At tier 1, the Helpdesk gives an immediate resolution to the request over the phone or by using remote control software, if possible, without assigning the call to a technical support staff. 6. After the request is resolved, the Helpdesk closes the trouble ticket immediately with the remark solved and updates the HCS. Otherwise, the Helpdesk assigns it to an available/appropriate ETC technical support staff (at tier 2) for resolution. 7. At tier 2, the Helpdesk assigns the appropriate ETC technical support staff from the ETC technical support team (department technicians) to resolve the request. 8. The ETC technical support staff (at tier 2) contacts the staff to acknowledge the request and specifies the target timeline for dealing with the request. 9. The ETC technical support staff (at tier 2) resolves the problem and informs the Helpdesk. The tier 2 closes the request and updates the HCS. Otherwise, the ETC technical support staff (at tier 2) informs the Helpdesk that the problem was not resolved. The Helpdesk verifies with the ETC technical support staff ( at tier 2) about the solutions made before transferring and assigning the request to a new ETC technical support staff from the ETC office (tier 3) for resolution. 10. The Helpdesk assigns a new ETC technical support staff (at tier 3) to resolve the problem and updates the HCS database without changing the trouble ticket number. Page 2 of 8
11. At tier 3, the assigned ETC technical support staff goes directly to the staff and informs them when the problem will be resolved. 12. The ETC technical support staff (at tier 3) resolves the problem and informs the Helpdesk. The Helpdesk closes the request and updates the HCS. Otherwise, the ETC technical support staff (at tier 3) submits a report to the Helpdesk that the problem has not yet been resolved. The Helpdesk updates the HCS about the status of the request with the remark pending. 13. At tier 4, the Helpdesk contacts the external support (suppliers) for the resolution. Supplier diagnoses the problem and does the necessary quotation for the equipment. The supplier submits the quotation to the finance department for approval. After the approval, supplier provides the peripherals needed to fix the request and delivers back to the ETC. (Refer 8. Guidelines F) 14. The staff evaluates the Helpdesk support service after the completion of the request. 8. Guidelines A. Access to the Helpdesk All telephone technical requests should be answered by the assigned technician using a standard Helpdesk greeting. All technical request/complaints must be acknowledged and recorded immediately and every effort must be made to resolve the problem as soon as possible. For solutions requiring specific skills, a technical support staff should be assigned to assist and troubleshoot the problem. The service is available between 8:00AM and 6:00PM, from Sunday Thursday. Technical support request outside the service availability can be done by sending email to helpdesk@sct.edu.om. Page 3 of 8
B. Recording Details Details must include the following: Title give a short description of the request (e.g. Request Details) Describe the problem/action in detail: Problem details includes name of the staff needing technical support and a summary of the problem. Example: Name: Armando del Mundo, Department: ETC, Location: 2B-007 (Building 2- Ground Floor Rm 7 Problem: Page cannot be displayed when accessing Internet Technical support staff assigned: (if 1 st tier solution is not resolved) C. Request Priority and Response Time The Helpdesk and the assigned technical support staff should determine the target timeline for the request to be addressed and attended. Table 1 shows the target response time and the fixed time associated with each priority level. The problem s description should guide the Helpdesk and the assigned technical support staff in determining the priority level of the request and the target timeline. Table1. Call Priority Definitions Priority Description Target response time 0 Laboratories/Classrooms Technical Immediate Problems 1 System failure, user unable to work 15 minutes to process the request 2 Software or peripheral failure, user unable to perform some key tasks 3 Intermittent hardware/software problem, user still able to perform key tasks 4 Information inquiry/request, no impact on the user 30 minutes to process the request 30 minutes to process the request 30 minutes to process the request Fixed time Immediate 2 working hours to solve the problem 4 working hours to solve the problem 3 working hours to solve the problem 2 working days to provide initial update Page 4 of 8
Ensure that the user is informed of the progress being made. Escalate the request to the ETC. D. Assigning ETC Technical Support Staff (Tier 2 Tier 3) The Helpdesk must ensure that the ETC technical support staff assigned is notified via email and/or SMS and/or call. The technical support team should follow these priority levels (as shown in Table 1) and escalate the request as described in the Helpdesk Request Escalation section. E. Request Escalation When dealing with the request, the escalation procedures are used by the Helpdesk to easily identify the route to be taken during particular circumstances. Tier 1: Helpdesk (HOS of CSS and ETC Technical Support staff that handles Helpdesk System) (initial resolution through email, and phone. Tier 2: ETC Technical Staff assigned in other college units Tier 3: ETC Technical Support Staff Tier 4: External Support (Suppliers) F. Technical Request Closure Closure occurs when a resolution has occurred, as agreed between staff and technical support staff. The Helpdesk should update the HCS with the following details: Date and time when the request was resolved, Name of the assigned technical support staff Description of the solution applied or the advice given should be entered in the Closure Details Field with the following remarks: o Solved o Pending For pending request, the tier 4 (supplier) has 5 weeks to resolve the problem. Shown below the time duration for the supplier for resolution: One week for checking and diagnosing of the request Two weeks for quotation approval and providing the peripherals One week for fixing and troubleshooting, and One week for delivery of IT equipment to ETC Page 5 of 8
G. Technical Request Reports Monthly reports should be produced to provide the number of technical requests attended to. The information provided will include: Service Satisfaction Evaluation Report Number of Trouble Ticket (Support Request) Number of Trouble Ticket (solved and not solved) Total number requests logged per department List of Support Staff with their number of trouble tickets received (solved and not solved) Most reported problems Page 6 of 8
H. Helpdesk Process Flow Diagram This process flowchart diagram is shown below that illustrates the processes that should be followed when handling calls made to the Technical Support Helpdesk. START Staff Technical Request (Calls, Emails and Web based) Record basic request details (e.g. name, date, time, user, problem details ) Provide user with initial resolution/advice Ensure that the user is informed of the progress being made. Escalate the request to the ETC. Verification should be done first by the Helpdesk to 2 nd tier before transferring for a new assignment. Resolved? NO YES YES Update the Helpdesk Control System and assign technician for resolution Resolved? NO Update the HCS with description of the solution applied and with the closure remarks: Pending, and date/time Provide user with Trouble Ticket Number, priority and target response/ resolution time NO Resolved? ETC will contact the supplier to diagnose and resolve the request and deliver it back to ETC. The Helpdesk updates the HCS with the resolution made by the supplier with the remark: Solve, and date/time. YES Gain agreement to close the request. Update the Helpdesk Control System database with description of the solution applied and with the closure remarks: solved, and date/time fixed Page 7 of 8 STOP
9. Custodian Head of Computer Services Section 10. Responsibility for Implementation ETC 11. Contact Person Head of Computer Services Section 12. Policy Status Revised 13. Superseded Policies None 14. Key Stakeholders Consulted ETC College Council 15. Approval Details College Council Meeting number: 2014-2015/03 Meeting date: October 1, 2014 Agenda item: 3.2 Meeting minutes item: 3.2 16. Effective Date October 2014 17. Next Review Date September 2016 18. Reference http://archive.teachfind.com/becta/foi.becta.org.uk/display494e.html?resid=14492 Page 8 of 8