Expectant Behavior #2: Teamwork, No Finger Pointing

Expectant Behavior #1: Treat the Customers Like Royalty

Our clients ultimately pay ALL our paychecks.  Account Management/ownership, Help Desk, Infrastructure team, Accounting, Ownership, Sales… you name it, we all have the opportunity to treat our clients like kings. 

Sometimes it’s challenging when they don’t respond to us, go against our recommendations, don’t pay their bills promptly and are not nice to us.  Take the client emotion out of the equation, understand their issue, then use ARHD resources (peers/management/ownership) to overcome their concerns. 

Clients let the account owners know who is working well with them and who is not.  If they don’t tell us, we ask; it’s that important.  Treating the customers like kings is an all the time thing. 

Company Culture - Our 20 Expectant Behaviors

A shared company culture is a key ingredient for a company’s success.  Without a cohesive team, company goals and objectives cannot be reached. Each employee must do her part and fit into the company. Employees with the same culture, value, and work ethic mesh well and build upon each other’s strengths to accomplish great things.

At America’s Remote Help Desk, we have a ‘work hard, do whatever it takes’ attitude. We share accountability and embody a true team environment.  We have a consistent culture, and everyone’s voice is heard. 

Over the next few months we’ll be speaking about how our employees live the ARHD culture by incorporating and focusing on our 20 expectant behaviors, which can be broken down into five major categories: Customer, Management, Playing in the Sandbox, Meetings, and Self. 

By incorporating these behaviors into our daily lives, we can make a difference personally and professionally. Check in each week to see what our employees have to say about each Expectant Behavior and what it means to them.

Check out Harvard's Business School's take on on creating company culture. 

Contributed by Rich Rubinstein, CEO

Six Ways to Bridge The Nerd Gap - Part 3

In the first two parts of this three-part blog, we've explored ways to help your nerd help you solve your outsource IT dilemmas. This includes: providing detailed information, symptom descriptions, what you did prior to the problem's ooccurance,  what changed, and paying attention to IT correspondence. Today, we will wrap up our tips for helping your nerd.

6. Patience

I just double checked our technical support manual.  While much of that information is confidential, I promise there’s no procedure for torturing users.  The reason it takes so long to fix things is because it’s a process.  Nerds are professional problem solvers, but all problems go through the same rigors of documentation, trial and error, communication, research, and many other things.  We want to get your problems solved as quickly as possible, just like you do.  Most problems are solved within half an hour.  Some problems take a lot longer, even weeks.  This is normal, and it’s still faster than your doctor.  If ever there were one thing that IT workers wish users gave us more of, it would be patience.  Our processes will always eventually get us to a solution.

In Conclusion

Make no mistake.  It’s still our job to deliver high quality customer service to you, the user.  However, if you can tell us who you are, what exactly happened, how it happened, and what happened leading up to it, we’re going to get your problem solved much faster than having to guess.  And if you show patience, poise, and understanding of our process, you might just become my new best friend.

ARHD employs only the finest nerds.  For more information, visit www.arhd.com.

Contributed by Scott Stover, Help Desk Analyst

Six Ways to Bridge the “Nerd Gap” - Part 2

When you have an illness, you seek a doctor.  When your car breaks down, you seek a mechanic.  When your technology is broken, you seek a nerd.

It can be frustrating to talk to nerds because we constantly ask you questions.  We’re not asking these questions because we’re ignorant about your IT infrastructure or systems.  In fact, that’s not the case at all.  There are so many moving parts to modern technology that we MUST ask questions, or we’ll never find the problem, let alone fix it.  Would you drop your car off at the shop without an explanation?  Would you ask your doctor to fix you without letting them examine you?  Of course not!  The “magic” that we experience with technology is often expected at the service level, which causes a huge difference in communication and expectations during a support call.  This is a problem I lovingly refer to as the “Nerd Gap.”

Below, in the second of my three-part blog series, I’ve included two more key items that you should always do or have prepared to help us bridge the Nerd Gap.

What Changed?

This one gets us every time.  Nerds spend so much time focused on the problem and what’s causing it that we often forget to ask the question “What’s changed on your computer?”  You’d be surprised how often we spend time working on an issue when the caller mentions “I installed this super defragmenter tool and it installed a bunch of other stuff yesterday.  I haven’t used my computer since.  Do you think that’s the problem?”  Yes.  That’s probably the problem.  Being aware of software and hardware changes to your computer is valuable.  Mentioning that after doing ABC, XYZ stopped working can save us hours of troubleshooting time.  Because of the many layers of operating systems, sometimes a seemingly innocuous change can have an impact on a totally unrelated system.

  Pay Attention to IT Communications

Central notifications of things going on with IT are easy ones to ignore.  They’re often full of data you don’t want to care about.  However, nerds pride themselves on their ability to fix and automate systems WITHOUT having to contact people.  If we’re emailing your company, it’s because we must.  Sometimes, we have to send out instructions that have an important impact on your applications.  Other times, we’re notifying you about important outages of critical systems.  There’s always a business impact if we’re sending you a communication.  To minimize the business impact, it’s as simple as reading the communication and following instructions.

Following these simple principles will help us help you and make your outsource IT solution a breeze.

Contributed by Scott Stover, Help Desk Analyst

Help Desk Support is Loaded With Benefits

Help desk support can provide numerous benefits to any organization, including:

• Reduced service desk costs
• Improved communication with users
• Increased control over network and systems
• Process standards, like ITIL
• Audit trail and reporting

The cost of maintaining computer resources can be a large part of any company's IT budget. Keeping a help desk staffed with trained personnel to answer questions and provide users with assistance is an expensive proposition. By outsourcing help desk tasks and improving the tools available to provide service to end users, overall costs of system maintenance are reduced.

One of the most important aspects of remote help desk systems is the ability to "take over" the user's system and change settings or install software remotely. This cuts down on the need for in-person service calls and repeat visits to solve individual problems. Despite the fact that the user is receiving help remotely, seeing the results of the help desk activity as it is taking place actually improves the communication between the service desk and the end user.

Using the remote control capabilities of remote help desk also makes network analysis and control faster and more reliable. In some cases, the entire IT infrastructure can be controlled and maintained remotely. Instead of traveling from desktop to desktop with a DVD to install software, remote help desk analysts can make these changes from a single location over an entire network. Licensing and access can be controlled and documented from a central location, thereby increasing control and stability of these systems.

For organizations that want to implement a standard for service and infrastructure management, such as ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library), remote help desk makes this possible using expert application of the standards from the ground up. Instead of designing a network and hiring consultants to implement the standard, you can outsource the service and infrastructure management tasks to a vendor that provides all of these capabilities. 

Outsourcing the service desk also makes tracking of changes and network service simpler. Using one service provider for all systems, each service call or maintenance change is tracked and reported.  This can be important for regulatory compliance or financial audit requirements. 

Remote help desk support cuts costs, improves communication with users, establishes audit and reporting tools, and increases centralized control over network and infrastructure management. These benefits provide a clear advantage over traditional help desk and service desk solutions.

Six Ways to Bridge the “Nerd Gap” - Part I of II

Everyone needs help once in a while.  Sometimes, we can’t pay the bills.  Other times, we need medical attention.  In today’s world, there are a ton of problems surrounding us, and there’s almost always a service designed to help you out.  When you have an illness, you seek a doctor.  When your car breaks down, you seek a mechanic.  When your technology is broken, you seek a nerd. Help desk support is generally fulfilled by nerds.

Nerds are people, but we’re not just any kind of people.  We are people that have spent our entire lives learning about technology.  We’re motivated by a variety of reasons.  Just like a doctor needs your medical history, sometimes we need your computer history.  Just like a mechanic, we need a description of the problem and what happened to cause it.  Sounds, visualizations, and even smells; they all contribute to the diagnostic process.

It can be frustrating to talk to nerds because we constantly ask you questions.  We’re not asking these questions because we’re ignorant about your systems.  In fact, that’s not the case at all.  There are so many moving parts to modern technology that we MUST ask questions, or we’ll never find the problem, let alone fix it.  Would you drop your car off at the shop without an explanation?  Would you ask your doctor to fix you without letting them examine you?  Of course not!  The “magic” that we experience with technology is often expected at the service level, which causes a huge difference in communication and expectations during a support call.  This is a problem I lovingly refer to as the “Nerd Gap.”

Below, is part I (3 of 6) six key items that you should always do or have prepared to help us bridge the Nerd Gap.

1. Your Information

This is an easy one.  We have to get this information every time someone calls.  We have to know what client to bill and who to call if we get disconnected.  You’d be surprised how many people jump into their issues without introducing themselves.

It’s also important that we give you accurate instructions.  Knowing whether you have Windows XP or Windows 7, and even what version of Office you have is extremely helpful.  If you call every day (and you know who you are), then we probably know what to enter by memory.  Otherwise, it’s a great idea to have the following information ready to go:

Name

Organization

Your office location

Whether you’re calling from your office location or somewhere else

The best call back number for you

Your e-mail address

Operating System (i.e. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OSX, Windows 7)

Office Version (i.e. 2007, 2010, etc.)

 

2. Exact Symptoms

Whenever someone says, “I got an error message,” the very next question a nerd asks is, “What is the error message?”  Some programs are capable of thousands of error messages, and trying to guess which one it is based solely on the actions that caused it can be futile.

Some error messages are numbers.  Others are actual text.  Some are a combination.  While that information is easy to just click through and ignore for most users, it is a gold mine of information for a trained nerd.  Even if it doesn’t explain the error to us, most error codes can be looked up and translated for us.  The messages often tell us exactly what’s wrong with a program.  Because that information is so valuable, we will often make you go through the same process to create the error so we can see it if you didn’t document it.

What if you don’t have time to write it all down?  We have a solution for that, too – screen shots!  On any Windows computer, when you have the error message open, simply press ALT+Prnt Scrn (or Print Screen on some keyboards.)  It will take a snapshot of whatever you have open on the screen.  You can then paste that image into Outlook (CTRL+V) or some other application and send the message to us.  If you attach the image when you email in a ticket, it will automatically send the attached error along with your message, and it will all be saved in our ticket.

3. What Did You Do?

Sometimes, the exact error isn’t enough information.  Other times, there is no error message.  In order to figure out the cause of the problem, a skilled nerd is going to attempt to re-create the situation.  Knowing exactly what programs you were using, where you clicked, what order you did things, and which computer you were on when things happened is all very important.  By slowly removing variables, we can often rule out systems and applications until we get to the root cause.  However, if we’re unable to see the problem, we’re rarely able to fix the problem, and were DEFINITELY not able to confirm that it won’t happen again.

 Contributed by Scott Stover, Help Desk Analyst

What Should Help Desk Support Deliver?

Many businesses need, want, and generally expect, different things from Help Desk support. With outsouce help desk support especially, businesses purchase customized solutions tailored to their exact needs. However, there are four areas of Help Desk Support that should be universal, no matter if it’s internal or external.

Responsiveness- Help Desk technicians should be prompt and answer the phone quickly. Your call is important to them and should be addressed in a timely manner.

Quality Support- Problems and issues should be fixed quickly and efficiently to eliminate downtime.

Customer Service- Service should be delivered with a smile. The Help Desk should be friendly and knowledgeable.

Communication- Both users and Help Desk technicians should be aware of any and all issues and the status or progress of the issue. Updates should be provided and the lines of communication left open.

The scope of services provided, knowledge of company specific applications, and available hours among many other variables differs by company and Help Desk support team. The four areas mentioned above, Responsiveness, Quality Support, Customer Service, and Communication, should be Help Desk support universals. If your Help Desk support lacks in any of the four areas, you and your company deserve more.

 Contributed by Rich Rubinstein, CEO and President

Tips for Selecting an Infrastructure Management Company

Gartner forecasts that by 2012, 70% of North Amercian companies be be engaged in infrastructure magement contracts. When it comes to IT infrastructure management companies, too much is at stake to choose a partner who doesn't understand the client's unique needs and how technology effects their overall business objectives.

At first glance, many infrastructure management providers offer similar services in terms of securing operations and reducing costs. The following key factors differentiate providers and should be carefully examined when evaluting infrastructure management companies:

• Flexibility: Today's global marketplace demands quick repsonse time, the ability to make rapid changes and universal collaboration.
• Process maturity: At a mimunum, the infrastucture management provider must embrace a framework such as ITIL and deliver consistent performance. Benchmarks and metrics for improving service delivery indicate an emphasis on continuous process improvement.

• Service delivery visibility: If problems arise related to IT service delivery, the provider should offer visbility into the problem and how its was addressed/resolved.

• Value: Companies must ask prospective infrastructure management partners specifically what value they bring in terms of operational efficiencies and providers must be able to provide a detailed accountability of the value they will deliver.

By exploring these critical areas when selecting an infrastructure management company, businesses can ensure they find a partner who truly supports the IT needs of the organization.

Infrastructure Management Companies are a Boon to Business

For many businesses, managing their technology infrastructure can be quite a challenge.  They may have no internal IT staff or have a staff that is not skilled enough to maintain the software and hardware that is essential to their daily operations.  These reasons have prompted many companies to investigate some level of outsourced managed IT servicesas opposed to the overhead and cost of hiring additional full-time staff.  The benefits of this approach are many as outlined below:

 

• Reduction and predictability of IT operations costs
• Lower facility costs (hardware, power, real estate, etc)
• Lower training and hiring costs
• Lower support infrastructure
• Lower personnel costs
• Lower administrative overhead

 

Many offerings are typically available, depending on the businesses needs, and in many cases, services can be provided in a remote fashion that has a very low footprint on regular, daily operations of the business. 

Finding an Infrastructure Management company that understands your business needs will greatly reduce the stress and pitfalls that happen with managing your IT environment so you can focus on running your business.

 Contributed by Patrick Connolly, Help Desk Analyst