Assisting The Help Desk:
A Supplemental Solution for a Major University’s IT Department
The number one benefit of technology is potential; but when it is difficult or confusing to tap into that potential, we call the superheroes of the technology world: the IT help desk.
At the university, the IT help desk, among other things, assists staff, students and faculty with making pivot tables, operating Microsoft applications and using other software. With an extraordinary amount of support given over the phone, the staff at the desk spends 80 percent of its efforts answering calls and the other 20 percent responding with walk-in support.
As valiant and proficient as their efforts are, an added element has recently improved the way they troubleshoot: Solo Learning’s web-based DigitalQRC.com (patent pending).
Solo Learning is a Houston-based firm providing solutions for high-growth businesses in need of increasing performance and eliminating obstacles for success. As one ideal solution for the university’s efforts, Solo suggested the use of DigitalQRCSM at the help desk. The fast and practical web-based tool designed by Solo Learning allows users to customize the content by creating step-by-step instructions, learn shortcuts and gather tips in a quick reference card (QRC) format.
The easy-to-use, online application allows the help desk staff to log in, select the areas of interest from its extensive database and plug them into ready-made templates for printing or e-mailing. Exclusive to Solo Learning, this custom publishing tool is unlike any other product available in the market. With the ability to assist with a multitude of subjects like Microsoft Office programs and soft skills – such as e-mail etiquette – the digital QRCSMs were a perfect supplement to the help desk’s operation. Callers may now phone-in, request help with specific tasks and receive verbal and visual aid from the digital QRCSMs the staff sends over the internet. Plus, the next time help is needed in that same application, the caller has the www.digitalqrc.com to refer to.
The university’s lead IT trainer and e-learning administrator, says the DigitalQRC.com is an excellent enhancement for their computer training classes as well. Students, faculty, staff and alumni in good standing can attend the free, instructor-led classes and receive pre-printed digital quick reference cards as handouts.
The university has approximately 25 people on their help desk answering about 4,000 phone calls a month. While all these calls are not software related, quite a few are answered with the assistance of digital QRCSMs. With the IT Training department having 25-30 classes a month with 14 seats per class, the administrator estimates giving out 2300 QRCs in just the last 10 months. “The reaction from the class participants has been very positive,” the administrator states. “Some people tell me that they hang them on their cubicle walls for quick access. Since the classes fill up within two days of the registration opening date, it’s clear the Solo Learning digital QRCSMs are an important part of the university’s effort to improve performance, create new skills and expand our production potential.”
