Abstract The paper discusses what services a help desk can provide at Charles Sturt University. The paper provides an explanation concerning how these services should be delivered and an explanation as to who will benefit from its use and why, from both staff member and student perspectives. In addition, the paper provides a description of existing alternatives and gives some broad general cost comparison for these different approaches. A discussion of organizational issues that can reasonably be expected during the implementation of such a help desk service is followed by some examples of where this type of technology is already in use, and commentary concerning their respective successes.
Outline:
Services Provided by Typical IT Help Desks How Services Should be Delivered
Beneficiaries of Help Desk Service
Cost Comparisons
Examples of IT Help Desks Currently in Use and Their Respective Effectiveness
From the Paper "One major company that has used its IT help desk function to good effect is U.S.-based Convergent Industries of Atlanta, Georgia (hereinafter "Convergent" or "the company"). Today, Convergent provides a wide range of services to a number of Fortune 100 companies and delivers a comprehensive help desk function to its customers seeking information on a various company products and services. The company's current client list is comprised of various world-class organizations in the financial services, retail, automotive, and healthcare sectors (Corporate brochure, 2008). As to the success of the company's IT help desk service, Convergent's expanding list of clients represents a fundamental challenge for the help desk function because it means the company's marketing division is doing its job effectively and its software developers are providing state-of-the-art products and services that make Convergent's marketing function easier. Conversely, this increasingly diverse mix of clientele, products and services has created "
Abstract This paper examines how the term "help desk" refers to a body of an organization, such as a division or department, where calls regarding customer or client queries and problems are answered and taken care of. It looks at how, generally, a help desk is composed of personnel who have technical knowledge on the different aspects and areas of an organization's business and how it serves as a liaison between the company and its customers.
Outline
What is a Help Desk?
Functions of a Help Desk Human Factors Involved in a Help Desk Help Desk Technology and Tools
Reasons Why a Help Desk is Important
Effects of a Help Desk Scope of a Help Desk Evaluating Features Required
Determining Which to Use
Evaluating Vendors
Evaluating Products
Negotiating with the Vendor
Support and Warranties
Fitting into the Existing Infrastructure
Installation on a Network Server and Client PCs
Collecting Data
Design
Procedures and Policies
User Training and Education
Obtaining Feedback
Improvement Measures
ROI
From the Paper "Help desks oftentimes use different available technologies to help them manage their purpose of assisting and helping customers. The help desk technology that is mostly available in the market is the use of software applications meant for help desk. For instance, a problem tracking software that documents problem calls is useful to a help desk in recording problems and identifying problem trends. Having this, it allows the help desk management to develop and formulate the necessary solution to such problem. An example of this kind of software is Central Connecticut State University's HEAT. Following is CCSU Online's definition of HEAT's purpose."
Abstract The object of this paper is to define the characteristics and motivations of companies looking to increase the performance of their help desks by expanding beyond the areas of a web-based portal to a more multi-channel based approach. According to the paper, these multiple channels include enabling web self-service, intelligent routing and real-time chat. The paper aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on the topics of help desk strategies in the context of broader multi-channel services strategies, by implementing the following three criteria: correspondence criterion, coherence criterion and pragmatic criterion. The paper concludes by providing recommendations to companies looking to adopt help desk service strategies.
Outline:
Research Thesis
Problem Definition with Research Questions/Hypotheses
Literature Review/Appropriate Background with Primary and Secondary Data, Theoretical Basis for your Proposed Research Project
The Role of Technology in Self-Service
Proposed Research Methodology with Rationale
Data Collection Methods with Rationale, Including Population, Sampling
Ethical Method Description
Describe Quantitative (statistical) or Qualitative or Mixed Methods of Analysis with Rationale
Validation and/or Verification Methods Proposed, with Rationale
Method of Communicating Report Results with Rationale
From the Paper "The intent of this first phase is to accomplish the following tasks. First, the questionnaire will need to be fine-tuned based on how respondents perceive the questions. Completing the survey with a few respondents in person will assist in finding areas where the questionnaire can be improved. Secondly, there are issues and concerns that may not have been covered in the questionnaire, and in this phase, these considerations will be discovered. Finally there is the issue of capturing the nuance and areas of emphasis respondents have on specific projects. Having this face-time with respondents is critical for all these reasons."
Abstract This paper presents a case study concerning the company, Convergent, and its help desk department that provides customer assistance services, in particular. The paper surveys the personnel on a small help desk regarding the causes of turnover and the impact that leadership styles and motivational factors have on turnover to meet the help desk staffing needs while improving company profits. Lastly, the paper asserts that identifying appropriate and effective leadership techniques for a specific workplace setting may be reasonably expected to help improve a company's profitability while reducing or otherwise mitigating the incidence of employee turnover.
Outline:
Introduction
Statement of the Research Problem
Definition of Key Terms
Brief Review of Literature
Methodology
From the Paper "Because employee turnover is inevitable and its impact and costs are well known, identifying the most effective leadership methods to reduce it to the extent possible readily translates into money saved for a company as well as improved morale and effectiveness among employees (Koestenbaum, 2002). According to Lamb and McKee (2005), 'Everyone, individuals and the organization, will get the most from an enterprise when all commit as much human and hard capital to the endeavor as they can. . . . Satisfied employees care more about customer satisfaction, cooperate more with each other, and apply more effort' (p. 8). At Convergent, help desk employees are required to be continually recruited and a bank of potential employees is kept at the ready to meet unexpected losses; to the extent that the company is able to retain its existing employees, then, is likely the extent to which ongoing recruiting efforts could be minimized and the effectiveness and esprit de corps of the company's existing help-desk workers maximized."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that to partner with and increase the efficiency, profitability and reputations for responsiveness and accuracy of your valued clients through a continued and passionate commitment to fulfilling their outsourced help desk and customer service needs is the main purpose of the Learning Team Company's website. The writer maintains that for the Learning Team Company to be successful with their website initiative, there must be a strong foundation within the core business model first. The writer maintains that this must include accountability, transparency and visibility to clients on a 24/7 basis of how their outsourced help desk projects are performing.
Outline:
Statement of Purpose
Customer Service Mission
Web Host Selection
Website Content Development
Website Differentiation
Attracting and Retaining Potential Customers
Global Exposure of the Learning Team Company Brand
Conclusions and Recommendations
From the Paper "Learning Team Company's customer service mission is to become the new standard by which online help desk providers are evaluated, specifically through the use of analytics of call center results, including periodic call center users' levels of customer satisfaction. Our mission is to deliver the most efficient and economical virtual help desk services for our clients, strengthening this mission through the use of SLAs based on agreed measures of performance with our clients. In addition to based on our contracts on the actual results achieved relative to SLA performance levels, transparency through the use of analytics applications that have dashboards viewable by clients over the Internet makes the Learning Team Company unique."
Abstract By fully understanding what is entailed with a position, one can better fill the position with the correct candidate, as well as better facilitate that person's performance, and reward the person more effectively when a job is done well. This paper analyzes the position of front desk receptionist. It describes the job, conducts a job analysis, describes testing that may be appropriate for this position, overviews methods of employee performance evaluations and details an employee training program for this position, giving an accurate picture of this position and what it entails.
From the Paper "The position being analyzed has the title of Front Desk Receptionist. Their tasks involve greeting organization visitors, answering the telephone, taking messages when appropriate, sorting mail, and a variety of other secretarial tasks, such as copying, typing, and faxing, as needed by other organizational members. The machinery involved is standard office equipment, including: computer and peripheral hardware, fax machine and copy machine. This position is directly supervised by the office manager, although tasks may be received from any of the other office staff, and has no subordinate employees."
Abstract Within this work the demonstration of the ability of the front desk receptionist to engage in and be a member of the management is discussed. The writer points out that this important member of the communications team must be carefully selected, driven to achieve trust and develop ways in which to effectively lead the hub of the client-corporation, and colleague-colleague communication center to better serve the group and the whole organization.
From the Paper "As a dynamic member of the management team of any office the front desk receptionist is the hub of organization in any office setting. Acknowledgement of the importance of this position has become increasingly important, as technology is proven a poor replacement for the real representation of a front desk receptionist, either by phone or in person. It is often said that without the support staff's presence in the office those they helps organize are unable to work, wasting time fielding questions that could easily be answered by the receptionist or administrative assistant and constantly looking for things which the support staff would easily be able to find."
Abstract This paper analyzes both sides of the issue on the use of non-MLS library personnel to staff the reference desks of college libraries. It discusses the growing complexity of skills and new technology needed to manage the reference. The author explores the difficulty of recruiting professional librarians for the reference desk.
From the Paper "Examination of professional position announcements in the field of library science shows that many libraries are looking for people with educational requirements in lieu of the traditional ..."
Abstract This paper explains that the purpose of the proposed qualitative study is to survey the staff of a small help desk at a company named Convergent, regarding the causes of turnover and the impact leadership styles and motivational factors have on turnover. The paper relates that the literature review indicates that more research is needed to help identify employees at risk of quitting and to implement broad-ranging programs, which foster a sense of team work and a shared sense of purpose on the job. The paper then reports that the mixed methodology for this research will include an extensive literature review, case studies and a survey. An annotated bibliography is included with the paper.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Statement of the Research Problem
Purpose of the Study
Research Questions
Significance of Research
Definition of Key Terms
Brief Review of Literature
Causes of Employee Turnover
Table 1. Four Paths to Employee Turnover
Impact of Employee Turnover on Small Businesses
Reducing Employee Turnover
Summary
Methodology
Approach to Research
Data Collection and Analysis
Ethical Assurances
From the Paper "Because employee turnover has been recognized as a serious problem for many companies, the topic has received an increasing amount of attention in recent years. The studies to date have shown time and again that just as it is more profitable for companies to keep the customers they already have instead of trying to find new ones, it is in almost any company's best interests to retain their existing employees to avoid the enormous costs and adverse impacts typically associated with employee turnover. The costs associated with unreasonably high levels of turnover have been well documented."
Abstract This paper discusses how like everything else in life, the Internet has its darker side and how the developing countries experience it more than the developed countries. In particular, it examines how certain countries in Asia are dealing with theses negative impacts. The countries looked at are Malaysia, India and the Philippines and how they are dealing with the digital divide; Thailand, India and China and how they are dealing with exclusion by language; and Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam and Singapore and how they are dealing with cultural pollution.
Outline:
Abstract
Table of contents
Chapter one - Introduction
1.1 Background
1.2 Problem statement
1.3 Objectives
1.4 Research Questions
1.5 Relevance of the Research
1.6 Scope and Limitation
1.7 Research Methodology
Chapter two - Literature Review
2.1 Early History of the Internet: The First Twenty Years
2.2 The Internet and Developing Countries
2.2.1 Internet Statistics - Host Distribution and User Demography
2.2.2 Cost and Fees
2.3 Positive Impacts of the Internet on Developing Countries
2.3.1 Education and Research
2.3.2 Health
2.3.3 Job Transfer into the Third World
2.4 Negative Impacts of the Internet on Developing Countries
2.4.1 The Digital Divide
2.4.2 Exclusion by Language
2.4.3 Cultural Pollution
Chapter Three - Methodology
3.1 Introduction
3.1.1 Nature of the Research
3.1.2 Cost
3.1.3 Accessibility
3.2 Advantages of Library/Desk Research
3.3 Disadvantages of Library/Desk Research
3.1.3 Accessibility
3.2 Advantages of Library/Desk Research
3.3 Disadvantages of Library/Desk Research
Chapter Four - Findings
4.1 Dealing with the Digital Divide
4.1.1 Malaysia and the Multimedia Super Corridor
4.1.2 India and the Software Technology Parks
4.1.3 The Philippines and her Plan to Bridge the Digital Divide
4.2 Dealing with Exclusion by Language
4.2.1 Thailand
4.2.2 China
4.2.3 India
4.3 Dealing with Cultural Pollution
4.3.1 Myanmar (Burma)
4.3.2 Vietnam
4.3.3 Singapore
Chapter Five - Summary of Findings, Limitations of the Study, Suggestions for Further Research and Conclusions
Summary of findings
Limitations of the Study
Suggestions for Further Research
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "In the Philippines, it is a similar story as that of Malaysia and India, in that the government is involved in the attempt to bridge the digital divide. In 2001, Macapagal-Arroyo's administration proved that it was serious about using information and communications technology to eliminate poverty. The president allocated an entire chapter of her economic agenda to bridging the so-called digital divide (Calimag, 2001). The Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Dante Canlas said that in the medium term, the Philippines government was committed to address the digitally disenfranchised, that is those who do not have access to computers. The government, he said, would address the continuing disparities in access to high-quality technologies. He stressed that in order for the country to live up to its goal of becoming a software development center and e-services hub of Asia, it had to strive to give firms and households access to quality information in real time. "
Abstract "In Edmund Goulding's Grand Hotel (1932) the main set, the hotel's lobby, has a circular reception desk at its center. Around the desk Cedric Gibbons designed a bold pattern of alternating black and white squares that resolve into increasingly extended diamonds as the pattern turns into a vortex with the desk as its center.
From the Paper "In Edmund Goulding's Grand Hotel (1932) the main set, the hotel's lobby, has a circular reception desk at its center. Around the desk Cedric Gibbons designed a bold pattern of alternating black and white squares that resolve into increasingly extended diamonds as the pattern turns into a vortex with the desk as its center. Circular movement around the hub of the desk is the guiding structural principle of the film. This principle literalizes the desk's allegorical standing as the center around which the characters' lives revolve. The film's metaphor of the gigantic urban hotel as a microcosm of life relies on this central point of reference. The Grand Hotel itself is an enclosed world--the scenes are seldom enacted outside it and are always attached its exterior. The building, especially in dramatic process shots of its internal balconies..."
Abstract Introduction to BP
BP's Virtual Private Network (VPN) and its Intranet.
BP's eBusiness strategy
E-Procurement
E-Desk E-HR (Human Resources)
B2B Operations (Business to Business)
B2C Operations (Business to Customer)
Final Comments and Conclusion
From the Paper "BP always understood that market efficiency and success required articulate technology and the corresponding use of e-commerce. In July 1999, Sir John Browne CEO embarked on the mission of the digital transformation of BP. He was quoted as saying, " We needed to respond to the new opportunities presented by digital business and perhaps even more importantly, tackle the challenges presented by the new players in the marketplace.""
Abstract This paper examines the under representation of women in the law enforcement occupations as compared to women in many traditionally male jobs. The paper states that despite laws such as affirmative action, the presence of women is uncommon in higher-ranking offices such as sergeant or commissioner. It describes that women officers are often sexually harassed, receive lower pay in relation to men in their position and are often passed over for advancement for a male even if they are equally or better qualified. The paper offers methods to help reduce disparities if implemented correctly, such as enacting diversity education and training, actively recruiting, retaining and promoting female employees as well as providing a means of support for female officers will result in increased efficiency and employee satisfaction for the department as a whole.
From the Paper "Occupations in law have traditionally been reserved for men. It was considered too dangerous, too risky and too difficult for women, women who did enter law enforcement were often times given desk jobs. Even during the 1960's when women began to enter the job market with a vengeance, women were still persuaded from pursuing law enforcement occupations. Even today, there remains a disproportionate amount of females in such occupations. Additionally, the few women that are in these fields face various obstacles that include discrimination and harassment on the job. The plight of women in law enforcement can be compared to the plight of women in the corporate world, as both face similar obstacles and circumstances."
Abstract The paper discusses how the distinctive lines which determine control and influence between technology and humanity are often smudged. Since the release of the desk top computer, society has been effected to a similar degree to which it has been served. The paper examines how computers used to be limited to large corporations, to run only the most complicated tasks. Today, they are used in almost every aspect of our life. The paper looks at the affect of the internet on our social habits, where a person is no longer at risk of being directly rejected if their ideas are outside of the social norms. In the event of a hostile response, the "Delete" key is never far away. The paper shows that this oxymoron can drive our culture toward increased isolation, or it can cause the recognition of our need to socialize, to build intimate personal interaction, and to share life with others. It questions whether technology can guide society toward shallow e-lives, or whether culture will insist that it remain the servant, constantly climbing out of intoxicating isolationism.
From the Paper "In her book, The Real World of Technology, Ursula M. Franklin argues that technology has a disruptive effect on humanity. Her assertion is that if left-unchecked technology will eventually destroy society as we know it. She continues and contends that for society's sake, people must question everything before accepting new technologies into their world. In the book, Franklin's argument urges people to come together and participate in public reviews and discuss or question technological practices that lead to a world that is designed for technology and not for society. Franklin, however, seems unable to realize that the influx of technology and society's greater dependence of it may just be another step of evolution. Just as humans grew out of the ape and the hammer out of the twig, so to may the children and their tools of tomorrow grow to become something greater than even we can imagine."
Abstract This paper investigates three computer related jobs and cites the niche they have created in the market for employment in the IT sector. The jobs are:- Help desk Technician, Graphic Designer, and Web Developer.
