How to Manage the IT Help Desk

Are you overworked, unappreciated and under-resourced? This book understands you, and provides years and years of User Support experience packed into one volume. The 'How To' book that every IT department needs, it will help turn your helpdesk into a company asset. How to be successful at probably the most stressful job in IT

This book offers tools for measuring productivity and features ten key steps for successful support, while User Support successes and failures are revealed in true life case studies.

This book gives you techniques for:

*Justifying staff and other expenditure

* Gaining senior management support

* Getting the users on your side

* Running a motivated and productive team

* Designing and managing services and service levels

The second edition of this popular book brings updates to several of the author's ideas, strategies and techniques with new material on:

* Customer Relationship Management - definition and the role of the helpdesk

* E-Support and the Internet

* Contrasting the Call Center and the Helpdesk

* first, second and third line support

* Operational Level Agreements

* Strategies for backlog management

* Telephone technologies in user support

In addition there is:

* A new Template for a Service Level Agreement

* An Improved cost justification model for the Internal Helpdesk

* A New cost justification model for the External Helpdesk

Table of Contents

What is 'support'? - Defining Computer User Support; Support as an IT function; Forms of support; Typical support structures; Support functions; Client Management - What is a 'customer'?; What do they want?; Prioritizing clients; Keeping in contact; Customer service in IT support; A view from above; Marketing the Support Department; Service Management - Analysing service needs; Putting services in place; Excellence in support service; Service level agreements; Support from outside; The international dimension; Workload Management - Reactivity and proactivity; Managing the queue; Delegation and escalation; Measurement and reporting; Controlling the workflow; Resources Management - Justifying user support expenditure; Knowledge; Equipment; Staff Management - The ideal support person; Motivation and productivity; Staffing and structure; User support management considerations; Bibliography; Index.