FAQs: Forming the Help-Desk Knowledge Base
July 2006
Brian Summerfield
One thing that any experienced help-desk professional can tell you is that they have to deal with the same issues over and over again. For these circumstances, it helps to have a frequently-asked questions (FAQ) list on hand that details both the problems and solutions.

  Price Points: Charging for Customer Support
June 2006
Brian Summerfield
For IT problems large and small, end users usually can rely on the help desk for a fix. However, as indispensable as it might be, no one really wants to pay for this service. Here are a few suggestions for figuring out how to charge for the help desk without alienating your customer base.

  Helping the Helpers: Setting Standards in a Support Staff Department
May 2006
Patrick Evans
The support-staff industry, or more specifically the help-desk industry, is such a vague industry that finding a common problem amongst its employees is difficult in itself. Help-desk staff answers questions on everything from forgotten passwords to complicated network administration problems or more specific hardware-specific questions.

  Working With End Users Toward an Effective Solution
April 2006
Brian Summerfield
In a perfect world, every call you took from end users would involve them asking you a simple, straightforward question and you responding with a simple, straightforward answer—case closed. But it’s hardly ever that easy. It’s frequently a non-linear process that entails taking two steps forward, then two steps back, then another two steps forward, and so on.

  Making House Calls: On-Site Assistance for Customers
March 2006
Cari McLean
Help desk and support is a core division of any business service and operation. It is responsible for bringing together multiple resources to address a problem or an issue. And because help desk and support users can be both external and internal, the function is vital to the success of an organization and the satisfaction of its customers. Here are some standard rules of etiquette that will surely help you put your best foot forward while offering assistance on-site.

  Compensation: How Does the Help Desk Measure Up?
February 2006
Brian Summerfield
A reader who wrote in recently said the help-desk role was one of the most underrated in the IT industry. I couldn’t agree more. These patient, hard-working and knowledgeable professionals often don’t get respect from their peers, despite their capabilities. Although it’s hard to quantify respect, compensation and salary can indicate someone’s place in the pecking order of an industry.

  Help Desk’s Greatest Hits: Some of the Most Amusing Requests and Inquiries
January 2006
Bob Last
At Help Desk Institute (HDI), we deal with some truly brilliant men and women who leverage software and hardware for their businesses, customers and employees in ways that truly push the envelope. We call these interactions between humans, machines and software the “Human-Machine Interface.” While it’s always interesting and sometimes even exciting, it can also be hilarious. Those of us in the support profession have enough material to keep the writers for Letterman and Leno busy for years. Listed below are some of favorites that I’ve accumulated over the years.