IT support- Understanding it's necessary before taking it
Published on 19 December 15
Daniel1
The advancement of the internet, cloud storage and the complexity of the supporting computer software have ensured that all IT professionals have been kept busy. Most businesses now have an IT department and it is responsible for keeping the company running smoothly; usually without being seen. It is an essential part of any firm and should be seen as a part of the business, not a necessary add-on. There are several ways in which links between the IT department and the rest of the company can be improved;
The ticket system
This is becoming common practice in many bigger firms. Every query to the IT department will automatically be given a ticket number. This ensures the person with the query knows it s being looked at and gives the IT department a guide as to which order the queries should be looked at. The ticket system can be automated so that every person filing a query has a ticket number and can watch the progress of their request. If this is not feasible, the next best thing is a dedicated email address for internal queries.
Emails
If you are very general with your query the IT department will need to ask for more information before they can look into any issue. This can result in several emails going backwards and forwards throughout the day, culminating in the problem remaining unsolved until the next day! You should focus on putting all the relevant information into one email; you will speed up the process and save the IT personnel a lot of time.
FAQ & forums
A good way of dealing with problems is to create a FAQ page on your internal website. IT technicians can upload notes regarding common queries and how to solve them. These notes can then be accessed and used to save disturbing the IT personnel unnecessarily. If you are part of a larger firm you may wish to create a forum where staff can discuss issues and use their combined knowledge to find a solution. This can save a considerably amount of the IT departments time.
Companies must understand that time is money
To avoid complaints or issues it is best for the IT personnel to send a brief message to the person raising the query. This message should acknowledge receipt and give an approximate time frame for it to be resolved in.
Offer feedback
An IT department which provides the staff with the opportunity to feed back on their performance and the quality of their solutions will be far more engaged with the staff. This will ensure the staff is more supportive and understanding when it comes to issues in the future.
The easiest way of achieving this is to provide a feedback request within the notification that the issue has been resolved. The service offered to your colleagues is improved as you have told them the issue has been fixed and they have an opportunity to tell you how the service could be better next time.The importance of IT for a business
The IT department is often the backbone of a business, without it the business would not be able to operate. Unfortunately this means that when there is an issue, it is the IT department which bears the brunt of everyone’s frustration. This should never be accepted, there should be a zero tolerance policy in force to ensure the happiness of all staff.
Keeping things professional is perhaps the best way of avoiding an abusive situation. Every member of the IT department should be professional at all times. This is particularly true when dealing with other employees within the company. Being polite, friendly and as helpful as possible will ensure your colleagues return the favor.
IT departments determine the level of security of your company’s security systems from all sorts of threats, viruses and cyber-attacks. The role of IT is to manage threats, as well as be there for you in case an unexpected attempt to breach your network occurs. Unfortunately, not many companies can afford to hire skilled IT professionals. As an alternative, you could turn to outsourced IT support services, which are more convenient but equally professional.
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