The help desk software adopted
by American Airlines FCU is also used to archive all service
request histories for reporting and reference purposes,
proactively identify recurring problems, justify the
headcount in the 22-person MIS/help desk department, and
manage IT projects ranging from switching budget systems to
outfitting new offices. Weekly reports generated with the
software shape everything from productivity evaluations of
each IT staff member to establishing departmental
priorities.
"Our help desk software has
become a vital tool for managing and optimizing our IT
operations," says Jesse Davis, MIS supervisor over
operations for American Airlines FCU, the eighth largest
credit union in the country with $4 billion in assets. "We
literally live by it."
Resolving Problems Efficiently
The help desk package that American Airlines FCU uses is
HelpSTAR from Help Desk Technology Corporation, Mississauga,
Ontario, a problem management solution selected by the
credit union because it combines broad functionality, ease
of use and rapid out-of-the-box deployment with self-help
features that speed problem reporting and resolution. The
credit union was able to roll out the software in just a few
days in May 2000 with no customization, and bring the first
users on line almost immediately.
At the most basic level,
HelpSTAR has helped American Airlines FCU's MIS team
efficiently manage an expanding IT workload that today
averages 350 pending jobs at any given time. The system
organizes and streamlines problem handling through a variety
of strategies.
Users can log their own service
requests directly into the program, send an e-mail request
that is automatically converted into a help desk ticket, and
check the current status of any call through a self-service
Web interface—all features that minimize IT staff phone
time. Both end users and the MIS team can consult a "best
solutions" database to quickly find answers to common
problems, in some cases allowing do-it-yourself fixes that
require no staff intervention. The software generates alarms
to alert staff to new service requests and other
developments to keep work moving.
Improving Daily Operations
Beyond its basic function of helping the credit union keep
track of which IT fires staff are fighting on a daily basis,
HelpSTAR supplies crucial reporting capabilities that assist
the credit union's staff in both weekly and long-range
planning and service improvements. Every Monday, the MIS
management team reviews reports analyzing the previous
week's closed and in-service calls by factors such as
requesters, problem types, priority level, handling time and
support rep assigned to the job. This aids in time
allocation for the upcoming week.
In addition, longer-term reports
are used to uncover patterns indicating systemic problems
that may need special attention. With more than 21,000
historical calls now in the HelpSTAR database, American
Airlines FCU has been able to use the trends identified in
these reports to reduce the need for daily troubleshooting
in certain areas. For example:
- A pattern of repeated
complaints about slow network response times revealed by
the reports prompted the credit union to invest in network
monitoring equipment that detects most network problems
before they affect users.
- Recurring problems on
newly installed equipment led IT managers to create two
standard build guides providing step-by-step instructions
for installing and configuring PCs/workstations and
servers.
- Frequent user difficulties
with locating some of the 300 daily reports that the MIS
department produces on core credit union operations
triggered extra user training on how to find reports in
the CU's imaging system.
Facilitating Project Management
Over time, American Airlines FCU also has discovered that it
can use HelpSTAR to track and manage major IT initiatives
unrelated to calls for help from individual users. These
projects range from implementing a new collections module to
migrating the organization from dot-matrix to laser
printers, transitioning to a new UNIX operating system and
provisioning each new branch office with data circuits and
computer equipment.
Each project is broken down into
discrete components that are entered into the help desk
program as separate calls, and all correspondence on a given
project is documented in the call log. Tracking projects in
this way has simplified efforts to establish accountability,
set priorities, manage multiple projects simultaneously and
complete projects on schedule.
"Before we purchased HelpSTAR,
we tried to track calls and projects with an internally
developed database system, but it didn't work well even for
basic tasks like logging service requests," says Bob Barry,
American Airlines FCU network manager. "Help desk software
has changed the way we work in multiple ways, and all for
the better. We consider it the ultimate management tool."
Gemma Young is product
manager for Help Desk Technology Corporation,
Mississauga, Ontario.
|
