We Won't Be Getting a Christmas Card from Them this Year - Kenyon College's Client Support Transition

Name: Mike Ossing & Christy Rigg

Institution: Kenyon College

E-mail Address: ossingm@kenyon.edu or riggc@kenyon.edu

Title of Presentation: We Won't Be Getting a Christmas Card from Them This Year - Kenyon College's Client Support Transition

Format: Paper Presentation

Suggested Audience: People who have made changes to their client support operation, people who are making changes to their client support operation, people thinking about starting a client services operation

Presentation Outcome:

1. Follow the path Kenyon has taken

2. Nap for 20 minutes

Presentation Content:

Help desks take many forms. At Kenyon College, we've always approached the task of providing customer support with a professionally staffed HelpLine, available for telephone, e-mail, or walk-in problem reporting during regular business hours, with e-mail/voice mail to capture problem reports when we're closed. However, the growth of distributed computing on campus and the raised expectations of our clients, have led us to search for a new model for the HelpLine and new solutions to service provision. Do we hire on students to provide extended support hours? What do our clients really think about us (hence the title) and the service we provide? How can we provide the best client support, in the most efficient manner? Shouldn't we be working at McDonald's (it's less stressful)?

I.	Introduction

II.	Restrospective
	A.	History (brief)
	B.	Centralized legacy systems and support
	C.	Evolution to distributed computing
	D.	Departmental growth

III.	X Marks the Spot
	A.	Current organization	
	B.	Staff
		1.	Professionals
		2.	Student	
		3.	Computer Record Supervisors
			a.	By Design and Ad Hoc
	C.	Problem Reporting
		1.	Sources
			a.	Telephone
			b.	E-mail
			c.	Walk-in
		2.	Procedures
			a.	First level resolution
			b.	Escalation
	D.	Communications
		1.	E-mail
		2.	In Person

IV.	Where Do We Go From Here, George?
	A.	Departmental Restructuring
		1.	Merging ICS and the Library under 1 VP
		2.	Cross-organizational training
			a.	Faster response to "simple" problems
	B.	FIT Report (Future of Information Technology)
		1.	Recommendations
	C.	Consultant's Report
		1.	Revelations
		2.	Recommendations
	D.	Trustee's Challenge
		1.	Recommendations
	E.	Student Staffing
		1.	Strongly opposed
		2.	Surprised us
V.	Conclusion