Assist with Policy Development for Client Support
●UNIT DESCRIPTION
This unit defines the competence required to receive,
review and carry out change requests, while utilizing
a change management system according to client
requirements.
●LEARNING OUTCOME
LO1: Review change requests
LO2: Modify system according to requested changes
LO3: Train on the use of modified system
LO1:Review change requests
Definition of Terms
●
Client Support
●
Help Desk Operator
●
Policy and Procedures
●
Service-level agreements
●
Client Log Form
●
Client Compliant Form
●
Change Request Form
●
Organizational guidelines
●
User or technical documentation
LO1:Review change requests
Definition of Terms
●What is a Client Support?
●
Client support is a service that computer and software
manufacturers, and other third-party service companies, offer
to clients.
●
For personal computer products, the following are common
client-support options:
mail-in service: repair your equipment if you mail it in.
carry-in service: repair your equipment, but you must
deliver it to a local service site.
On-site contract: For a monthly or annual fee, a
repair person will come to your site to fix problems.
Hot lines: Many software manufacturers provide a
phone number that you can call for advice and trouble-
shooting.
LO1:Review change requests
Definition of Terms
●Continued…
•
What are the problem areas in your sector (ICT) that
need Client Support issues?
● Client Support is typically provided for
Hardware and software faults
Networking problems (including login problems)
Email and Internet problems
Consultation on purchasing information technologies
Installation and configuration hardware
Training needs
Printing problems
Software installation and upgrade.
LO1:Review change requests
Definition of Terms
●What is a Help Desk Operator?
●
A help desk operator is simply a person who handle phone call of
client’s problems and more or less has organized idea of how to solve
the problems that come in.
●
A Help Desk operator is the one in charge of recording/logging
client support request and enter them into a centralized database
program that is designed to track client support requirements.
●
A Help Desk is someone who help the customer to fix there
problems or who gives support.
●What are the options that client request support?
● Clients may request support :
●
By calling a telephone or by email
●
They may come in person /coming to office/
●
They may fax
LO1:Review change requests
Definition of Terms
● What are the most important skills needed for Help
Desk Operator ?
● Good Communication Skill
● Active listening skill
● Technical skill
● Customer handling skill
● Courteous and Professional manner
● Following call handling processes
● Following organizational rules and regulations
LO1:Review change requests
Definition of Terms
●What is a Policy and Procedures ?
● Policies are clear, simple statements of how your organisation
intends to conduct its services, actions or business. They
provide a set of guiding principles to help with decision
making.
● Policies don't need to be long or complicated – a couple of
sentences may be all you need for each policy area.
● Procedures describe how each policy will be put into action
in your organisation. Each procedure should outline:
•
Who will do what
•
What steps they need to take
•
Which forms or documents to use.
● Every client interaction should be guided by the policies
and guidelines of the organisation.
LO1:Review change requests
Definition of Terms
●What is a Service Level Agreement (SLA)- ?
●
Service Level Agreement (SLA)- is a legal agreement / contract between a
service provider and a client detailing the level of service that is provided,
usually including what is covered, what is not covered, the response time
for resolution. It describes the responsibilities and liabilities of all parties
involved.
●Some of the contents of an SLA usually include the following:
●Response-time guarantees (often based on the type of call and the SLA)
●Equipment and/or software that will be supported
●Where service will be provided
●Preventive maintenance
●Diagnostics
●Part availability (equivalent parts)
●Cost and penalties
●Time of service availability
LO1:Review change requests
Definition of Terms
●What is a Client Request Log Form?
●
The Client Request Log Form is a form that is used for recording details
of client requests.
What is a Client Compliant Form?
●
This document is used to handle any complaint a Client may have in
respect to any investment and additional services provided by the
Company
●
A client complaint is “an expression of dissatisfaction on a client's
behalf to a responsible party”
●What is a Change Request Form ?
●
The Change Request Form is a form to keep track all requests related to
new features, enhancement requests, defects, changed requirements, etc.
●
A change request is a document containing a record for an adjustment of
a system.
LO1:Review change requests
Figure 1: Typical Client Request Log Form
Data required Entry
Log number:
Help Desk Operator’s name:
Date and time of client request:
Client’s name:
Client’s contact details:
Section and location:
Problem logged:
Date and time problem occurred:
Computer/peripheral affected
Impact of the problem on operations/business:
First line support provided (if any):
Escalate to support staff? Yes/No
Support staff request details: Date and time reported:
Name of support staff:
LO1:Review change requests
Figure 2:
Typical
Client
Complaint
Form
LO1:Review change requests
Figure
2:
Change
Request
Form
LO1:Review change requests
Definition of Terms
What are Organizational guidelines?
●Organizational guidelines are policies how the company doing its
business or providing services.
●The Organizational rules and regulations can contain:
•
how to answer the telephone call to a client,
•
how to document client requests and how to provide follow up
to clients.
•
personal use of emails and internet access,
•
content of emails,
•
downloading information and
•
accessing particular websites,
•
opening mail with attachments,
•
virus risk, dispute resolution,
•
document procedures and templates, and
•
communication methods and financial control mechanisms
What is ICT policy ?
●
ICT policy is the document that outline the acceptable use of
information and communications technology (ICT) resources of a
company.
●
It enables employees and other authorized individuals to perform their
jobs effectively and efficiently.
What are the purposes of designing ICT Policy?
●The ICT policy is designed to:
●
Help all individuals (e.g. employees, visitors, contractors, Facilities users
etc.) understand the ways in which they are / are not allowed to use the
ICT systems;
●
Help maintain the security, integrity and performance of the ICT systems;
●
Minimize both the company and individual users' exposure to possible
legal action arising from unauthorized use of the ICT systems;
●
Set the minimum standard for acceptable use across all company ICT systems
LO1:Review change requests
What are ICT systems and facilities included in ICT
policy?
●
The Policy applies to all ICT devices and includes:
Server s
Desktop computers
Portable devices such as laptops and mobiles
Personally-owned devices connected to a company network
the Internet
e-mail (all forms)
electronic bulletin boards and social media
Internet Relay Chat, Instant Messaging etc
file sharing by whatever means
network resources.
LO1:Review change requests
What is ICT Security policy ?
●
The purpose of this document is to outline the security procedures
that are enforced within a company.
●
ICT Security Policy included:
1. Network Access
a. User Identification and Passwords
I. Each user is allocated an individual user name and password. Logon
passwords must not be written down or disclosed to another individual. The
owner of a particular user name will be held responsible for all actions
performed using this user name.
II. Staff must notify the IT Help Desk when moving to a new position or
location within Survey Analytics. This ensures that the necessary setups to
provide fast access to the most appropriate mail and file servers can be put in
place. another role where this access is not required.
III. Management must notify IT of staff changes that might affect security. An
example of this would be an individual who has access to restricted confidential
client information and moves to another role where this access is not required.
LO1:Review change requests
Continued…
IV. All user accounts have the following password settings:
1. Minimum password length of 8 characters;
2. A combination of alpha, numeric and punctuation should be used;
3. Users are forced to change their passwords every (insert number) days;
4. Users cannot repeat passwords;
5. Accounts are locked after (insert number) incorrect login attempts.
V. Passwords must not be easily guessed (i.e. names, months of
the year, days of the week, usernames, etc. must not be used as
passwords).
Access to Survey Analytics Information
What is ICT Security policy ?
●
The purpose of this document is to outline the security procedures that
are enforced within a company.
●
ICT Security Policy included:
LO2:Prioritizing client support
requests
Identifying relevant guidelines for prioritizing or rating
client requests
● There should be some mechanism used to
prioritize service request that come from clients.
● In many organizations there are rules and policies
that govern prioritization issues.
● The most important factor taken into
consideration is:-
Business Critical System – the interruption of such system
directly affects the production, profit of the organization
or the business. It results in bankruptcy, frustration,
disappointment etc
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Urgency of the service requested
● Some client support requests will be allocated a high
priority, as they involve critical IT functions which
cannot be carried out until the problem is resolved.
Extra resources may have to be allocated to high priority
support needs, and the progress of these support needs
to be closely monitored.
1. The most common ways of prioritization mechanisms
are using the following general guidelines but its best to
respond to all requests as quickly as possible.
1. High Priority: - high priority is given where the business critical
system has got a problem. A significant number of people are
affected by an issue, a customer’s computer crashed, the
network server is down, a virus attack, or there is a
security concern.
Example:
● The user is unable to login; the computer crashed; a customer’s
account is locked or the password needs to be reset; a computer
has been infected by a virus; an entire student lab is down; if
the network is inaccessible
2. Medium Priority: A single customer is affected by a problem but is
still able to work, or there are problems with a service but it is still
functional.
3. Low Priority: Routine or maintenance tasks.
Example:
● A customer asks “how to” questions or requests
new software installations or computer set up. The
department requests account creations or updates,
directory changes, or new file shares.
Referring requests to appropriate person or department for
assistance
This stage is the step at which we refer client support
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requirements to respected technician or department to give
the support
The priority of a support request is based upon its
severity and impact to an individual, a functional unit, or the
organization.
Priority levels help to determine which requests require
more immediate attention and assist in providing the
best possible service as quickly as possible to our clients.
All support requests are serviced in order of the
priority assigned to them. This means that at any given
moment, a higher priority request may require more
immediate attention than lower priority request.
If you feel that a support request’s priority needs to be
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escalated(more serious), contact the staff
