Helpdesk - PC replacement routines
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Being newly appointed administrative head of a PC support team I must firstly stress that I am out on a limb here, not being technical at all.
However I have noticed that my team (yes short on resources and we are hiring) spend a lot of time on PC installations and replacements, helping the users settling in on their new device.
All new PCs are preinstalled at our PC vendor and with the most common SW already in place. However it is not unusual for our supporters spending at least an hour helping the users with configuring mail etc..
My management finds it in order as they argue it saves time for the end users. I am just wondering/hoping there were a better/faster way to get the users settled in. Note that this is not related to data but all the local UI and application settings, shortcuts etc.
Again I apologize if this is not the right forum to ask. Any directions most appreciated.
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@annalynnetech perfect place to be asking. Welcome!
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@annalynnetech said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
All new PCs are preinstalled at our PC vendor and with the most common SW already in place.
Typically this just gets in the way. Not many vendors that are good offer this and going it yourself (your internal team) is generally really easy. Just a thought.
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@annalynnetech said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
However it is not unusual for our supporters spending at least an hour helping the users with configuring mail etc..
That's not uncommon. The helpdesk is generally a bit of a customer service function and helping users settle in takes time and is a big part of IT's value to an organization. Being efficient matters, of course, but if I was a CIO and you told me this number I wouldn't take it as a negative, necessarily. Seems totally reasonable.
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@annalynnetech said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
I am just wondering/hoping there were a better/faster way to get the users settled in. Note that this is not related to data but all the local UI and application settings, shortcuts etc.
Really depends on what they are doing. Would some automation tools or similar help with making what your team does happen faster or more reliably? You might be able to speed it up some. But hand holding end users is totally normal.
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@annalynnetech said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
Being newly appointed administrative head of a PC support team I must firstly stress that I am out on a limb here, not being technical at all.
However I have noticed that my team (yes short on resources and we are hiring) spend a lot of time on PC installations and replacements, helping the users settling in on their new device.
All new PCs are preinstalled at our PC vendor and with the most common SW already in place. However it is not unusual for our supporters spending at least an hour helping the users with configuring mail etc..
My management finds it in order as they argue it saves time for the end users. I am just wondering/hoping there were a better/faster way to get the users settled in. Note that this is not related to data but all the local UI and application settings, shortcuts etc.
Again I apologize if this is not the right forum to ask. Any directions most appreciated.
I think you should have two different procedures.
The first for installing and configuring the users computer. That should be done before the users even sees it. It's now 100% ready to go.
This should be done with automation, meaning scripts that does things automatically so you don't have to do the same work over and over again.
The second is for hand holding the user.
Here you could save some time by making making a few introduction videos that shows the things that users usually ask about or need to know.
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@scottalanmiller said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
@annalynnetech perfect place to be asking. Welcome!
Thanks
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@Pete-S said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
The first for installing and configuring the users computer. That should be done before the users even sees it. It's now 100% ready to go.
We do receive the PCs deployed through SCCM and joined to our domain, remotely through VPN as I understand it.
This was arranged by my predecessor and is maintained by the Infrastructure technician team.However I cannot help thinking there's a way to, so to speak, lift of the users "identity", settings, shortcuts etc., and move it over to the new PC.
To make sense it would of course have to be simple to do and reliable. -
You need a user migration tool and I’d definitely go with EhlerTecs “User Profile Central” management console.
With it your supporters can simply pick up the users entire profile from their PC over LAN (Local Area Network) and place it on the users new PC, prior to the user picking it up.
– The time spent for the supporter is virtually just minutes.And there will be very little to do when the user arrives to pick up their PC, as Desktop, background, Shortcuts, browser favorites etc. is already in place.
We used USMTGUI, a local migration tool also from Ehlertech, for years but now mainly use User Profile Central.
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The Helpdesk team exists to be a human shield for users. Your main job is keep users away from the rest of IT. Customer service and user support is the job. Since your Helpdesk should be made up of entry level with fair turnover, I'm not sure you're gonna ever be efficient nor is that really the goal.
I started in Helpdesk as did many others I've met in higher IT positions. The employees that you have that are really good are not meant to stay there too long. If your company doesn't have the foresite to promote top performers, they will just leave and go somewhere else.
The TLDR is Helpdesk is supposed to be a a human shield for IT. It should be a starting place for aspiring IT professionals, and if they are knowledgeable enough to improve these processes they won't be around long (one way or another).
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@IRJ said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
The Helpdesk team exists to be a human shield for users. Your main job is keep users away from the rest of IT. Customer service and user support is the job. Since your Helpdesk should be made up of entry level with fair turnover, I'm not sure you're gonna ever be efficient nor is that really the goal.
I started in Helpdesk as did many others I've met in higher IT positions. The employees that you have that are really good are not meant to stay there too long. If your company doesn't have the foresite to promote top performers, they will just leave and go somewhere else.
The TLDR is Helpdesk is supposed to be a a human shield for IT. It should be a starting place for aspiring IT professionals, and if they are knowledgeable enough to improve these processes they won't be around long (one way or another).
@IRJ What you say makes perfect sense.
Wouldn't you agree that replacing a PC is at least a two stage process? One where you get the new computer and get it 100% ready for the user. And another where you would handhold the user - if they need help. And only the second one would actually be a helpdesk job.
If I understand correctly, the actual problem that @annalynnetech have is that the PC isn't ready to go when the end-user get it.
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@IRJ said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
The Helpdesk team exists to be a human shield for users. Your main job is keep users away from the rest of IT. Customer service and user support is the job. Since your Helpdesk should be made up of entry level with fair turnover, I'm not sure you're gonna ever be efficient nor is that really the goal.
I started in Helpdesk as did many others I've met in higher IT positions. The employees that you have that are really good are not meant to stay there too long. If your company doesn't have the foresite to promote top performers, they will just leave and go somewhere else.
The TLDR is Helpdesk is supposed to be a a human shield for IT. It should be a starting place for aspiring IT professionals, and if they are knowledgeable enough to improve these processes they won't be around long (one way or another).
That said, some people like the interaction and choose to stay there. But that's not the norm. But even then, it's a customer service role for sure and "performance" will always be difficult. In fact, you might dislike performance if it means less human interactions with end users.
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@Pete-S said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
@IRJ said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
The Helpdesk team exists to be a human shield for users. Your main job is keep users away from the rest of IT. Customer service and user support is the job. Since your Helpdesk should be made up of entry level with fair turnover, I'm not sure you're gonna ever be efficient nor is that really the goal.
I started in Helpdesk as did many others I've met in higher IT positions. The employees that you have that are really good are not meant to stay there too long. If your company doesn't have the foresite to promote top performers, they will just leave and go somewhere else.
The TLDR is Helpdesk is supposed to be a a human shield for IT. It should be a starting place for aspiring IT professionals, and if they are knowledgeable enough to improve these processes they won't be around long (one way or another).
@IRJ What you say makes perfect sense.
Wouldn't you agree that replacing a PC is at least a two stage process? One where you get the new computer and get it 100% ready for the user. And another where you would handhold the user - if they need help. And only the second one would actually be a helpdesk job.
If I understand correctly, the actual problem that @annalynnetech have is that the PC isn't ready to go when the end-user get it.
Yes it's definitely a two stage process. In most companies it would be separate teams and you'd even have levels at a large Helpdesk like tier 1, 2, and 3.
If I were to walk in a situation and the two things were combined, I would probably split the employees up and assign some to desktop builds and tier 2 support when they aren't doing builds. Then I'd have tier 1 guys reading a script basically and if it goes too far beyond that they escalate to tier 2. I would do these even if I only had 2-5 employees.
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@scottalanmiller said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
@IRJ said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
The Helpdesk team exists to be a human shield for users. Your main job is keep users away from the rest of IT. Customer service and user support is the job. Since your Helpdesk should be made up of entry level with fair turnover, I'm not sure you're gonna ever be efficient nor is that really the goal.
I started in Helpdesk as did many others I've met in higher IT positions. The employees that you have that are really good are not meant to stay there too long. If your company doesn't have the foresite to promote top performers, they will just leave and go somewhere else.
The TLDR is Helpdesk is supposed to be a a human shield for IT. It should be a starting place for aspiring IT professionals, and if they are knowledgeable enough to improve these processes they won't be around long (one way or another).
That said, some people like the interaction and choose to stay there. But that's not the norm. But even then, it's a customer service role for sure and "performance" will always be difficult. In fact, you might dislike performance if it means less human interactions with end users.
Yep. I've seen it. There's one guy that I worked with that just loved everything about Helpdesk. Far more capable than the desk. He could be working with servers, cloud, etc. He just decided he loved what he was doing and stayed there for many years. I kept in touch for many years beyond us working together and he was always there. Big fish in little pond so to speak, and I think he likes that.
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@IRJ said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
@scottalanmiller said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
@IRJ said in Helpdesk - PC replacement routines:
The Helpdesk team exists to be a human shield for users. Your main job is keep users away from the rest of IT. Customer service and user support is the job. Since your Helpdesk should be made up of entry level with fair turnover, I'm not sure you're gonna ever be efficient nor is that really the goal.
I started in Helpdesk as did many others I've met in higher IT positions. The employees that you have that are really good are not meant to stay there too long. If your company doesn't have the foresite to promote top performers, they will just leave and go somewhere else.
The TLDR is Helpdesk is supposed to be a a human shield for IT. It should be a starting place for aspiring IT professionals, and if they are knowledgeable enough to improve these processes they won't be around long (one way or another).
That said, some people like the interaction and choose to stay there. But that's not the norm. But even then, it's a customer service role for sure and "performance" will always be difficult. In fact, you might dislike performance if it means less human interactions with end users.
Yep. I've seen it. There's one guy that I worked with that just loved everything about Helpdesk. Far more capable than the desk. He could be working with servers, cloud, etc. He just decided he loved what he was doing and stayed there for many years. I kept in touch for many years beyond us working together and he was always there. Big fish in little pond so to speak, and I think he likes that.
We've had staff like that. Pure gold if you find them. Someone actually happy with "what they are doing."
