Help Desk Outsourcing

A help desk will check and troubleshoot the problems occurring in computer and the similar products. A team well informed in the information technology will attend the customer calls and help them by finding, analyzing and eliminating common problems in their computer applications. Outsourcing means to transfer a previously handled in-house business function to an external provider or a third party. This transfer of an organizational function will also be done to a third party placed in a foreign country and is called as offshore outsourcing.

Corporate companies will have their own in-house help desk that is responsible for checking and troubleshooting the problems occurring in computer and the similar products and applications being used in the company. But the new trend grew in the recent years is help desk outsourcing. That is to give the organizational functions to the outside help desks. The help desk outsourcing has its own limitations, but it is preferred by many, if not all, companies. The outsourcing will definitely bring measurable benefits to some companies. The main benefit of the help desk outsourcing is that the functions can be given to a specialist and focused provider.

Corporate companies know the necessity and importance of an in-house help desk. It is well-known that a standard in-house help desk can make the working of the company smooth and in meeting deadlines. It is very much necessary to keep a well-informed in-house help desk. Poor provision for the help desk will adversely affect the firm. It would be difficult for the in-house help desk to perform the work load every time. In such instance the necessity of depending of outsourcing help desk will arise.

The help desk does the following tasks:

• They do customer services like email and telephone abilities to respond to the customers? needs.
• Troubleshooting by gathering information, evaluating and providing solutions.
• With their knowledge on the overall systems they can do system maintenance, supporting workstation and perform security services. As the help desk needs to learn the new technology as soon as it is invented, they will know the very recent developments in the technology. That helps them to perform tougher tasks.
• With their knowledge to present the technical information which if recruiting the most unhelpful people in the world and sitting them at the front line, on our service desks! I don’t go along with this view. As someone who used to have direct responsibility for recruiting service desk staff, I believe we staff the desk with bright, enthusiastic and motivated people. So where does it all go wrong from there?

  Firstly, front line support is largely a thankless task. It takes a special kind of person to really do it justice. Resilience is certainly imperative, and it’s something most support people internalise and continue to build up lashings of as a consummation of the day-to-day perils of being in the front line.

  However, being a good support person needs more than resilience. There are a number of very important factors that will help you in your pursuit of great staff and ultimately an acclaimed service desk.

  Lets face it; the staff we recruit can’t uniformly be ‘useless.’ I concede that we don’t always get it right but why is it that we frequently hear such utterances about our staff? As IT managers, if we recruited them, we must surely have chosen them in preference to other hopefuls because they demonstrated an appropriate level of skill, common sense and probably because we quite liked them. What happened in the meantime? Does the very act of working on the service desk debilitate your skills?

  I would suggest not! I was a service desk manager for many years and I am passionate about service desks. For me, there is a formula for creating a great team and it requires a lot more that making sound staffing choices and being a good manager.

  The issue is habitual in many organisations. Let’s face it - as either a stakeholder or user of a service desk, we tend to expect a lot and give very little. I know the old adage ‘its better to give than to receive’ but the poor old service desk would have to be wearing their underpants on the outside of their clothes to have any sort of chance of getting it right!

  The key is senior management commitment and passionate line management. I know, I know…You’ve heard it all before, but let’s face it if you don’t choose the right people, pay them the right salary, train them, give them the correct tools for the job and most importantly provide them with the autonomy they need, how can they ever provide the kind of service your users expect? Choose the right people!

  Let’s be honest, for a start, we sometimes pick the wrong people in the first place - fledgling graduates, people looking to get into IT or temporary staff. Does that ring any bells? For me it sets off the chimes of despair! Really good service desk staff need a whole range of skills, many of which cannot be internalised by ‘just anyone!’

  We want them to be good communicators, active listeners, have excellent troubleshooting skills and be able to manage our incidents and requests from start to end. That’s a formidable set of requirements. Our expectations are high; we need to make sure we don’t choose people who have only a small chance off satisfying those prerequisites.

  So, why not just choose good people? Well, there are two reasons. Very often, a role on a service desk is not highly valued. It is often viewed as a ‘necessary evil’ – something to be endured, a first step into the more technically skilled and rewarding 2nd and 3rd line support roles. The result is that most people don’t want to sit on a service desk for any great period of time. Why? Well, because they expect it will get boring and fundamentally that kind of role is never venerated. For most people that’s not going to ‘cut the mustard’ when they are trying to establish a sound career path.

  Pay them appropriately

  The second reason that we sometimes get the wrong people is that many organisations don’t pay their Service Desk staff well enough. Good service desk staff should be commanding the same salaries as you pay your desktop engineers or other 2nd line internal support teams. If you start to pay the right salaries, you get good people and also send a very clear message to your users and to other support staff; the service desk people are at least as important as they are!

  Support tools and technologies

  My third real annoyance about the way we treat our service desk staff is that frequently we don’t give them the tools to do the job. A computer and telephone does not a service desk person make! You expect them to be able to answer the phone promptly and courteously, understand and translate your request, prioritise it appropriately, resolve it and if not send it to someone who can, and quickly. Throughout this process you want regular updates, an escalation source if it doesn’t go to plan and before it’s resolved (in a timely fashion) you want to be able to accede suitable closure. Furthermore, where the incident has been significant, you expect some assurance that someone is going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

  Do you still think the telephone, the PC and a paper file of scribbled hints and tips will avow the service desk to manage that lot? Again, not without the underpants!

  In reality a good service desk needs the correct level of investment. I mean tools, information, business knowledge, and the correct level of technology. Our service desk staff may not need to be technical gurus but we do expect a certain level of skill because, as well as being able to resolve some incidents, it gives the service desk a fighting chance of understanding a user request and elucidating it into something meaningful so that someone else can resolve it.

  As users of the service desk we also expect them to know who we are and not ask us the same ten questions each time we call for a simple request. Give them a good customer database, preferably a configuration management database to refer to, so they will be able to obtain this information, understand who you are, what you do, what technologies you use and how quickly you need to get your issue resolved.

  In addition, if you want a good first time fix rate, you need to provide knowledge of the requests and incidents your service desk receives as well as mechanisms that allow them all a consistent ability to affect a resolution. Diagnostic scripts, frequently asked questions (FAQ’s), a ‘known error’ database and diagnostic tools are also excellent ways to help in elevating that first time fix rate.

  Training

  Make sure that as well as the technical skills that they may need that they know your business. I don’t mean those limited snatches of information retained from their induction day; they spent most of that longing for the free buffet and wondering when the Chief Exec was going to stop extolling the virtues of the company. I mean get them involved in your initiatives and projects, let them test your new applications, train them to use the most critical systems, make sure they spend some time with your vital business functions and make this an ongoing activity.

  Respect

  Give them some! A great way to allow your desk staff to earn it is simple. Make sure that key people in each department and your senior mangers are obliged to spend at least one day a year on your desk. Thereafter they will hold your staff in high esteem. Believe me; nothing sharpens the mind to the plight of the service desk like the experience of

Help Desk Services

Any production, supplying, banker, manufacturer, sales company or any customer oriented organization takes care of customers. The business concerns are competing with their competitors. They are competing with product, quality as well as service providing. When customers are paying for, they also want all in one stuff i.e. quality, support, delivery and service. So who is there to serve customers? They are help desk executives. The help desk provides technical as well as non technical helps to the customers. In broad sense help executives are two types, general and specific. General support services are provided for customer satisfaction, relationship building, retaining customer for future deals etc. Where as the specific supports are installing product or device, technical aspect, trouble shootings, warranty coverage, regular servicing etc. The help services are provided either by the direct company or outsourced to the third party company. Whoever is the help service provider, it has to appoint a number of help desk executives for different customers. Help desk service executives are trained by the first companies. They update the knowledge, technology to the support executives, so that they can aware and guide to the customer.

The process of help desk service starts from the training, knowledge sharing among the support service members. They know the database of customers, product, and service methods. They have adequate infrastructure for communication, sitting arrangement, computers, internet, tools etc. for customer service. A team has to work under a supervisor and they provide each service under a quality check. They maintain record of services, client feedback, issues etc. This record helps them as different case studies for future support.

Help desk support center has a Knowledge Base that is a searchable library of useful information, records of resolved case, frequently asked questions (FAQs) and other support information. They use this knowledge for new customers studying the old cases from the record. The service proving practice makes an executive expert in a particular domain.

The media like internet, telephone, online desk charting help a lot to the support providers and customer. A simple email from help desk can solve a problem of customers any of the world. KoreOne has been providing the help desk concept, jobs, resources, about customer service companies, who hire help desk executives.

Shakir A, independent writer for IT Recruiting and Staffing Services / IT Technical Professional Staffing Services, Jobs,Business,Consultancy, Recruiting and latest trends in hiring industry at San Jose, California and near by city/ states.Visit http://www.koreone.com

A Help Desk is a System Designed to Help and Support

A help desk is a system designed to help and support an end-user of a particular product. The help desk system provides information and helps solve technical questions on how to use the product. In today world, many help desks are web-based. Users can go to a company help desk website and find answers to a particular question or problem about the company product.

What is Help Desk?

A help desk is an information and assistance resource that troubleshoots problems with computers and similar products. Corporations often provide help desk support to their customers via a toll-free number and/or website. There are also in-house help desks geared toward providing the same kind of help for employees only.

An easy-to-use help desk that helps organizations automate their customer service and IT support processes to deliver consistent, reliable and superior service to both internal and external customers. A help desk can also be used internally. In all organizations, employees encounter problems with their computers, printers, and other machines. Help desk software helps Information Technology departments manage, sort, and track service requests using the most efficient methods. The results of implementing a help desk are lower overhead costs and higher employee satisfaction and productivity.

Browser based help desk solutions are much less expensive then most existing systems. You can likely purchase a browser-based help desk solution for a price of a single year's maintenance fees of an existing help desk system. When considering purchasing a help-desk solution, it is advisable to establish how long the help desk product has been on the market and how many people are using particular help desk product versions. The other solution is software-based help desk in which the same consideration must be kept in mind.

A help desk solution is becoming a necessary part of business. Whether for a small startup or large Fortune 500 organization, a help desk can support customers, employees, and suppliers. The help desk will ensure the effectiveness of the company and ensure smooth company operations.

Keep in mind several things when looking to a help-desk solution:
? Who will be your customer on the help desk?
? What is your help desk budget?
? How fast do you need a help desk solution?

Qualities of Customer Service

So what does quality customer service involve? The following ten points illustrate the basics of developing good relations with your customers:

1. Let your customers know that you appreciate their business by thanking them.

2. Remember: a customer who feels valued is more likely to come back for seconds!

3. While it is very important that you?re Customer Service Representatives are polite and cheerful. A response of "I know exactly how to assist you" will have a far greater impact than a polite "I do not know anything about that".

4. Check and be sure that your packages are arriving within the promised time frame.

5. Customers appreciate honesty. If you promise something, you had better be able to deliver on it. Otherwise, you will be doing your business a great disservice. People are far more likely to repeat stories about poor customer service than top notch customer service. Its human nature -- we expect the best!

6. If a mistake has been made or a customer is dissatisfied with the product or service they have received, take ownership of the problem and assure the customer that their concerns are valid. Show them that you are willing to work with them to solve the problem.

7. Be sure that your customers can easily contact you 24 hours a day, seven days a week by phone, fax, or e-mail.

8. A quick response to a casual inquiry will appear professional and therefore establish credibility. As for responding to customer complaints, think of it as damage control! The faster you respond, the more likely it is that you will be able to both repair the mistake and restore the customer's faith in you.

Overall, your goal should be to create a quality service experience. Help desk is a call center that handles questions about products. The term most often refers to technical support centers for computers/software.

As for the information being available is that when the help desk is accurately and speedily handling all of its calls, the entire business is more productive. This boosts profitability and also promotes customer satisfaction. It is simply not possible to run a help desk efficiently without the use of sophisticated software.

Posted by: Marketing Team Call Centers India Inc,

We at http://www.callcentersindia.com are providing you the resources to everyone in the Call Center Arena. This site is designed specifically to fulfill your information needs regarding call centers with special reference to Indian Call Centers and offshore call centers. http://www.callcentersindia.com?

Help Desk Software For Small Businesses

When profits go down, the first area in which a small business may want to save money is its help desk. This type of frugality has its costs, however, in the form of long call backlogs, angry customers, and eventually even lower profits. A better option would be to improve the efficiency of the help desk in order to ensure even better service at a lower cost. One of the best ways to accomplish this task is by purchasing help desk software to streamline operations.

There are a variety of help desk software packages on the market. Among the most popular are Support Wizard, Parature, and FootPrints. Help desk software can assist the small business owner in comprehensive, adaptable problem resolution including generating and tracking tickets, responding to requests, and automating communications using outlets such as through calls or email. Help desk software is particularly useful for small businesses in which key personnel often travel, because it can allow access to the help desk over the Internet.

In case you think it?s too expensive, consider the costs to the customer of a software-less help desk:

o Time wasted deciding where to go for help.
o Time wasted on hold for customer support personnel.
o Time wasted reading through dense product manuals.
o Time wasted through poor procedures and practices.

Ultimately time wasted for the customer will result in dissatisfied customers and poor business performance. Direct costs to your business may include:

o Lower employee productivity when staff is called away to assist.
o Duplicated support efforts.

Nevertheless, be prudent when considering the purchase of help desk software, because not all packages are appropriate for small businesses. Some packages include hidden charges such as frequent updates, so it would be a good idea to find out what updates are expected and how frequent they occur. Nevertheless, think carefully before going to the other extreme and using free help desk software available on the Internet ? these packages usually have serious limitations and are appropriate only for very small operations. Nevertheless, small businesses should choose software with a relatively small number of features. Keep it simple because it?s unlikely a small business will need every feature of a complex product, so why pay for it?

Support Help Desk Software For Small Business

Help desks are now a fundamental and core part of good business service and operation. However, addressing the tricky issues, selecting the right tools, and managing the help desk correctly can actually be a very daunting task.

Typical help desk software functions include Helpdesk software systems range in complexity from basic ticket logging to fully integrated CRM systems, recording and tracking of support requests, reporting and service management and more, These are usually an automated benefit of the helpdesk application.

Sky Blue Support Help Desk Software (SBS) is is a flexable and strong CRM solution that puts you in control of your customer support needs. SBS uses the very latest technologies, to provide you with an efficient and easy to use Customer Relations Management Tool.

TSC2 Help Desk 4.1 provides a suite of integrated tools for managing a technical support department. It includes work order management, equipment inventory, scheduling, reporting, network auditing and a web interface. The software tracks all work order management system tracks all work requests and support issues, from computer errors and user-requested enhancements, to hardware and network upgrades.

LanHelpdesk 06.08.04, This stand-alone helpdesk solution is based on end-users submitting wizard-based Trouble Tickets directly from their computers. Users select from any of a large number of common computer problems, each of which requires the user to answer a series of relevant questions about the selected problem type. As the Trouble Ticket is sent, the local computer is automatically inspected, and dozens of relevant pieces of information about the user and the computer are attached to the Ticket.

LBE Desktop Helpdesk 4.0.152 is uses industry-standard databases like Access, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. Many reports are supplied. If you need more, you can build your own using any of the available reporting tools. You can group records and change fonts and colors.

DBS Help Desk 1.5a, This comprehensive tool lets IT support staff manage requests, computers, peripherals and program inventory. It is Web-enabled, so it lets users submit support request using Web browser.

QUAD Help Desk 2.5, Multi-user ready at no additional cost, this software provides basic functionality that does not require consultants to help you install and learn the program. Your CSRs will be able to record, search, update and report on calls about your products or services within minutes of installation. In addition, if you install the HTTP server on a PC with a static IP address, you won't have to install the Windows software on the computer. The Windows software includes wizards for querying and reporting on calls recorded in the database.

These Software provide a scalable, customizable, easy-to-use solution for your business. Help Desk software for Small Business provides a computer helpdesk or/and web enabled help desk solution, helping you to improve customer service and automate your customer service.
Software Reviews and Downloads Customer Support SoftwareLBE Desktop Helpdesk

 

How Help Desk Software Can Benefit Your Business

There is no small organization or large corporate network remaining in business for longer without an adequate customer support service for troubleshooting.

Customer Support Software and Help Desk Software are useful aids to manage your communications with both actual customers and potential clients. This type of software help you centralize email inquiries, live chat sessions, and online issues among other activities.

A typical Help Desk Software package often includes a convenient way to record issues received by phone, as well as those submitted via online support ticket system.

Help Desk Software also contributes to enhance interaction between staff and customers, providing them with top-notch technology that usually comprises knowledge and problem management, workflow, data analysis and reporting of issues submitted each day.

It does not really matter if your business is as small as less than three people working hand in hand, Customer Support Software and Help Desk Software will create the necessary aura of professionalism that your business needs.

Detailed reports and analytics are basic to tackle effectively all those issues handled by your Help Desk Software on a daily basis, but the software itself contributes also to develop teamwork efficiently.

Taking advantage of modern technologies, Help Desk Software enables Staff to Staff live chat, and it can also be configured as add-on package for other compatible Customer Support Software.

When it comes to determine which is the most adequate software for your company, experts recommend evaluating your present technology and consider an upgrade if necessary to make sure your chosen Help Desk Software is compatible with your business system.

There are software packages expressly developed to work under certain native operating systems that run on personal computers, such as Windows, Linux or MacOs.

However, numerous Help Desk Software packages are developed as scripts that run basically over an Internet Server, while others combine both,a server-side Customer Support Software, and a Help Desk Software client running from your PC or used for remote administration.

Furthermore, doing a research on a comparative basis among the different customer support solutions available in the market you will find that many of them are compatible with software that you already use, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, or Excel.

This characteristic allows a seamless integration of new Help Desk Software into traditional software applications you are familiar with, making easier updating contacts, sharing task, events, and bits of information already recorded elsewhere.

Just by adding Customer Support Software or Help Desk Software to your business, you are adding value to your products and services, promoting tacitly trustworthy and customers? confidence.

While Customer Support Software is focused to provide assistance to your clients whenever they have a trouble or need something to ask for, Help Desk Software is aimed to offer a global solution to manage different aspects of you relationship with clients and staff interaction.

Help Desk Software improves productivity of your business and efficiency of your workers, increasing also customer satisfaction and improving communication and troubleshooting.

There is another fact to keep in mind talking satisfaction of your customers. The Internet has literally diluted geographical frontiers so if your business is online, it's more likely that international customers approach you.

Whether national or worldwide, the implementation of Help Desk Software is an excellent strategy for any business, reducing the need of toll-free hotlines, and saving money in long distance calls between offices, or those calls placed from customers located abroad.

In the other hand, if you are running a conventional telephone support, the installation of Help Desk Software onto your system will lead you to identify those areas requiring more attention or substantial changes to improve performance and boost your sales.

Customer Support Software is also a convenient way to obtain feedback from users of this system. Afterwards, the information obtained can be added to your Help Desk Software database for further analysis and improvement of your business affairs.

Act now and let that your Help Desk Software reveal you the secrets of customer satisfaction contributing to your success.

John Bennet is the owner of PerlDesk, a company that provides customer support software and help desk software. http://www.perldesk.com was launched in November 2001, and has since become a leading product in the help desk field.

Help Desk Support

Help Desk Support comes under the priority level of job category. All most all the industries need a support and service division to satisfy and retain their customers. So their customers will be clients for them for a long term business. For an example, a Computer manufacturer is selling computers to thousands customers, and neither providing the technical support nor general help. In this case, they cannot generate new customer by any chance. The help desk support teams are deployed to support customer in various places for physical presence, tele-calling, email support.

Help desk support to customers is a third party business. Suppose a software company developing and selling to customers locally, regionally or worldwide. They outsource this customer support service to another company. This company recruits help desk professionals, train them and make them ready for customer service for the manufacturer company.

The presence trend is technical support rather than general. People are enough educated and aware about any general issues. They can solve themselves or bit instruction from the help desk team. But when the technical issues come in, they hardly can meet the issues solved. The help desk team has to provide complete support in any level. This is the main job for them. The desk help professional has to go certain process and methods to solve the customers.

The nature of the help desk job is quite interesting and challenging too in a very special wok environment. The job gives rapid career growth and opportunities. Beginners have many paths of entry to these occupations. Job prospects are best for fresheners who are up to date with the latest skills and technologies. Certifications and practical experience bring better opportunities.

The booming fields of help desk services are computer, IT, Telecommunications, finance. As computers have become an integral part of everyday life, technical issues also have become the part of every day life. The help desk professionals are only people who solve the solution at home, in the workplace, at schools. They provide advice to users as well as for day-to-day administration, support and maintenance of computer systems and networks.

Computer support specialists provide technical assistance, support, and advice to customers and other users. This occupational group includes technical support specialists and help-desk technicians. These troubleshooters interpret problems and provide technical support for hardware, software, and systems. They answer telephone calls, analyze problems by using automated diagnostic programs, and resolve recurring difficulties. Support specialists may work either within a company that uses computer systems or directly for a computer hardware or software vendor. Increasingly, these specialists work for help-desk or support services firms, for which they provide computer support to clients on a contract basis. For more articles please visit : www.koreone.com

Help Desk Technician

Technical help desk support services is confined to the technical related support for software, IT, telecommunication, logistic, medical, electronics, electrical, home appliances and many more consumable products. Once the customer purchased the product from the dealers, they have to provide the help desk services for the sold product till the condition satisfied. Technical services are provided for genuine customer under certain terms and conditions. The help providers are basically technically qualified and deputed for customer orientation. Behalf of the direct company or service Provider Company the technicians have to work for customers.

Career in this profession is bright for talented people. There are plenty of opportunities come from different companies everyday. IT and software companies have major quantity of opportunities come up because of computerized modern society. The software and IT applications have been dominated each every sector. The technician has to support for computer operation, software troubleshooting, installation, network problems, and internet connectivity and so on. Many qualified people realizing the necessity of a technician in the technical environments. They want to convert themselves to technicians. Nowadays technicians are providing support online, telecommuting or help forum to the problem being described. They diagnose the trouble listening on telephone and solve the problem instantly. The call center organizations are doing the similar job in broad view being a third party service provider for a manufacturer. The Help Desk technician help customer from the front lines, middle layer of back office. They answer by tele-calling, email or chatting and obviously on the spot services if required.

Technicians must have good communication as well as technical domain expertise; because they supposed to give support any level of help to the customers. They should be well versed with the documentation, making help instructions, conveying style and process. They have ability to update every time with the technical knowledge. They should love information gathering and sharing of knowledge.

If Help Desk technician is experienced, there are lots of job openings are required. They have an ability to troubleshoot and resolve related problems, to work both independently and in a team. They should have strong written & communication skills, be available to work off days, be willing to travel customer sites. They should have a minimum exposure to coordinating or implementing of new technology and convergence.

The Help Desk Technician's must understand the end users interface with the product and common issues occurrences in the product. Problem resolution involves diagnosis, and help request tracking tools, as well as require that the individual give in-person, hands-on help at the desktop level.

Responsibilities: Helpdesk technician are responsible for answering incoming support calls, emails, online chatting. They have to provide efficient, strong customer support behalf of the company.

For more articles please visit : www.koreone.com

Help Desk Training

Training, Qualifications, and Advancement in Help Desk support services are as important as other job sectors. Because of wide range of skills required, the education in this service is mandatory for an entry to this job. For an example, the candidate has to work as computer support specialist or systems administrator whatever may be, the genuine education and expertise is must for an efficient support. There is no universally accepted way to prepare for a job as a computer support specialist, but most of the employers prefer to hire persons with some formal college education. A bachelor's degree in computer science or information systems is a prerequisite for some jobs; however, other jobs may require only a computer-related associate's degree. For systems administrators, many employers seek applicants with bachelor's degrees, although not necessarily in a computer-related field.

Before going to make career in a specific field like Help Desk support executive, technical expert, instructor, teacher, trainer education on the particular domain is must. Some essential skills are highly required for effective support or management. There are various tools and methods for help desk professionals. Hence, an extensive training is required for the customer service providing process. Training on work process, technology, communication, relation building and sustain. These are various genuine training organizations and mentoring teams provide training on the help desk profession.

Technical training: Training on Telecom services, voice & data networking technology concepts, call center service, call center math: the top ten calculations to know (online web seminar), call center technology, beginner's guide and online web help, building and improving and performance contact center.

Besides technical session there are general session on how to optimize help desk center, implementing six sigma in the help desk services, strategic planning for executives and technicians, management tactics, help desk center manager certification, managing a help desk improvement project, tools and methods for help desk managers, management skills for new employees in Help desk service are included in training sessions.

For business point of view the training includes topics like business skills for technical professionals, project management, help desk center leadership & business, supervision, coaching, and team leadership, help desk supervisor methods, metrics, and coaching techniques, monitoring & coaching for improved call center performance and motivating center employees.

For certification program, the customer support executives can go through leadership training & certification. Certification programs are based on foundation, service management, and practitioner certification on release and control management, support and restore availability management, capacity management, financial management, security management, service level management etc.

There are different institutions; they cover very worthy topics such as workforce management, managing human resources: tips and techniques to keep Help desk center agents available, workforce recruiting, screening, and hiring. Level of certification training programs are 1. Executive level, 2. Center Managerial level, 3. Help desk professional certification, 4. Customer support team leader training, 5. Quality assurance certification, 6. Domain or expert level certification.

For more articles please visit : www.koreone.com

Here are a Few Tips to Help You Trade More Effectively from Your Work Desk

Tip #1 - Do your research at home. Through either your own Internet access, or the daily paper, you can spend the time to follow your favorite stocks. This will give you the freedom to do additional research/analysis (if necessary) and thoroughly look at your picks to ensure that you have made the best decision possible in regards to making the investment. This will not only make you a more informed investor but will allow you to more quickly take advantage of opportunities that may occur during the business day.

Tip #2 - Use e-mail alerts. Most online brokers will offer alerts concerning your chosen stock and the major developments in which it is involved. The benefit of this arrangement is that it quickly sends the information you want straight to you and eliminates the need to snoop the web for that same data. This type of system is best used by those watching a specific stock(s) and who have a very specific time frame for buying and selling an individual investment. However, longer-term investors will also benefit as a dramatic rise and fall with news may help you decide on a new approach for a given stock.

Tip #3 - Be discreet. We recommend that you delete cookies from your terminal (for advanced users only), that you either do not bookmark sites or keep them at a site such as Bungo.com. This will avoid having them book-marked on your work terminal. You may also want to try trading from a wireless device rather than from your terminal. These devices while currently slower than dial-up access can be set up with the same features as your PC. Email alerts and realtime quotes are also available. Purchasing such a device would depend on the volume of your trading and the environment in which you work.

Tip #4 - Enter trade orders the night before. These orders will not be filled until the following morning's open. It is best to place a market order in these circumstances if you want to ensure that your order if filled. Otherwise place a limit order with a specific price and if/when the price of the equity matches your desired price the trade will take place.

Tip #5 - If you are close with somebody that is willing to do your trading for you then giving them directions and access to your accounts would allow you to leave directions with that person without the worry of doing those actions yourself during the day. However, these types of situations should only be done with somebody you trust and when you have very specific requirements (i.e sell if stock ABC rises past $0.70).

Tip #6 - Be prepared. Ensure that all the information you need/want is at hand and easily accessible. A list of the websites you use, a copy of your current portfolio and anything you feel is needed to make a quick, informed decision concerning your investments.

Tip #7 - If you cannot trade during the day, give after hours-trading a try. Firms like Swab and Fidelity will allow you to trade up to 8pm. Day trading at work can be a great way to reap the rewards of investing, so long as you make sure you are both informed and prepared to make decisions during the day.

Larry is a recognized authority on the subject of trading. For a FREE report on HOW TO TRADE FAST and a 2-week trial to Stocks2Watch?, visit: http://clik.to/stocks2watch

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Reduce Helpdesk calls by 20% and Improve remote worker support.

The helpdesk engineer's problem...

" These guys working at home are driving me crazy! They call me whenever anything is going slow - or they think is going slow - so I have to gather all their details and run through all the usual diagnostics I often find it's either a blip and no real problem, or that they've installed software that isn't even supposed to be on the PC. I understand they do need help, but I can't be with them all day... "

The home / remote worker's problem...

" I think my PC is running slow, or is it the Internet? I can call Helpdesk and get them to check it out, but it will take at least 20 minutes to do so. Last time they checked it out and said there was nothing wrong, I wish I had some help at hand just when I need it....." and here's the solution... Remote Angel? from NNT Remote Angel? is a unique solution designed to improve remote user experience and in doing so, reduce Helpdesk calls and support costs. Having Remote Angel? on board the remote PC gives the user added comfort when working remotely, enhancing productivity and reducing panic when things don't go to plan

Through the constant monitoring of PC and internet performance by Remote Angel?, a remote worker can immediately get a straight answer to their question - 'Is there a problem?" When a Helpdesk call does need to be logged, Remote Angel? will do this instantly. It will have already done all the time-consuming information-gathering and initial diagnostic checks a Helpdesk engineer will need, saving both the user, and engineer, time, and the company money

Is your network VoIP ready ?

Your network was not originally designed to carry high-quality voice transmissions. To deploy VoIP successfully you need to conduct a VoIP network readiness assessment first.

If you skip this important step your probability of difficult network challenges is greater than fifty percent. Eliminate deployment risk, cost overruns for upgrading networks and dissatisfied users by conducting a VoIP Network Readiness Assessment. Your business will thank you for it.

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Is your network VoIP ready ? Continued from page 1.

Your data network was originally designed to support e-mails, file transfers and deliver Web pages, not carry high-quality voice transmissions.

Voice traffic is very time-sensitive and can't be queued like e-mail or Web traffic. Delays up to a half hour for an e-mail or file transfer are generally not a problem, but delays of only a few hundred milliseconds can ruin a VoIP call, producing "choppy" conversations or dropped calls.

Before you know how much a VoIP deployment will cost and how successful it will be, you need to understand if your data network can carry high-quality voice transmissions. The odds are that a network upgrade will be needed to successfully deploy VoIP.

To ensure your VoIP deployment is successful and on budget, you need to find answers to these important questions before deploying VoIP:

* What type of VoIP MOS (Mean Opinion Score) call quality can I expect from my current data network for each business site? * Is network delay, loss or jitter the main problem impacting VoIP call quality, and how do I fix it? * How many concurrent VoIP calls can my network carry without impacting existing data services?

Knowing this information before deploying VoIP will ensure your success, but what is the most accurate and cost-effective method to obtain it?

To ensure your VoIP deployment is successful and on budget, you need to find answers to these important questions before deploying VoIP:

* What type of VoIP MOS (Mean Opinion Score) call quality can I expect from my current data network for each business site? * Is network delay, loss or jitter the main problem impacting VoIP call quality, and how do I fix it? * How many concurrent VoIP calls can my network carry without impacting existing data services?

Knowing this information before deploying VoIP will ensure your success, but what is the most accurate and cost-effective method to obtain it?

The fastest and most cost-effective way to determine your network's VoIP readiness is to conduct a Remote Network Assessment

The assessment quickly diagnoses all your network issues so that by the time you begin your VoIP deployment, you have a converged network that will carry high-quality voice transmissions.

The metrics and findings are used to create a detailed report summarizing the results of the VoIP assessment.

Organisations that skip this important deployment step experience poor call quality, dissatisfied users, cost overruns for upgrades and delayed deployments.

Shouldn't you be taking a serious long term view of your I.T. Security?

According to CERT just under 6000 security vulnerabilities were reported in 2005, the largest ever recorded annual jump. That's 500 new vulnerabilities every month, 115 per week, or 16 each day.

The majority of these vulnerabilities are targeting your business critical applications.

Firewalls can do very little to protect against application layer vulnerabilities.

The Solution: Our Managed Vulnerability Assessment Services.

To stay on top of these vulnerabilities and ensure they're not exploited take our annual managed vulnerability assessment service. Each month, or more frequently, we will run a comprehensive up-to-date set of non-destructive security tests to determine how vulnerable your key Internet facing business assets are.

Our monthly findings are presented in an easy to view HTML report that contains corrective actions, management overviews and executive trends.

Steve has over 20 years experience in I.T. and is currently Managing Director of Eurotek Networking Solutions Ltd.

www.euroteknetworking.com

Selecting Help Desk Software

Before you purchase help desk software, it is important for you to make sure you choose the best product for your needs. Before you can make the correct purchase, it is important for you to understand the background of the help desk software industry. If you are operating a small business or large company in this day and age, it is critical for you to support the technological needs of your customers. By doing this, you will increase their productivity, and they will reward you for it. Depending on the industry you work in, your ability to increase the productivity of your users will determine your profitability.

Because of this, it is important for you to make sure you find the correct help desk software. However, there is a problem that many companies run into at this point. The costs involved with acquiring these products can be high if you don't use the proper methods to acquire them. The goal of any information technology department should be to purchase the best help desk software for the lowest possible price. Once you have done this, you can put your company on the road to success. Many companies today have a small information technology budget, especially with the rise of outsourcing.

It is important to realize that you can acquire powerful help desk software no matter what budget you have. There is software available that can meet the needs of virtually anyone. The biggest challenge that companies will face is finding the right software to suit their needs. The large selection of software available can be overwhelming. Being able to sort through this large selection to quickly find the best software for the lowest price should be your goal. When you are looking to buy help desk software, it is important to avoid the sales hype that you'll often encounter. No matter which help desk software you purchase, they will also basically have two features, which may also be called faces.

One of these faces will interact directly with the consumer. The other face will interact directly with those that support the consumers. The success of a help desk software lies in its ability to transfer information from one face to another. When issues come up, it should be easy for the support team to assist the consumer. When the information is able to freely flow through this channel, this will create a system that is powerful and efficient. Some help desk software is extremely complicated. They may have a large number of functions, and when you look at them to decide if you want to make a purchase, you should place an emphasis on the primary features.

Looking at the primary features will allow you to quickly decide if you want to purchase the product. Not only will this save you time, but it will also help you avoid purchasing software that is not suited to the needs of your company and the end users. Once you have found a selection of software that has the same feature, you can then begin looking at their price and secondary functions to determine which one is the best.

Michael Colucci is a writer on Help Desk Software which is part of the Knowledge Search network

Importance of a knowledge base in a help-desk software solution

Knowledge management is a concept, whereby, companies organize and present information to their customers regarding product usage. Knowledge management involves the use of a knowledge base to store solutions on problem issues, which can be referred to at times when the problem re-occurs. Customers can read up such information and use the knowledge to clarify their issues. This way only issues not addressed by the knowledge base or issues which are very complex and therefore require attention from the help-desk staff need to routed to the help-desk by the customer.

Having a help-desk software solution with a knowledge base will save an organization time and money. It will also simplify the task of providing help-desk support services to customers. You will find that about eighty percent of calls to the help-desk are questions which are repeated. Installing a help-desk system with a knowledge base will reduce the operating costs and the cost of employing staff in handling repeat questions. Customers simply have to log into the help-desk system and read information pertaining to their enquiry or problem.

You will find that a good help-desk software solution to be one which includes a knowledge management component called a knowledge base. Look for a solution that has a knowledge base with multiple layers. This way you can store information in the hierarchical form. It should include search mechanism and you should b able to carry out searches in the knowledge base using keywords or Boolean expression.

Some knowledge base allows users to provide feedback on whether the information provided was useful or not. See if your help-desk solution's knowledge base asks you to rate it's answers.

As your business grows, your knowledge base will also grow as new information will be constantly added to it. Your software solution must be able capable of handle the increasing demands of your business as well as handle the growth of your knowledge base. Thus, it is important to select a help-desk software solution which can handle a growing a knowledge base.

Help-desk solutions may come with different types of knowledge modules. The three important knowledge modules are pre-populated, home grown, and structural. Look into the advantages of each type before selecting a help-desk software solution.

Joushua James - Help Desk Software Solutions

Typical features of a help desk software solution

Help-desk software solutions are solutions that help you to manage your help-desk activities more easily. A company's help-desk is the point where customers reach out to, in case, they need clarifications on the usage of a product or if they experience any trouble with a product's functionality. Customers take to the help line when they want to understand more about the features of a product they are considering to purchase. Managing such customer calls can be done efficiently using a help-desk software solution.

A typical help-desk software solution will record and track every call received at the help-desk. A trouble-ticket generate screen is used to record customer details such as the customer's name, phone number, the type of trouble encountered by the customer and the priority to be assigned to the trouble-ticket.

The software will record details such as the staff to whom the trouble-ticket is assigned and who will be responsible for resolving the issue. It will also track the status of each trouble-ticket, for example, it will display that a trouble ticket is in-progress status, when its issues are being tackled. Every entry made against the trouble-ticket, whatever be the status of the trouble ticket, is date and time stamped. For example a trouble ticket could be in the assigned status and you can see the time and date in which it was assigned to a particular staff.

The software usually includes features by which the administrator can view a list of new and open trouble-tickets according to a sorting functionality. For example, the list could be viewed date-wise or according to the type of trouble ticket. This way the administrator is aware of tickets that are resolved and those which are pending and have to be attended to by concerned staff.

One of the most important features provided by a help-desk software solution is the report functionality, by which reports can be generated for record purposes. Sometimes, the report can also be exported to Microsoft excel.

Some solutions can be configured according to a client needs to send specific notifications to mangers or key personnel. For example, the system could be set-up to have different types of alerts such as a level one alert, level two alert and so on. A level two alert could be one which sends an e-mail informing the number of trouble-tickets having a high priority and which is still pending to the designated staff every two days.

Looking into the features of a help-desk software solution will help you to understand how the product will automate the work you carry on at your help-desk and aid you in selecting the product most suiting to your requirements.

Joushua James - Help Desk Software Solutions

Help desk software solutions - An introduction

If you have purchased a product or taken service offered by a company and you have trouble in using the product, the first place where you will call is the company's help-desk. The help-desk is also the point of contact for calls on product information. The aim of setting up a help-desk service is to support customers and product end-users. By calling up the help-desk, a customer can get information and help on how to solve technical issues related to product usage.

A help-desk is a separate entity in a company with a phone number that can be used by the customer to make calls whenever required. It can also be part of a company's website. Product users and customers can go to the company's website to get information on the company's product or find answers to their problem.

Help-desk activities are supported by help-desk software solutions. A help-desk software solution will ensure that all help-desk activities are managed and carried out efficiently. It's now a very important tool for both small and large organizations.

Help-desk software solutions automate certain help desk functions and also track requests or calls received, thereby enable efficient management and response to calls. This boosts the company image to the customer and the company can also get required feedback on their products from customer calls.

When a help-desk solution is implemented for internal purposes, the company employees can route all queries on office equipment usage or problems encountered with devices like printers, computers and other IT products to the IT department through the solution. The solution enables the IT departments to track, manage and sort all internal requests efficiently. Problems encountered by employees will be recorded and assigned to the concerned staff for further action. The employee can log into the system to view the status of their call. This will in turn help to lower overhead costs and ensures employee satisfaction and productivity

When you want to purchase a help-desk solution, it is advisable to do some research on the products available. Find out information on how long a particular help-desk product has been on the market and how many people are using a particular version of a help-desk solution. Matching the features of the help-desk solution with your work requirements is essential before a purchase so that you can have a solution that matches your work demands.

Joushua James - Help Desk Software Solutions