IT support Learning aim To be able to Support users IT personnel - PDF document

INF3280, 3 April 2018 IT support Learning aim – To be able to • Support users IT personnel Users • Manage IT support • Background for evaluating support in Assignment 5 • Literature – Chapter 12. IT support • Additional literature – Bruton (2002) How To Manage The IT Helpdesk - A guide for user support and call centre managers chapter 23 & 27 – Iden & Eikebrokk (2013) Implementing IT Service Management: A systematic literature review – Munkvold (2003) End User Support Usage – Santhanam, Seligman, Kang (2007) Postimplementation Knowledge Transfers to Users and Information Technology Professionals 1 Interactions between groups Examples Boundary interactions Teaching – Common activities Support Su Boundary objects User interface – Object making sense to more Instruction sheets than one group Other user documentation Broker Superuser – Member of two groups – Can introduce practice from – IT + another one into the other 2 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 On the phone • Understanding each other Customer: I’m getting poor quality prints – sort of smudges on them. Troubleshooter accesses knowledge base and selects ‘image quality’. Troubleshooter: When it’s printing? Customer: Yes. Troubleshooter: OK, do you get this when it’s copying? Troubleshooter: So you get it printing and copying and they’re like smudges? Troubleshooter selects ‘smears and smudges’ in knowledge base. • Helping the user navigate Troubleshooter: OK could you - do you know where the xerographic module is in the machine? Troubleshooter: OK, I’ll tell you exactly where it is as there’s something I want you to try, just to see if this will rectify the problem for you – if you open the front door of the machine … • Thereafter leading the user through the troubleshooting cycle Crabtree et al., 2006 3 Scaffolds for IT supporters guiding users Gui uidi ding ng use ser on on th the phone phone Learni Lear ning ng use ser termi rminology • Carry out the operations • Listen to the user’s on your own computer terminology and instruct the user • Add new phrases to your accordingly own repertoire of user • Challenge the user to terminology observe precisely • Make the user talk 4 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 Discrimination error With this you Oh, I can use can minimise this one also the window Clicking X or □ in upper right corner Window No on screen Window Clicking program at bottom of screen 5 Scaffolds for IT supporters helping users understand Guiding toward Gu rds Lear Learni ning ng use ser underst standing underst standing • Observe user reactions • Add a misconception to your repertoire. • Compare user reaction with possible conceptions • Compare your of the IT explanation with possible changes in the user’s • Explain the difference conception between user misconceptions and an • Add an explanation to adequate model your repertoire. 6 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 Study of competence development — users and technical support staff • Bank in USA • Introduced a new information system • Training • Help desk with technical support staff • Participant observations by one of the supporters – User requests – Meetings amongst users – Meetings amongst supporters – Meetings with users and supporters – Santhanam et al, 2007 7 Support staff learning from users • Business fit understanding • The fact that the system allows one user to see another’s work. • The need for forms that have had changes to be reapproved • IT understanding – When forms are created in other applications and then are dropped into the work flow system, the display is completely messed up. – Bank logos do not display properly on every page. – Users are not able to save the credit agreement form. 8 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 Support staff – Users learning 1. IT understanding 1. Business fit understanding 2. Business fit understanding 2. IT understanding 3. IT skills 3. IT skills 1. IT skills 2. IT understanding 3. Business fit understanding 1. Business fit understanding 2. IT understanding 3. IT skills Works better when knowing whom to ask 9 IT support vs Super-users Super-use Su sers IT IT p personnel s l support Survey in Norwegian University Survey of US middle managers • • 222 users 98 users 49% prefer IT support 38% prefer super-users 31% prefer colleagues 31% prefer colleagues Nilsen & Sein, 2004 19% prefer IT support Govindarajulu et al., 2000 IT personnel Users IT personnel Users 10 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 User support vs Competence level Supporters Software and Company help – IT support personnel – Context-free – Superusers – Searchable Media Internet resources • Helpdesks – personal – E-mail lists meeting – Blogs • Helplines – calling on – FAQs the phone • E-mail 11 Users’ preferences Informa rmal Fo Formal Perso sonal Superusers IT support Imperso sonal Internet resources Software and Company help Munkvold (2003) End User Support Usage 12 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 Users’ background • Problem-solving skills • IT involvement – The importance and personal relevancy an end user attached to a computer and the use of it • IT self-efficacy – People’s perception of their own capabilities to use computers to accomplish a task 13 Problem-solving Results from 277 responses skills IT self-efficacy c Explain! IT involvement Direct access to IT-professional Being a superuser Preferred type of help -0.14 +0.20 -0.14 IT support -0.14 -0.16 -0.18 Superusers -0.22 +0.15 Software and Company help -0.17 +0.14 Internet resources +0.21 +0.15 Solving the problem +0.29 themselves 14 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 Suppor Support qual t quality ty • Support factors vs satisfaction – 484 users – US university Ra Rank Fa Factor 1 Fast response time from system support staff to remedy problems 2 Data security and privacy 3 User’s understanding of the system 4 New software upgrades 5 Positive attitude of information systems staff to users 6 A high degree of technical competence of systems support staff – Quality of training documentation received the lowest score Shaw et al., 2002 15 Helpdesks sks and helplines • Helpdesk – Personal visit • Helpline – Telephone call for support • Perceived support quality – Tangibles – Reliability − Perceived IT solution quality – Responsiveness • Correctness • Promptness – Assurance – Empathy • Survey of consumer – supplier relations – Not in-house support van Velsen, Steehouder, de Jong (2007) 16 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 Helpdesk – 64 responses Satisfaction with helpdesk (R 2 =.86) • Users prefer a good experience 17 Helpline – 242 responses Satisfaction with helpline (R 2 =.79) • Users prefer a good solution – Motivation strongly affected by the experience 18 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 Improve ve su support quality • Organise one service desk for all user requests • Set a target for response time • Track requests • Learn from previous requests • Select appropriate staff 19 Servi vice ce desk sk – si single point of co contact ct 3 line of User support 2 line of support User 3 line of support Service desk User External vendor External vendor User 2 line of support support • Improves – User satisfaction – Response time – Iden and Eikebrokk, 2013 – More success in larger companies – Kanapathy and Khan, 2012 20 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 Inf nfor ormat ation ion Tec echnology hnology Inf nfras astruc uctur ure e Libr Librar ary ITIL IT IL • Commercial package of guidelines – ITIL Service Operation • User support • Troubleshooting • Requests for software changes • Warnings concerning threats to data security 21 IT executives’ perception of ITIL • Survey of 441 IT managers in large business – UK, US and other • Higher level of maturity of ITIL à Improve alignment of IT and business à Increase the number of benefits provided by IT that are acknowledged by the business Marrone & Kolbe (2011) Uncovering ITIL claims: IT executives’ perception on benefits and Business- IT alignment . Inf Syst E-Bus Management 9:363–380 22 Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280, 3 April 2018 Criteria for se select cting su support st staff — su support managers’ s’ vi view • Patience • Assertiveness • Thoroughness • Enthusiasm • Responsibility • Technical knowledge • Empathy • Communicative ability • Works well under pressure • Bruton, 2002 23 10. Organise se one se servi vice ce desk sk for all use ser request sts s with se servi vice ce minded st staff. 24 Jens Kaasbøll