[Previous entry: "Top Five Tips for Online Community"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "webservices.org"]

08/13/2001 Archived Entry: "Learn to provide three levels of support with only five people"

Learn to provide three levels of support with only five people

In a small help desk, as few as five people need to provide two or three levels of support. Managing a small team presents unique challenges to ensure that phone coverage is effective and efficient. In this article, the first of a two-part series, I'll share some ways to provide adequate coverage and extend your small help desk's presence. The tips and techniques you can use include the following:

• Get Real: SLAs for the small help desk
  
• Importance of metrics
  
• Creating generalized specialists
  
• Self-help Web sites
  
• Peer support/PC liaison programs
  
• Remote control utilities
  
• Scheduling techniques for queue coverage
  

NB: Getting this article requires registering at TechRepublic, which happens to be a great site anyway.