Even if users' configuration information is instantly available to the Help desk analyst, the information should be organized so that the analyst doesn't need to wade through multiple screens to get commonly needed data. Furthermore, the analyst might need one set of information when assisting sales personnel with thin clients and another set when working with Macintosh-equipped art-department staff. Some Help desk products let you customize their interface, but you'll need to evaluate demonstration copies of the products that are on your shortlist to know which ones can deliver an interface that works for you. When choosing a product, you'll want to consider how easily you can modify the user interface after you install the product. If programming expertise is required, interface modification could be expensive and time-consuming.
Web Interfaces
The most significant recent advance in Help desk software is the adoption of Internet technologies. Many products let end users use a Web browser to access the Help desk's knowledge base and trouble-ticket status information on a server. This interface makes possible self-service for common Help desk chores such as resetting passwords, solving printer problems, and answering questions about desktop applications. If you choose a product that provides a Web interface for end users, employees will have the advantage of being able to access the software's knowledge base even when the Help desk is closed.
Some products provide self-service through a separate module that runs on an IIS server. For example, for an additional $7500 (for an unlimited number of users), FrontRange Solutions offers a HEAT Self Service module for its HEAT 6.4 Help desk product (approximately $3250 per Help desk seat). As Figure 2, page 70, shows, HEAT Self Service lets users use keywords or a decision tree to search HEAT's knowledge base and find solutions to common problems. If the search doesn't turn up an answer, users can initiate a trouble ticket for Help desk personnel to act on and can use their Web browsers to track the status of the ticket. Allowing end users to solve common problems on their own speeds problem resolution and reduces Help desk workload, potentially reducing the number of analysts needed or letting them concentrate on solving more complex problems.
Some products also let technicians use a Web browser from an end user's machine to close out trouble tickets or view a list of open tickets. Thus, technicians don't need to return to their desks before going on to their next call. Figure 3 shows this capability in FootPrints for Exchange 5.5 ($1000 to $2000 per Help desk seat, depending on volume and configuration). Some products, such as CA's Unicenter Service Desk (approximately $3000 per Help desk seat), even let roving technicians access trouble-ticket status on Palm PDAs, as Figure 4 shows.
Other vendors have gone a step further by letting analysts use a Web browser to access the Help desk application, thus eliminating the need for a dedicated client on analysts' desktops. Because remote analysts can interact with such applications without using expensive leased lines, this capability lets companies with offices around the country more easily centralize their Help desk applications and databases. Magic Total Service Desk Suite (from $1796 to $3056 per Help desk seat) uses this approach, as Figure 5, page 75, shows. Other products that employ this approach include Unicenter Service Desk, UniPress Software's FootPrints 5.5 (approximately $1000 per Help desk seat) and FootPrints for Exchange 5.5, and Track-It! 5.0. Track-It! Enterprise Edition 5.0 and Peregrine Systems' Remedy Help Desk 5.0 (starting at $30,000 plus a license for each Help desk seat) and ServiceCenter (starting at $20,800, including 10 Help desk seat licenses) come with fat clients as well as a Web-based interface. Figure 6, page 75, shows Track-It!'s Web interface.
In addition to supporting customer self-service through browser-based access to its Help desk and knowledge base, Unicenter Service Desk (which is available separately or as part of CA's Unicenter enterprise management system) tries to further improve customer service and reduce the Help desk's workload through the concept of Help desk—aware applications. Toward that end, CA has developed what it calls service desk—aware components to enhance its applications, those of its partners, and custom-developed corporate applications. The IT department can configure these components to take specific actions when an application fails or a user is having a problem. For example, when a user encounters a specified error condition within an enhanced application, the service desk—aware component might notify the Help desk to call the user, bring up a list of FAQs on the user's screen, or launch a natural-language search engine in the user's Web browser. CA says that other vendors are working to implement these Help desk—aware components in their applications, but a list of those applications wasn't available at press time.
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