An IT support specialist at a help desk for a large company

 

Scenario
You are an IT support specialist at a help desk for a large company. The company has created a knowledge base that IT support specialists can refer to when a user calls in with technology issues. The knowledge base has been helpful because the help desk receives many tickets and calls for what turn out to be the same issues. When IT support specialists have documents to refer to during a call or the review of a ticket, the knowledge base increases efficiencies and provides users with more consistent and higher-quality support.

As an IT support specialist at the companys help desk, you are assigned to create documentation that will be added to the companys knowledge base. This document will speak to the frequent issues that users have experienced within the past 30 days. To complete this project, you will review five tickets, two audio recordings of user calls, and a chat transcript from users who experienced technical issues. Then you will use your troubleshooting skills to assess the underlying causes of the users reported symptoms and how they should be resolved.

Directions
Given the scenario and for the purposes of this project, create a user report that describes the IT issues that users have been experiencing and the resolution, where the resolution was found, whether the help desk had to look around for a solution, or the steps that you took to resolve the issues. Then create a knowledge base document to assist other IT support specialists in troubleshooting these user issues in the future.

To successfully complete this project, you must first follow the troubleshooting process. Troubleshooting is a systematic approach to problem solving. Within your user report and knowledge base document, you must make it clear that you have followed each of these steps based on the issues users experience in the tickets, phone calls, and chat transcripts.

Gather information by identifying the problems that users most commonly experience and that they call the IT help desk for, given the scenario.
Identify what has changed in the system that may have caused each problem.
Create a hypothesis of what you think the probable cause for each issue is, based on the information gathered in the first step. You may want to come up with several hypotheses.
Determine the appropriate fixes by testing your hypotheses. You will also want to account for possible ramifications that you could cause by fixing the issue based on your hypotheses.
Given the tickets, phone calls, and chat transcript, the IT support specialist assisting those users at the time may or may not have attempted the same fix. If they did, state that they determined the appropriate fix already. If you believe that they did not identify a probable cause, explain what you would have done differently if you were the one assisting the user.
Explain how you would implement the fix to verify the cause of the problem if you were the IT support specialist assisting the users at the time.
In some cases, it could be that the IT support specialist had already implemented the fix, but explain whether you would have handled it similarly or differently.
Describe how you would ensure satisfaction of the user after the issue has been resolved.
In some cases, it could be that the IT support specialist demonstrated ensuring satisfaction, while they did not in other cases. In these circumstances, explain whether you would have done this in the same or a different way.

Sample Solution

User Report

Introduction

This report analyzes five tickets, two audio recordings of user calls, and one chat transcript to identify common IT issues experienced by users within the past 30 days. The goal is to understand the root causes of these issues and provide recommendations for resolution.

Analysis of User Issues

Issue 1: Email Access Problems

  • Frequency: High
  • Symptoms: Unable to send or receive emails, email accounts not working, slow email performance.
  • Potential Causes: Incorrect password, email account lockout, server issues, network connectivity problems.
  • Resolution: Password resets, account unlocks, server maintenance checks, network troubleshooting.
  • IT Support Actions: Varied, some issues resolved with password resets, others required server intervention.
  • Recommendation: Implement stricter password policies, provide clear password reset instructions, and monitor server performance closely.

Issue 2: Network Connectivity Issues

  • Frequency: Medium
  • Symptoms: Unable to connect to the company network, slow internet speeds, Wi-Fi connection drops.
  • Potential Causes: Network equipment failures, incorrect network settings, wireless interference, network congestion.
  • Resolution: Hardware replacement, network configuration changes, troubleshooting wireless signals, network optimization.
  • IT Support Actions: Varied, some issues resolved with network configuration changes, others required hardware replacement.
  • Recommendation: Conduct regular network audits, provide clear network troubleshooting guidelines, and implement network monitoring tools.

Issue 3: Application Performance Issues

  • Frequency: Low
  • Symptoms: Slow application performance, application crashes, application errors.
  • Potential Causes: Insufficient system resources, application conflicts, software bugs, network latency.
  • Resolution: Increase system resources, resolve application conflicts, update software, optimize network performance.
  • IT Support Actions: Varied, some issues resolved with application updates, others required system resource adjustments.
  • Recommendation: Monitor application performance, provide application troubleshooting guidelines, and implement application performance monitoring tools.

Conclusion

The analysis reveals that email access problems and network connectivity issues are the most common IT issues experienced by users. While some issues were resolved effectively, there is room for improvement in terms of consistency and efficiency in troubleshooting. Implementing the recommended actions will help to address these issues and enhance user satisfaction.

Knowledge Base Document

Email Access Problems

  • Common Issues: Unable to send or receive emails, email accounts not working, slow email performance.
  • Troubleshooting Steps:
    1. Verify correct email credentials (username, password).
    2. Check for email account lockout. If locked, follow password reset procedures.
    3. Ensure network connectivity by testing internet access.
    4. If issue persists, contact IT support for further assistance.
  • Additional Information:
    • Provide clear instructions for password resets.
    • Inform users about email account lockout policies.
    • Advise users to report suspicious email activity.

Network Connectivity Issues

  • Common Issues: Unable to connect to the company network, slow internet speeds, Wi-Fi connection drops.
  • Troubleshooting Steps:
    1. Check network cable connection.
    2. Verify network settings (IP address, DNS).
    3. Restart network devices (modem, router).
    4. Check for wireless interference.
    5. If issue persists, contact IT support for further assistance.
  • Additional Information:
    • Provide network troubleshooting tips for common issues.
    • Inform users about network maintenance schedules.
    • Encourage users to report network performance issues.

Application Performance Issues

  • Common Issues: Slow application performance, application crashes, application errors.
  • Troubleshooting Steps:
    1. Close unnecessary applications.
    2. Check for available system resources (memory, CPU).
    3. Verify application compatibility.
    4. Update application to the latest version.
    5. If issue persists, contact IT support for further assistance.
  • Additional Information:
    • Provide application performance optimization tips.
    • Inform users about application updates and compatibility.
    • Encourage users to report application errors.

 

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