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From: GEBHARDT, PAT (DNR)
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 9:52 AM
To: DNR DL ALLNRB; DNR DL ALLREGIONS
Subject: IT Division Helpdesk Changes
Like many of your programs, the IT Division has undergone some pretty dramatic changes of late. 15 positions have been eliminated of which only 3 were vacancies, an almost 25% reduction in staff. In addition, as a result of bumping, 6 staff are new to either the division or to their current job. This necessitates some fairly dramatic changes to a number of the services ITD provides.
ITD is still assessing the extent of the changes and working through the details about how these impacts will affect delivery of services. The purpose of this message is to share with you specific changes taking place in one of the services provided by the Customer Support Team, that being Helpdesk services. Another message will follow shortly that will focus on changes in other technology service areas.
Customer Support Services – All Olympia area direct user support and some Region user support services for GIS and desktop Helpdesk and training, PC deployment and management, printer, phone, and copier management, and coordination with Region IT Coordinators are included in this service. This service area is undergoing the biggest change of any within ITD. 2 desktop Helpdesk positions, the temporary PC deployment position, 1 of the GIS Helpdesk positions, and the Customer Support Team lead position have all been eliminateed, leaving 2 GIS Helpdesk staff, 2 desktop Helpdesk staff, and 1 PC deployment/management staff from the original team. Of these 5 remaining positions, 1 is new as the result of a bump. The Helpdesk process has been completely redesigned to account for this considerably smaller staff.
All requests for regular Helpdesk service, both desktop and GIS, will need to be initiated online via the online submittal form, which can be accessed by typing ‘help’ in the address line of your intranet browser or by clicking the ‘Request Helpdesk Assistance’ link in the eTools section of InsideDNR, which will be available on July 1. Requests will be handled based on the priority and order received. Requests for emergency service will also be submitted online but will generate a message that is sent to a pager that is carried by support staff who will then respond as quickly as possible.
More self help processes and solutions will be provided on Sharepoint; printer, phone and copier support will, for the most part, be given a low priority; and, over time, more standardization and manageability will be brought to our PC environment. The Helpdesk phone number will be discontinued in the next couple of weeks and any messages left on the Helpdesk phone after July 1 will not be checked. It is requested that you refrain from calling or dropping by to ask assistance of Helpdesk staff directly – they will only be able to tell you to submit your request for assistance online and it will be addressed as soon as possible. The full process compared to the existing process can be found on the IT Help & Information Center Sharepoint site, which can be accessed via a link in the eTools section of InsideDNR.
All of this means that it will probably take longer to receive assistance. This new process will be implemented on July 1.
These are pretty dramatic changes from what you may be used to. ITD staff ask your patience as they learn how to provide the best service possible under these reduced staffing levels. If you have any immediate concerns or questions don’t hesitate to contact Pat Gebhardt, John Daane, Michelle Benton, or Wendy Huff.
