CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Helpdesk provide the end user with information and support related to a company or institution’s products and services. The purpose of a help desk is usually to troubleshoot problems or provide guidance about products such as computers, electronic equipment, food, apparel, or software. Corporations usually provide help desk support to their customers through various channels such as toll-free numbers, websites, instant messaging, or email. There are also in-house help desks designed to provide assistance to employees.
This Computerised helpdesk management system is a platform were users within Wellspring University report any issue encountered during daily operation they can also check if any a solution to such problem which they have encountered exist from a log frequently reported issues and its solution. This report can be sent to the administrator via a telephone call, an existing chat system, or any other format so desired by the administrator. Helpdesk management is central to many organisations that utilise Information Technology. They ensure that incidents that Users encounter are dealt with by the relevant people as quickly as possible.
The history of help desk software dates back to the 20th century when businesses relied mostly on face-to-face interaction to resolve customer issues. Customers had to visit a company’s store or office with the product to get their problems solved. With the invention of the telephone in 1876, and the telephone switchboard in the 1890s, help desk assumed a better approach. Customers were able to reach their company and voice out their problem over the phone system. During the 20th century era, companies used mainly equipment like dictation machines, typewriters, and dumb terminals with access to a mainframe computer, to address customer issues. The earliest use of computers for customer service was done through the use of mainframe software. Customers would submit paper forms or communicate their issue by phone to customer service agents who would seek for avenues to handle the issues.
In the 1960s, companies began to set up call centers and also train staff to receive and handle customer enquiries in an organized and efficient manner. This was the era of Interactive voice response (IVR) which became a big boost to telephone customer service system. Later on, Desktop PCs and email significantly improved help desk systems. Customers could communicate their problems by email, bypassing paper forms. Help desk agents could provide status updates and resolutions by email as well.
Meanwhile, the actual introduction of help desk systems began in the 1980 when the internet was officially made available for public use. Many companies started outsourcing their customer service department. This led to massive use of email and live chat systems in the 1990s. This new development enabled several US companies to outsource their help desk to low-cost countries like India and the Philippines.
In any case the real invention of help desk software came in the 2000s when companies began to use diverse kind of software packages to deal with customer-care issues. This led to the massive production of different kinds of help desk software programs across the internet and the world at large. In recent times, the internet and networked systems make help desk software more interactive and participatory for customers and the agents. Customer can now submit and track their issues more easily.(Haslam et al, 2016).
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Users often complain about the lag in communication between them and the administrators of the system who were supposed to resolve any IT (information technology) related issue. There is always delay in communication, because staff have to walk to the ICT unit to lodge their complains verbally, which is overwhelming for the administrator and as a result, issues remain unresolved.
1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The aim of this study is to design a system that would ensure appropriate and speedy resolution of user issues and thereby saving work time.
The objectives are:
a. To get complaint resolved as soon as possible
b. To bridge the gap between the users of the system and the administrator.
c. To save work time, i.e. the time which the staff uses to walk from his/her office to the ICT department
1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study will cover data and information exchange within clients or users and the administrator in an academic environment such as Wellspring University effectively.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study examines the existing problem in an organisation that results in issues reported to the administrator been left unresolved and those resolved takes ample time before it is finally resolved and gives necessary solution by introducing a computerised helpdesk management system as a tool in ensuring effective communication between the administrator and users of the system.
Implementing the computerised helpdesk management system ensures efficient troubleshooting of IT related issues and it brings about necessary and positive change in the work environment, hence result in speedy completion of work in the organisation.
1.5 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
a. Time constraint
b. Financial limitation
c. Restriction of vital information about certain areas in the course of gathering this information
1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Helpdesk: Places in a company where support and assistance is offered to its users.
Management: Act of organising a group of people/ system
Computerised: Carrying out a task by the means of a computer.
Chatting: Conversation held between two or more participant/ system.
Network: It is the interconnection of several computer and devices to share resources.
Communication: This is the activity or process of giving information to other people.
Information: These are meaningful Data that has been processed.
System: Organised combination of various parts that is set to achieve a goal.