Client User Liaison LG

Debre Birhan Polytechnic College Establish and Maintain Client User Liaison
Debre Birhan Polytechnic College
IT Service Management
Level V
Learning Guide #1
Unit of Competence: Establish and Maintain
Client User Liaison
Module Title: Establishing and Maintaining
Client User Liaison
LG Code: ICT ITM5 01 LO1-3
TTLM Code: ICT ITM5 TTLM 01 08 17V1
Prepared By:
Mekasha Assefa
Year:
2010E.C
1
Instruction Sheet Learning Guide # 01
This learning guide is developed to provide you the necessary information regarding the
following learning out-come coverage’s:–
 Determine support areas

 Develop Support Procedure
 Assign Support Personnel
This guide will also assist you to attain the learning outcome stated in the cover page.
Specifically, upon completion of this Learning Guide, you will be able to –
 identify information technology used in a business
 identify stakeholders of the system
 examine organisational structure, culture and politics in relation to support
requirements
 determine what level of support is required by each organisational unit
 Contact organisational units, as required, to verify support needs
 Establish procedures for providing required support, including method of
contact, frequency of meetings and reports
 Document agreed procedure (service level agreement)
 identify IT skills to assist each organisational unit with support activities
 assign personnel according to human resource processes
 verify availability of selected personnel
 provide support using agreed procedures
 Obtain feedback from the appropriate person on a regular basis.
This guide contains:

 reading notes(Information sheets)
 activities
 Self-checks
i
Learning Instructions:
1. Read the specific objectives of this Learning Guide.
2. Follow the instructions described below
3. Read the information written in the “Information Sheets”. Try to understand what are
being discussed. Ask you teacher for assistance if you have hard time understanding
them.
4. Accomplish the “Self-checks” in each information sheets.
5. Ask from your teacher the key to correction (key answers) or you can request your
teacher to correct your work. (You are to get the key answer only after you finished
answering the Self-checks).
6. If you earned a satisfactory evaluation proceed to “Operation sheets and LAP Tests if
any”. However, if your rating is unsatisfactory, see your teacher for further instructions
or go back to Learning Activity.
7. After You accomplish Operation sheets and LAP Tests, ensure you have a formative
assessment and get a satisfactory result;
8. Then proceed to the next information sheet.
ii
1. Determine support areas Information Sheet #1

1.1. Identify information technology
There are many definitions of Information Technology which include processing, storing
and acquiring information using technological systems.
Think of your local bank branch. On most desks, there are one or more desktop computers.
Each computer probably connects to a network. The network consists of devices such as
switches, routers, and servers, most of which have some sort of user-administered operating
system. The desktop PC will also have software applications installed to perform the various
tasks carried out by the business.
All of this technology requires support for the following reasons:

1. Technology does not always work as it should. Hardware can fail and software can
have bugs.
2. The users of technology do not always know how to perform tasks using the
available technology.
3. The needs of the business may change, and so will their need for and use of
technology.
Typically, the technology used by business falls into two groups:

 Hardware: desktop computers, laptop computers, mainframe computers, printers,
scanners, digital photography devices, routers, switches, hubs, external drives,
storage media (eg. CDs, USB Flash Memory Sticks, etc.)
 Software: office software used for word processing, spread sheeting, presentations,
database management systems, network and router operating systems, and firmware
contained in small devices such as cameras.
Example: ABC stationary

ABC Stationary is located in a modern shopping mall on the west side of the city. ABC
uses a modern cash register that links sales to its computerised inventory accounting system
(the software is called ‘ExpressBooks’). They also have an EFTPOS terminal that is leased
from the bank. Their internet communication is done by an ADSL connection through an
ADSL combination router switch. They have one workstation at the register and two in the
back office. All computers have internet access. The machines are networked using Static
IP addresses on an Ethernet LAN. All networking is peer-to-peer and all the workstations
run the XT operating system. They also have a printer connected to one of the workstations,
a scanner, a digital camera and a fax machine. The telephone system is a commander
system small exchange which is leased from UW Telephony.
Activity 1
To practise identifying information technologies, complete Activity 1 – Identify information

technologies, located in the Activities section of the Topic menu.
1
1.2. Identify stakeholders
This section deals with the subject of stakeholders. You will learn what a stakeholder is,
how to identify stakeholders in the system you are going to be supporting, and the perils of
ignoring or failing to identify important stakeholders.
What is a stakeholder?
A stakeholder is a person or organisation that has an interest in the system or is impacted
by the system.
How do you identify stakeholders?

As support is often negotiated towards the end of a project, you will have been working and
communicating with important stakeholders throughout the project. The most common
stakeholder is called the sponsor. The sponsor is the person or organisation which
 is the major force behind the project
 provides the funds for the project
 Has the authority to make decisions on support issues.
The last point is the most important one. You must find out who has the authority to sign
contracts or agreements and make decisions that will apply to the organisation. This may be
a person (usually a manager or director) or might be a committee (eg. executive
management committee or council).
Although this person or committee may have ultimate authority regarding the establishment
and maintenance of client support arrangements, you may also be required to deal with
others in the organisation regarding these issues. This is especially true in our modern
business environment where people expect to be consulted over important business
decisions which affect them.
The following are some simple methods for finding those with whom you will consult:
 Meet with the project sponsor(s) and brainstorm; during a brainstorming session,
everybody puts in their ideas without evaluating them. This could help you find
important stakeholders quickly and easily.
 Talk to people in the organisation. Find out who has an interest in the system and
who is affected by it. Who are the main users? Who will be receiving the support?
Who will be providing the support?
Send an email or letter or put an ad in the company newsletter. You could send the
newsletter out to everybody electronically using the ‘everyone’ list. The ‘everyone’ email
address sends that email to everybody on the list. This is extremely helpful when consulting
regarding the set-up of a support agreement, as most employees have access to email.
2
Perils of not identifying stakeholders
If you don’t identify your stakeholders, you may find
 that they will find you and insist on having a say in the project or support agreement
 that people will resent the support agreement and not back it
 That the support agreement you formulate does not identify all of the support
requirements, making it deficient and faulty.
1.3. Identify organisational structure

An organisational structure is usually a diagram showing the reporting and responsibility
relationships between staff of an organisation. As mentioned, most are shown in a graphical
form.
Image: Organisational chart. From top down: Business owner. Business owner subordinates:
manager marketing and sales, manager finance, manager production. Manager production
subordinates: local worker 1, remote worker 1, local worker 2, remote worker 2, local worker 2,
remote worker 2.
Figure 1: Organisational chart
If you are in a large organisation, you can often find this document on the company’s
intranet or by asking the Human Resources department.
If you are in a small organisation, the organisational structure will often be quite simple. It
will often consist of an owner-manager-workers or something similar. In this type of
business, there is often no documented organisational structure.
Activity 2
To practise identifying stakeholders and project sponsor, complete Activity 2 – Identify
stakeholders and project sponsor, located in the Activities section of the Topic menu.
3
Organisational culture and politics – what is it? Why identify it?
Organisational culture is the beliefs and values that exist - whether formally or informally
- in an organisation. Put plainly, it is ‘The way we do things around here.’
Organisational politics is closely related to culture. Culture is the values and beliefs;
politics is the things that happen - the informal and formal policies, procedures and working
relationships.
‘Office’ and ‘Organisational’ Politics really are the same thing!
Formal politics is defined by the organisation’s official policies, procedures and structure.
This is easily understood from the organisation’s documents.
Informal politics tends to be undefined and undocumented. It consists of a complex

interaction of relationships between people in the organisation. At times, the informal
politics is stronger than the official version.
How can politics work for you, and why are politics and culture important in establishing
and maintaining a support system for business Information Technology?
Most support agreements are based on the official version (i.e. the formal organisational
structure). This is because informal politics are generally regarded as undesirable. However,
this can fail if we are not mindful of informal politics. If harnessed, informal politics can be
a help in providing support.
Example: Politics
Bill was studying an Information Technology course and was excellent at solving computer
problems. He was also very motivated and wanted to help in the IT function of his
organisation as much as possible. However, Tom was the employee who was appointed to
look after IT support problems. People liked Bill more than Tom and tended to go to Bill
first with their problems. When a support agreement was implemented at their organisation,
Bill was named as the ‘first level support officer’. His job description was adapted to
incorporate fixing simple computer problems. More complex problems were to be passed
onto Tom. This really just made going to Bill with computer problems official. The
agreement made wise use of existing organisational politics.
4
1.4. Determine level of support required
Why is support important?

As you can see from the diagram, the visible part of customer service (the ‘front line’
delivery) is only the tip of the iceberg. It is supported by many things such as standards,
systems, quality issues, management support, etc. This is an important concept to grasp
when approaching the set up of a client support agreement. You should understand that by
supporting IT systems that run in the background, you are, in fact, helping make the
business more efficient and competitive. Efficient support of those parts of the iceberg that
nobody sees results in better front line service to customers.
Image: The customer service iceberg: visible third of customer service: frontline staff and customer
contact. Unseen two-thirds of customer service: systems, procedures, standards, quality issues,
internal customer care, management support, training, organisations philosophy and vision.
Figure 2: The customer service iceberg Source: Diane Bailey Associates
Levels of support
There are a number of ways to view levels of support. When discussing level of support,
you may mean the type of support that is to be provided. For example, we could offer the
following levels (or types) of support:
1. Informal peer support – workers help their co-workers with problems. The
organisation can provide training to key workers so that they are able to be called
upon for informal support.
2. User support combined with other responsibilities – a dual role of IT support and
other responsibilities.
3. User support as a separate position or group – setting up a dedicated position
such as ‘IT Systems support officer’ or a unit such as ‘Technology Services Group’.
4. Help desk support – an internal or external support function that provides a broad
range of support for business IT systems.
5. Totally outsourced user support – an external provider provides all necessary
support.
5
Example: help desk support levels
If your support is to include a help desk that is staffed, the following structure is common:
 Level 1 help desk – takes the calls, logs details, may solve simple problems or give
general advice for common problems (eg. advising on network availability)
 Level 2 help desk – technicians fix the problem or provide advice on how to fix the
problem
 Level 3 help desk – highly qualified people provide customisation or bug fixes or
software or web-based systems.
By level of support you could also mean a tiered system of problem management, based on
the urgency of a problem. For example,
 gold – problem resolved within one hour, onsite
 silver – problem resolved within one working day
 bronze – problem resolved within three working days.
Finally, when discussing levels of support, we may also mean the exact support functions
that are going to be put in place.
The following is a list of possible support functions:

1. Help desk
2. Technical troubleshooting
3. Training in the use of software
4. Preparation and maintenance of documentation
5. Installation and configuration of hardware and/or software
6. Maintenance of hardware, data, etc. (eg. backups, recovery)
7. Customisation of software
8. Preparation of new web content (eg. text, graphics)
Activity 3
To practise identifying support requirements, complete Activity 3 – Identify support
requirements, located in the Activities section of the Topic menu.
Summary
In this topic we have looked at identifying the information technology in use in a business,
the stakeholders with whom you should consult when establishing a support agreement, the
structure, culture and politics of the organisation and – finally - the levels and type of
support that is required.
6
Activities
Activity 1 — Identify information technology

Read the scenario and answer the questions that follow:
Scenario: 4Sale Books Pty Ltd is a bookstore located in the Adelaide central business
district. The business occupies two levels of an office building connected by escalators and
lifts. 4Sale Books employs approximately six sales staff, one manager, one administrative
officer, a bookkeeper and a marketing manager. They have an Ethernet network consisting
of six PCs, two switches, a router and three printers. They use the SlowBooks software to
manage their entire business, including sales, inventory, ordering, accounts receivable,
accounts payable, payroll and employee management. They also have two EFTPOS
terminals (one on each floor).
4Sale Books has a Linux server that stores all of the data (including the SlowBooks
database). The server is backed up to tape regularly. They also have a website on which
customers can browse the product catalogue and view current specials. They also lease a
telephone system from NWR Telecoms. The phone system consists of a main switchboard
and five remote phones with three incoming lines and a message-on-hold queue system.
List the technology in use in 4Sale Books and consider the following:
 What sort of support does the technology require?
 Who is likely to provide this support?
 Does the support arrangement already exist?
Present the analysis in a table such as the one below. Some rows have been filled in as an
example to assist you.
Table 1: Technology analysis
Technology Description Support Provider Already

Required exists?
SlowBooks software that customisation, None No

Software keeps track of training, upgrades,
all accounts, bug fixes
stock, GST, etc. (patching), user
support
PCs Pentium 4 upgrades, repairs, None No
desktop cloned troubleshooting,
IBM compatible maintenance,
backup,
customisation
7
Feedback
Table: Technology analysis
Already
Technology Description Support Required Provider
exists?
Software that
Customisation, training,
SlowBooks keeps track of
upgrades, bug fixes None No
software all accounts,
(patching), user support
stock, GST, etc.
Pentium 4 Upgrades, repairs,
Desktop Cloned troubleshooting,
PCs None No
IBM maintenance, backup,
Compatible customisation
User account management,
security policy
implementation, home folder
Linux Server
management, permissions
Server with tape None No
management, backup and
backup
restore, operating system
patching, software
installation
Most terminals
Terminal vendor are probably
Troubleshooting of
EFTPOS (eg. leased from the
EFTPOS connection, repair of
terminals Commonwealth vendor so the
hardware
Bank) support comes in
the price
NWR Telecoms
(hardware), Yes – as
Telephone Switchboard, 5 Support of telephony
Optus/Telstra/A equipment is
system phones hardware, line maintenance
APT for the leased
lines
Website hosted Yes – partly –
on an Content writing, server the ISP
Australian maintenance, programme maintains the
Website ISP’s server, code troubleshooting and ISP server to ensure
dynamic and customisation, preparation of that the website
static pages graphics is continuously
using asp.net available
8
Activity 2 — Identify stakeholders and project sponsor
The questions that follow are based on the organisational chart shown below:
Image: Organisational chart. From top down: Business owner. Business owner subordinates:
manager marketing and sales, manager finance, manager production. Manager production
subordinates: local worker 1, remote worker 1, local worker 2, remote worker 2, local worker 2,
remote worker 2.
Figure 1: Organisational chart
1. If you were building a website for the organisation represented by the organisational chart
provided above, who would you identify as the stakeholder in this project?
 the business owner
 the relevant manager
 the local workers
 the remote workers
 all of the above
Feedback
Correct! All the staffs (the business owner, the relevant manager, the local workers, and the
remote workers) are stakeholders as they either affect the project or are affected by it.
Almost! Go to the Reading notes and review the section on Identify stakeholders.
2. If you were building a website for the organisation represented by the organisational chart
provided here, who would you identify as the project sponsor?
 the relevant business manager
 the business owner
 the local and remote worker’s union
 the government of the day
Feedback
Correct! The project sponsor in this case is the business owner.
Incorrect. Go to the Reading notes and review the section on Identify stakeholders.
9
Activity 3 — Identifying support requirements
If you were implementing a website for a customer that consisted of a large number of static
and dynamic web pages such as an electronic store with a database backend, what possible
support functions could you implement?
Feedback
If you were implementing a website for a customer that consisted of a large number of static
and dynamic web pages such as an electronic store with a database backend, you could
implement the following support functions:
 maintenance of content
 writing new content
 checking of links
 database administration – (eg. users, security, backup, recovery)
 version control
 uploading of new content
 troubleshooting site and server based problems
 customisation of site
 web programming
 user and administrator training
10
Self check –1
Instructions: Perform the following tasks. Write your answers clearly and neatly
1. Give two reasons why technology requires support. (2pts)
2. Answer True or False: (1pt)

A stakeholder is often the main person in charge of an IT project.
2. A project sponsor is (1pt)

 a person or organisation that will take ultimate responsibility for the project
 the person or organisation approving the funding for the project
3. According to your readings, organisational culture refers to (1pts)
 the systems that exist in a workplace
 the beliefs and values that exist in an organisation
 the unique processes within a workplace
 the priorities within an organisation
4. In your own words, what is organisational politics? (2pts)
5. What are the non-visible elements that support customer service? Why are they
important? (2pts)
6. On a help desk, which is the less technically challenging job? (1pt)
 level 1
 level 2
 level 3
Score = ___________
Rating= ___________
Note: Satisfactory rating - 10 points Unsatisfactory – below 5 points
11
2. Develop support procedures Information Sheet #2
2.1. Verify support needs

In order to verify support needs, you should contact the organisation and check that you
have all the relevant documentation. This would include a list of all the hardware and
software that needs support, as well as input from key stakeholders.
Verification is a quality assurance technique. You will not only do it before you draft the
agreement, but after as well. If you are thorough with your consultation, you will be less
likely to miss things.
A support agreement that has missing key elements would be generally considered
unworkable in today’s present IT environment.
Tip: Sometimes it is difficult to document all the necessary components within a system
(especially if you are new to a workplace or you are a contractor hired to do a specific job).
Attempt to understand and view the system from a few different aspects.
Often IT staff state that a system or a format may be a certain type (eg when designing for
the web, a manager might say all resolutions are 800 x 600 and there is no need to design for
any other types). Try and check with a wide variety of users and see what they have. The
time spent doing this may save a lot of rework or support later!
Be thorough with your investigations and ensure you have all the resources and parameters
for your support project.
2.2. Customer expectations

When providing IT services, customer expectations can be a major challenge and often
difficult to define - particularly in the IT industry where change is constant.
Perceptions of performance can differ from customer to service provider. If customers

believe that your service is below standard or that you are unresponsive, then you are -
regardless of your own assessment.
Customer satisfaction levels can fluctuate, often depending on customer expectations or

your performance in providing service. It is important that you, as an IT service provider,
monitor both satisfaction and performance carefully. If satisfaction is increasing, you need
to work out what has changed in the way you provide service. If it is decreasing, go back to
customer expectations and look at how well you meet them. Changes in your business
environment and that of the customers also need to be closely observed.
12
2.3. Establish procedures
What sort of procedures need to be established?
Incident management (for help desk) is actually one of the best ways of answering
questions and providing a professional support service.
Typical incident management involves the following steps:
Image: Typical Incident management procedure: 1 receive, 2 prescreen, 3 authenticate, 4 log, 5

screen, 6 prioritise, 7 assign, 8 track, 9 escalate, 10 resolve, 11 close, 12 archive.
Figure 1: Typical incident management
In the diagram above, the user contacts the help desk or other support position. When the
help desk receives the call, the first step is to authenticate the call (i.e. that the caller is
entitle to support and that the problem is legitimate). The help desk should also give advice
about problems that are currently affecting all users (such as server outages).
Incident management or help desk software is used to log a call. The call is then screened to
determine priority and severity. Problems such as interruptions to a critical system (eg a
flight check-in system at an airport) need to be dealt with swiftly.
Finally, the incident is assigned to the appropriate person to deal with that particular
problem. Support staff can determine who is working on a problem, what action they have
taken, and whether or not they have resolved it through the use of tracking software.
(Adapted from: Beisse, F., A Guide to Computer User Support for Help Desk and Support
Specialists (2nd ed.) (Course Technology, Boston MA, 2001), p. 145-151)
Procedures – questions to be answered

Developing procedures for each of the incident management functions involves answering
the following questions:
 What will be done? (the scope of the procedure)
 Who will do it?
 How will it be done? (eg onsite, over the telephone, etc.)
 How long will it take?
13
In addition, we need to know the answers to the following in order to establish the overall
support procedures:
1. What is the primary method of contact? (eg phone, email, fax, web)
2. When - and by whom - will the procedures be reviewed?
3. What performance targets are set by the procedures? (eg respond to priority one
requests within one hour)
4. What reports should be generated by the support function?
5. How will the support function be reviewed and improved?
When you have answered all of these questions, you have basically written your procedures.
All that is left to do is to put them into a standard format. The following is suggested:
 Title of procedure:
o Reception of support calls
 Scope of procedure:
o This procedure covers the initial reception, screening and logging of help desk
calls at ABACUS Computer Support Services Pty Ltd.
 Procedure details:
o Contact with Help Desk: ACSS shall staff a help desk that enables supported
clients to contact it by phone or email.
o Phone contact: Help Desk staff shall establish the legitimacy of the caller and the
potential incident. If legitimate, then the call shall be logged on the Incident
Management System.
o Email contact: Help Desk shall acknowledge email requests, then screen and log
in the same manner as phone requests.
 Performance indicators and targets:
o Help Desk staff should answer the telephone within three rings.
o Help Desk staff should acknowledge email requests on the same working day
they were sent.
 Review of procedure:
o This procedure shall be reviewed every six months.
o Date of approval and name of the person responsible for the procedure.
These documented procedures can then be used as part of the agreement with your client.
An agreement has traditionally been called a contract. However, as delivering IT support is
a service and a business expense that managers often want to monitor and measure, it has
become popular to use a service level agreement to document the type and level of support,
the procedures and the targets that must be used and achieved.
Activity 1
To practise, complete Activity 1 – Customer support procedures, located in the Activities
section of the Topic menu.
14
Activity 2
To practise, complete Activity 2 – What makes great support?, located in the Activities
section of the Topic menu.
Reflect
Reflect on why performance indicators are important. What would occur if they were not
included in the SLA?
Feedback
Performance indicators are needed to clarify the process expectations and the customer
experience. This helps to quantify the process. Without it, management would find it hard to
measure the outcomes.
A performance indicator could be the amount of time taken to acknowledge an emailed help
request. The performance target in this case could be that all emailed requests are to be
acknowledged within one working day of reception. This enables managers to quantify the
quality of the service by measuring how much the service varies from its performance
targets.
The indicators also help to measure services and staff performance. For example, they allow
them to offer bonuses, adjust training strategies and handle customer complaints better.
2.4. Write the service level agreement

A service level agreement (SLA) is essentially a contract that binds a service provider to
giving a certain level of service. An SLA has the same legal standing as a contract, in that it
legally binds two parties.
An SLA is usually written; however, two organisations could agree verbally about the level
of service to be provided or could exchange emails. Verbal SLAs or those agreed upon via
email are harder to enforce, and it is easier for misunderstandings to occur using these more
informal means.
Why use a written SLA?

 To clarify expectations: The SLA describes in detail the terms of service and
the responsibilities of the customer and service provider.
 To incorporate indicators of quality: This is done by specifying performance
indicators and performance targets. For example, a performance indicator could
be the amount of time taken to acknowledge an emailed help request. The
performance target in this case could be that all emailed requests are to be
acknowledged within one working day of reception; this enables managers to
quantify the quality of the service by measuring how much the service varies
from its performance targets.
 To assist communication and prevent disputes: Written documents can still be
disputed, but less than verbal agreements.
15
What does an SLA contain?
The broad structure of an SLA contains
 the name of the service provider, customers, etc.
 the objectives of the service
 the process of requesting service (eg method of contact, forms to be used, etc.)
 the service provider’s responsibilities
 the customer’s responsibilities
 service measurements and targets (discussed earlier)
 maintenance and review of the agreement (includes how often the agreement will be
reviewed and the date on which the agreement will cease (for example, it may only
have a life of one year if it is not an ongoing agreement))
 signatures of the customer and service provider and the date on which the agreement
was signed.
In general, an SLA should consist of the following:

 a brief general statement summarizing the services to be provided
 definitions of the two parties to the agreement – who is providing the services to
whom
 the duration of the agreement
 the arrangements for monitoring and review
 a procedure for settling disputes
 what resources, information or other help the user may have to provide
 contact points for both parties
 the basis of any charges – what has to be paid and how this is to be paid.
Specifying the services

Specifying the services to be provided puts flesh on the bones of the SLA. Specifications for
all types of support services could set out the following:
 the precise nature of each function or service provided
 the volumes and quality to be achieved for each of these services
 whether optional services are on offer – and, if so, what they are and what they cost
 what procedure should be followed if it becomes necessary to vary the agreement or
specification
 where applicable, the response times to be achieved by the provider when receiving
requests for assistance
 sanctions for non-supply or poor quality.
16
Summary
This topic covers the development of support procedures for the new system you have
implemented in an organisation. It addressed issues such as procedures, quality issues and
standards and how we incorporate these into a support agreement.
Activity 3
To practise, complete Activity 3 – Establishing a service level agreement, located in the

Activities section of the Topic menu.
17
Activities
Activity 1 – Customer support procedures

Think about one positive and one negative assistance with a telecommunications company
an ISP or a computer supplier. What support aspects were professional and unprofessional
in each? (Your experience may be via telephone, email or even voice recognition). Think
about the following questions: How long did the support process take? Were the steps
logical? Did they solve your problem? Was the call deflected to another area? Can you think
of a strategy to deal with the negative service situation that you described?
Feedback
There is no specific feedback for this activity.
However, you may have discussed how you felt as a user waiting on the phone, in voice
activated loops or even in websites where you could not understand the terminology.
Activity 2 – What makes great support?

Identify a company that has what you consider a great support philosophy and gather
evidence to support your viewpoint. Download support information such as a service level
agreement and the company’s mission statement. What is positive about the support
philosophy in this company? One example could be
http://www.adobe.com/support/programs/policies/sla.html
Feedback
Look back at the Reading. What does an SLA contain? Check that the SLA for the company
you have identified meets the criteria for service level agreements set out in the Reading.
Activity 3 – Establishing a service level agreement

Review the document ‘Key Steps in Establishing a service level agreement’ available at the
following website: http://www.nkarten.com/sla.html#key
Comment on whether or not you agree with these steps.
Feedback
There is no specific feedback for this activity.
18
Self check 2
Instructions: Perform the following tasks. Write your answers clearly and neatly
1. What is an SLA? (2pts)
2. When developing support procedures for help desk staff, which point would – generally -
not be clarified? (1pt)
 What will be done? (the scope of the procedure)
 Who will do it?
 How will it be done? (eg onsite, over the telephone, etc.)
 How long will it take?
 What is the business case underlying the changes in the support procedures?
 What actions will be taken first?
3. What is often included in an SLA? (5pts)
4. In your own words, why is a service level agreement necessary? (3pts)
5. Suggest two reasons why authentication is important for help desk staff. (2pts)
6. What would a typical incident management process/report outline in an IT environment

include? (3pts)
Score = ___________
Rating= ___________
19
3. Assign support personnel Information Sheet #3
3.1. Identify IT skills

The skills that may be required will vary greatly depending on the technology to be
supported.
However, we can classify skills into two categories:

 Technical skills – knowledge of particular hardware (build shells) and software
(experience in Novell, Linux, MS Office or Dreamweaver). This could include other
technical skills such as the ability to write technical documentation, do programming
and analyse databases.
 ‘Soft’ skills – communication skills (eg. being a clear communicator, being
customer focused); time management skills; problem solving skills; and the ability to
learn new procedures quickly and ability to work in teams.
In order to determine the skills you require, you should examine the service level agreement
(or contract). The SLA will tell you which particular hardware and software needs to be
supported.
Remember: it is very rare these days that individuals are experts in all areas of IT. The sub-
areas have become so specialised that most IT professionals in the last decade have selected
a few key areas to train in (eg databases, multimedia or networks etc).
In addition, the organisation must consider which skills mix is necessary. If the job involves
explaining or demonstrating complex IT concepts to prospective business clients, then they
must be able to communicate and motivate effectively. In the past, some businesses have
left this task to IT developers (who may be great programmers); however, if they also have
the skills to ‘sell’ the product and win over the client, then the project will even make it to
first base.
In some areas of the IT industry, soft skills have been undervalued. Remember:
communication and explanation of systems is a vital component of the project, along with
the technical aspects!
Activity 1
To practise identifying skill categories, complete Activity 1 – Skills categories, located in the
Activities section of the Topic menu.
Find the right person

Having listed the technical and ‘soft’ skills required to deliver the support, you must now
find the person or people who have these skills.
20
There are several alternatives:
1. The person you need already works in the organisation either in an IT role or a non
IT role. You may be able to negotiate to obtain that person for the support team.
2. The person you need does not yet work in your organisation. If you find yourself in
this situation, you have several options. For example, you could
 advertise for a new employee and go through the interview and selection
process
 engage an employment agency to find the right person for you
3. The skills you require are too diverse, and it is therefore unlikely that any one person
has all of the required skills. If you have this situation you could
 employ more than one person
 outsource part or all of the support function.
Again, it is vital to realise that the interview process is often a poor way to select the best
applicant. Interviews generally favour applicants that are confident, can verbally express
themselves, know the jargon and sell their ‘assets’.
If at all possible, attempt to ask for samples of their work or employ them for a short period
to assess them. Generally, one can gain a good idea of someone’s skill levels within a few
days.
If this is impossible, then attempt to look at short-term contracts before offering full-time
employment. This also works both ways, as the employee is able to gain an idea of the work
environment and can assess whether it suits them.
Activity 2
To practise reviewing and writing job placement advertisements, complete Activity 2 –
Review job placement ads, located in the Activities section of the Topic menu.
Technical skills
In the IT industry, technical knowledge, experience and hands-on skill is essential in most
areas. These days, most staff specialise in particular fields:
 security
 web (eg web design, flash, multimedia)
 desktops
 operating systems (eg Windows/Linux)
 networks (eg Novell)
 databases (eg Oracle)
 project management
 business analysis
 software development/programming.
21
These areas are not always distinct areas of the industry. Many IT professionals’ skills are
broad and encompass many of the above areas. However, it should be noted that few have
comprehensive experience in all.
It is imperative that before you hire your ‘guru’, you must a have a reasonable idea of what
is expected and be able to measure this in their initial interview and their subsequent work
performance. This is easier said than done.
Many projects have not been completed on time as a result of poor selection of staff and
unrealistic management expectations. If you don’t know about programming then how are
you going to be able to judge pay rates, timeframes, coding quality etc.?
In truth, as some software changes occur every 12-24 months, your new ‘guru’ may be in
fact learning along the way, just as much as you are!
Verify availability
The person or people you decide you want on your support team may or may not be
available.
Normally, when you offer somebody a position of employment, they must tell you if they
accept that offer or if they decline the offer.
The person you want may be available but there may be complications, such as the
following:
 they may not be available full-time
 they may not be available to work at the times your customer needs support
 they may not be available to start immediately
 they may be in the process of attending numerous interviews and they could play one
employee against each other.
In these cases, you may decide to offer the position to somebody else or negotiate with the
person you have chosen.
Also, as many services are now available twenty four hours a day and technology is
changing to make telecommuting easier, it may be worthwhile discussing other possibilities
such as part-time, late or early starts, telecommuting, etc.
Remember: a satisfied worker often proves to be a productive worker, and if your objectives
are being met, sometimes some flexibility is a useful strategy. This may not work in all
industries, but it certainly has merit in the information technology industry.
22
Provide support
Now that you have the support agreement and suitably skilled staff, you are ready to start
providing the support. The support will be provided in accordance with the service level
agreement.
You will not only provide the customer with support, but you will also do some reporting.
This is covered under the next heading ‘Obtaining feedback’.
You will probably find that there will be some tension between you and the customer
regarding the provision of the service.
The most common problem is a lack of clarity regarding what is supported and what is not
or the customer’s expectations regarding the support.
Generally you should avoid sticking to the letter of the law by merely quoting the agreement
and refusing to go beyond it. Remember: the user just wants their problem fixed!
However, often you may have to inform your customers on the boundaries of the agreement.
The best way to do this is proactively. Possibly advertise the available support (eg. posters,
by email or internet/intranet). The advertisement could contain the parameters of service
contained in the agreement.
Good customer service skills come into play here too. If your customers are asking for
support that is beyond the scope of the agreement, you could suggest where they could find
that help and even help them navigate to an alternate source of support instead of just
saying: ‘It’s beyond our SLA, sorry I can’t help you.’
3.2. Obtain feedback

Feedback is a necessary part of the delivery of the support function. It is information that
you receive from the following people regarding the delivery of the support service:
 your support team
 your customer
 any other appropriate person (eg. hardware or software vendors).
Why?
Why do we need feedback on delivery of support?
 to learn of problems occurring in the delivery of the service. This can help you be
proactive and head-off conflicts before they occur.
 to improve your service to the client by finding out where the problems are occurring
and fixing them. These problems may be recurrent problems in the system you are
supporting or problems with the delivery of the support.
23
How?
Feedback may take the following forms:
 reports – as detailed in the SLA. These may include the number of support issues
dealt with over a fixed period of time, the time taken to resolve problems and any
outstanding support issues.
 meetings – may be detailed in the SLA, but in any case, it is a good idea to meet
with your support team and your customer to discuss the support service you are
providing. This can be an informal meeting over coffee or a formal meeting with an
agenda.
 impromptu feedback – you should always be open to receive feedback from any
source at any time, especially if it means that – ultimately - you can improve the
service you deliver.
Many professionals believe that comments received back in forms or evaluation sheets are
not always completely honest, as many do not like criticising via writing. Speaking to a
cross-section of users in an open and frank way is a much better way of obtaining accurate,
substantive feedback.
Here is an example:
ETSA Utilities, South Australia’s electricity distributor, provide online reports detailing
how they are performing against the performance indicators they have set for themselves in
their customer charter.
This feedback may come

 by phone call
 by email
 by text message
 by fax
 verbally
 by web form
 or any other process you have set up for contact between you, your customer and
your team.
Summary
In this unit, we have looked at the delivery of support to users. In order to assign appropriate
support personnel, you need to identify the IT skills required, find the right person and
verify their availability.
24
Activities
Activity 1 – Skills categories

Complete the matching activity on skills categories (3KB dd_2833_Activity03.htm).
Activity 2 – Review job placement ads

Log on to an online recruitment site such as https://jobs.nsw.gov.au. Look at how their
advertisements are written for IT roles and non-IT roles. Are the ads effective? What could
be improved? Select two or three samples and analyse them. What is it that makes them
effective/ineffective?
Feedback
You should have discussed some of the following points:

 language
 length of ad
 jargon
 skill mix (is too much expected?)
 sales pitch (did it motivate or excite you?)
 title (did it grab your attention?)
 positioning (was it the first on the list or 131st?).
25
Self check 3
Instructions: Perform the following tasks. Write your answers clearly in the space Provided
at the end of question
1. What are technical skills? (2pts)
2. What are soft skills? (2pts)
3. What would you do to recruit IT support staff? (3pts)
4. According to your readings, why is feedback about the support you are providing so
important? (2pts)
5. What are some of the important issues to consider when writing job advertisement? (3pts)
6. Why is it important to understand the technical environment when hiring someone to

work within such an environment? (2pts)
Score = ___________
Rating= ___________
26
Answer Self-Checks of learning guide #1
Self Check 1
1. Give two reasons why technology requires support.
Feedback
Any two of the following would be suitable as reasons why technology requires support:
1. Technology does not always work as it should. Hardware can fail and software can
have bugs.
2. The users of technology do not always know how to perform tasks using the
available technology.
3. The needs of the business may change, and so will their need for and use of
technology.
2. Answer True or False:

A stakeholder is often the main person in charge of an IT project.
Feedback
Correct. This statement is False! A stakeholder is a person or organisation that has an
interest in the system or is impacted by the system but is generally NOT the main person in
charge of an IT project.
Incorrect. This statement is not true – it’s False! Go to the Reading notes and review the
section on Identify stakeholders.
2. A project sponsor is
 a person or organisation that will take ultimate responsibility for the project
 the person or organisation approving the funding for the project
Feedback
Correct. A project sponsor can be a person or organisation that will take ultimate
responsibility for the project, or the person or organisation approving the funding for the
project.
Almost! Go to the Reading notes and review the section on Identify stakeholders.
3. According to your readings, organisational culture refers to

 the systems that exist in a workplace
 the beliefs and values that exist in an organisation
 the unique processes within a workplace
 the priorities within an organisation
Feedback
27
Correct! Organisational culture refers to the beliefs and values that exist, whether formally
or informally, in an organisation.
Incorrect. Go to the Reading notes and review the section on Identify organisational
structure.
4. In your own words, what is organisational politics?
Feedback
Organisational politics is closely related to culture. Culture is the values and beliefs;
politics is the things that happen - the informal and formal policies, procedures and working
relationships.
Formal politics is defined by the organisation’s official policies, procedures and structure.
This is easily understood from the organisation’s documents. Informal politics tends to be
undefined and undocumented. It consists of a complex interaction of relationships between
people in the organisation. At times the informal politics is stronger than the official version.
5. What are the non-visible elements that support customer service? Why are they
important?
Feedback
The (non-visible) background supports for customer service are standards, systems, quality
issues and management support. They are important because they improve business
efficiency and competitiveness which results in better customer service.
6. On a help desk, which is the less technically challenging job?
 level 1
 level 2
 level 3
Feedback
Correct! Level 1 help desk is the least technically challenging job. These people take the
calls, log details, may solve simple problems or give general advice for common problems
(eg. password resets or MS word problems).
Incorrect. Go to the Reading notes and review the section on Determine levels of support
required.
28
Answer for Self Check 2
1. What is an SLA?
Feedback
A service level agreement (SLA) is essentially a contract that binds a service provider to
give a certain level of service.
2. When developing support procedures for help desk staff, which point would – generally -
not be clarified?
 What will be done? (the scope of the procedure)
 Who will do it?
 How will it be done? (eg onsite, over the telephone, etc.)
 How long will it take?
 What is the business case underlying the changes in the support procedures?
 What actions will be taken first?
Feedback
Correct! When developing support procedures for help desk staff, the business case
underlying the changes in the support procedures would generally not be clarified.
Incorrect. Go to the Reading notes and review the section on Establish procedures.
3. What is often included in an SLA?
Feedback
The following are often included in an SLA:
 the name of the provider, customers, etc.
4. In your own words, why is a service level agreement necessary?
Feedback
A service level agreement is necessary for the following reasons:
 To clarify expectations: The SLA describes in detail the terms of service and the
responsibilities of the customer and service provider.
 To incorporate indicators of quality: This is done by specifying performance
indicators and performance targets. For example, a performance indicator could be
the amount of time taken to acknowledge an emailed help request. The performance
target in this case could be that all emailed requests are to be acknowledged within
29
one working day of reception; this enables managers to quantify the quality of the
service by measuring how much the service varies from its performance targets.
 To assist communication and prevent disputes: Written documents can still be
disputed, but less than verbal agreements.
5. Suggest two reasons why authentication is important for help desk staff.
Feedback
Reasons why authentication is important for help desk staff include the following:
 to assist with security policies and password protection
 to quickly identify the user and understand their specific IT environment
 to help track and escalate user.
6. What would a typical incident management process/report outline in an IT environment

include?
Feedback
A typical incident management process/report outline in an IT environment would include
the following:
 the name of the provider
 the name of the customers
30
Answer for Self Check 3
1. What are technical skills?
Feedback
Knowledge of particular hardware (building shells) and software (experience in Novell,

Linux, MS Office or Dreamweaver) are considered technical skills. This could include
other technical skills such as the ability to write technical documentation, programming and
analysis of databases.
2. What are soft skills?
Feedback
Soft skills are things such as communication skills (eg. being a clear communicator, being
customer focused, etc.), time management skills, problem solving skills, the ability to learn
new procedures quickly and to work in teams.
3. What would you do to recruit IT support staff?
Feedback
What would you do to recruit IT support staff? Possible answers:

 use an online job site because IT staff usually look for employment through this type
of technology
 advertise in papers only
 try and find someone in your organisation, as they will already have a strong
understanding of your business
 use whatever tools and resources you can to find the best person for the job
 divide the task up and bring in specialist consultants for each specific task (as it is
now so diverse)
 hire contractors.
4. According to your readings, why is feedback about the support you are providing so
important?
Feedback
Feedback about support provision is important for the following reasons:

 to learn of problems that are occurring in the delivery of the service. This can help
you to be proactive and head-off conflicts before they occur.
 to improve your service to the client by finding out where the problems are occurring
and fixing them. These problems may be recurrent problems in the system you are
supporting or problems with the delivery of the support.
31
5. What are some of the important issues to consider when writing job advertisements?
Feedback
Some of the important issues to consider when writing job advertisements include
 language
 length of ad
 jargon
 skill mix (is too much expected?)
 sales pitch (did it motivate or excite you?)
 title (did it grab your attention?)
 positioning (was it the first on the list or 131st?).
6. Why is it important to understand the technical environment when hiring someone to

work within such an environment?
Feedback
Why is it important to understand the technical environment when hiring someone to work
within such an environment?
It is imperative that before you hire your ‘guru’, you must have a reasonable idea of what is
expected and be able to measure that both during their interview and by observing their
work performance. (Note – this is easier said than done).
Many projects have not been completed on time as a result of poor selection of staff and
unrealistic management expectations. If you don’t know about programming, for example,
then how are you going to be able to judge pay rates, timeframes or coding quality?
32

Client User Liaison LG

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Client User Liaison LG

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Debre Birhan Polytechnic College Establish and Maintain Client User Liaison

Debre Birhan Polytechnic College

 Determine support areas

This guide contains:

1. Read the specific objectives of this Learning Guide.

2. Follow the instructions described below

4. Accomplish the “Self-checks” in each information sheets.

8. Then proceed to the next information sheet.

1. Determine support areas Information Sheet #1

All of this technology requires support for the following reasons:

Typically, the technology used by business falls into two groups:

Example: ABC stationary

To practise identifying information technologies, complete Activity 1 – Identify information

How do you identify stakeholders?

1.3. Identify organisational structure

Figure 1: Organisational chart

‘Office’ and ‘Organisational’ Politics really are the same thing!

Informal politics tends to be undefined and undocumented. It consists of a complex

Why is support important?

The following is a list of possible support functions:

Activity 1 — Identify information technology

Table 1: Technology analysis

Technology Description Support Provider Already

SlowBooks software that customisation, None No

Table: Technology analysis

Figure 1: Organisational chart

2. Answer True or False: (1pt)

2. A project sponsor is (1pt)

6. On a help desk, which is the less technically challenging job? (1pt)

 all of the above

Note: Satisfactory rating - 10 points Unsatisfactory – below 5 points

2. Develop support procedures Information Sheet #2

2.1. Verify support needs

2.2. Customer expectations

Perceptions of performance can differ from customer to service provider. If customers

Customer satisfaction levels can fluctuate, often depending on customer expectations or

Typical incident management involves the following steps:

Image: Typical Incident management procedure: 1 receive, 2 prescreen, 3 authenticate, 4 log, 5

Figure 1: Typical incident management

Procedures – questions to be answered

2.4. Write the service level agreement

Why use a written SLA?

In general, an SLA should consist of the following:

Specifying the services

To practise, complete Activity 3 – Establishing a service level agreement, located in the

Activity 1 – Customer support procedures

Activity 2 – What makes great support?

Activity 3 – Establishing a service level agreement

Comment on whether or not you agree with these steps.

1. What is an SLA? (2pts)

 What will be done? (the scope of the procedure)

 Who will do it?

 How will it be done? (eg onsite, over the telephone, etc.)

 How long will it take?

 What actions will be taken first?

3. What is often included in an SLA? (5pts)

4. In your own words, why is a service level agreement necessary? (3pts)

6. What would a typical incident management process/report outline in an IT environment

Note: Satisfactory rating - 16 points Unsatisfactory – below 8 points

3. Assign support personnel Information Sheet #3

3.1. Identify IT skills

However, we can classify skills into two categories:

Find the right person