implementation of remote desktop end-user support forum by … · 2011. 6. 29. · priority. remote...

Implementation of Remote Desktop End-User Support Forum

As a Means to Reduce How-To Support Contacts

by

Rochelle M. Sweeney

A Research Paper

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the

Master of Science Degree in

Technology Management

The Graduate School

University of Wisconsin-Stout

May, 2011

1

Author:

Title:

The Graduate School

University of Wisconsin-Stout

Menomonie, WI 54751

Sweeney, Rochelle M.

Implementation of Remote Desktop End-user Support Forum as a

Means to Reduce How-To Support Contacts

Graduate Degree/ Major: MS Technology Management

Research Adviser: James Keyes

MonthrYear: May, 2011

Number of Pages: 42

Style Manual Used: American Psychological Association, 6th edition

Abstract

End-user support is an essential business service. The technology used to provide

support can vary widely from phone to Web-based contact solutions. Achieving the

highest level of user satisfaction most efficiently and cost effectively is a business

priority. Remote desktop support provides the support specialist with real-time access to

an end-user's computer. The specialist is enabled to more quickly assess, identify and

resolve the support issue because remote desktop access allows the specialist to see and if

granted permission by the end-user, assume control of the desktop. The more quickly a

support resolution is achieved the greater time and money savings are realized, as well as

greater end-user satisfaction. Providing a remote desktop support forum allows the

specialist to resolve individual support issues as well as simultaneously providing the

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same knowledge to multiple end-users. This may result in a reduction of repetitive as

wells as time-consuming individual support inquiries.

3

Acknowledgments

I respectfully acknowledge and thank my research advisor Dr. James Keyes for his

expertise and guidance throughout this thesis project.

I would like to dedicate this thesis project to my husband Edwin for his unwavering

support and encouragement.

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Table of Contents

................................................................................................................................................... Page

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 2

Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... 4

List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. 7

Chapter I: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 8

Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................... 9

Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................... 10

Assumptions of the Study ................................................................................................. 10

Limitations of the Study ................................................................................................... 10

Definition of Terms .......................................................................................................... 11

Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 11

Summary ........................................................................................................................... 13

Chapter II: Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 14

Support Source .................................................................................................................. 14

Support Method ................................................................................................................ 15

Figure 1 ............................................................................................................................. 19

Support Inquiry ................................................................................................................. 20

Summary ........................................................................................................................... 21

Chapter III: Methodology ............................................................................................................. 22

Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 22

Subject Selection and Description .................................................................................... 23

Instrumentation ................................................................................................................. 23

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Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 23

Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 24

Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 25

Summary ........................................................................................................................... 25

Chapter IV: Results ....................................................................................................................... 26

Issue Resolution Type Results .......................................................................................... 26

Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 27

Forum Attendance ............................................................................................................. 28

Key Considerations ........................................................................................................... 28

Summary ........................................................................................................................... 29

Chapter V: Discussion .................................................................................................................. 30

Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 30

Risks and Challenges ........................................................................................................ 30

Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 31

Influencing Factors ........................................................................................................... 31

Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 31

Summary ........................................................................................................................... 33

References ..................................................................................................................................... 34

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................... 36

Appendix B ................................................................................................................................... 37

Appendix C ................................................................................................................................... 39

Appendix D ................................................................................................................................... 41

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List of Tables

Table 1: Streamlining help desk operations .................................................................................. 20

Table 2: Sample summary table .................................................................................................... 24

Table 3: March 2011 marketing project management application issue tickets ........................... 26

Table 4: April 2011 marketing project management application issue tickets ............................. 27

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Chapter I: Introduction

Providing end-user support has been a necessary expense for achieving end-user

satisfaction ever since the proliferation ofthe desktop computer as a business tool. Every time a

company implements a new business system or application information technology management

team must decide how to provide end-user support for that system or application. Developing an

end-user support strategy can be challenging given the multitude of options available. The

means by which end-user support can be provided varies and is continually evolving as

technology evolves. Some companies outsource end-user support to third-party providers in the

U.S. and abroad while others hire and train employees to provide end-user support internally.

Internal end-user support teams can be required to provide centralized, company-wide support or

decentralized, business-specific support depending on the needs of the company or business

group. End-users may contact support via the phone or by electronic means, such as email or

Web-enabled support request forms.

Retailer X operates a national chain of retail stores from its headquarters in the Midwest.

The well known retailer maintains and supports both desktop and laptop computers for store and

headquarters personnel. Retailer X provides internal end-user support utilizing both centralized

and decentralized support models.

The marketing operations group at Retailer X provided decentralized, business-specific

end-user support for a marketing project management (MPM) application. The marketing

management team determined that directing end-users to a decentralized, business-specific

support specialist rather than the centralized, corporate client support center would provide the

most relevant and expeditious user support experience. This required the marketing operations

group to hire and train a single support specialist dedicated to providing marketing project

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management-specific support. A dedicated email box and a custom-designed, SharePoint list

were the available means for end-users to request support.

The well known retailer is continually seeking to improve operating efficiency

while reducing operating expense which resulted in a recent reorganization of the

marketing operations group. This reorganization required that the dedicated support

specialist spend less time providing individual end-user support to devote more time to

business-critical technology projects. Individual end-user support is time-consuming

on average requiring five to eight minutes per support contact to provide issue resolution

and often for a redundant issue. This research proposed the implementation of a remote

desktop end-user support forum as a means to reduce the quantity of client procedural or

how-to support contacts thus increasing the effectiveness of the end-user-support

provided for the marketing project management application.

Fifty percent of all marketing end-user support contacts were for the marketing

project management application. Of those support contacts 50% were client procedural

or how-to questions - user isn't sure how to use the application however with the correct

knowledge the user was capable of resolving the issue without support intervention. This

volume of client procedural support contacts for a single application jeopardized the

ability of a single support specialist to maintain the proposed service level agreement of

issue resolution within four to eight hours per each support contact for all marketing

applications.

Statement of the Problem

Due to the comparatively high volume of how-to support contacts for the marketing

project management application, the quantity of client procedural contacts needed to be reduced

by five percent within one month to maintain the current service level agreement.

Purpose of the Study

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Due to the reorganization of the marketing operations group, the single end-user support

specialist was required to reduce the amount of time spent on individual support contacts. The

support specialist proposed a bi-monthly remote desktop support forum to provide marketing

project management end-users with a critical understanding feedback loop which is difficult to

achieve through email. The forum exposed mUltiple end-users to support issues and the resulting

resolution, frequently asked questions, and an online source of application self-service as a

means to reduce redundant marketing project management application support contacts. Remote

desktop support allowed end-users to experience support resolutions visually to promote

knowledge retention. The bi-monthly forum supplemented monthly training classes while

providing sufficient frequency to remain responsive to end-users support needs.

Assumptions of the Study

The bi-monthly remote desktop support forum was intended to supplement monthly

marketing project management application-specific training classes, a dedicated email box and

custom-designed, SharePoint list for direct and immediate support requests.

Limitations of the Study

1. This study applied only to the marketing operations group of Retailer X.

2. For the purposes of this study the remote desktop support forum applied only to end-user

support of the marketing project management application.

3. This study only reviewed support contacts for the marketing project management

application collected and compared from March and April 2011.

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Definition of Terms

Forum. A public meeting or lecture involving audience discussion (Merriam-Webster' s

Collegiate Dictionary, 2005, p. 494).

Remote desktop. A feature in the Windows operating system (OS) that allows the

machine to be run remotely from another Windows machine over any dial-up or local area

network (LAN) connection. Remote Desktop is the Windows-based technology used to exchange

only keystrokes and screen changes (PC Mag.com, 2011).

Service Level Agreement (SLA). A contract between the provider and the user that

specifies the level of service expected during its term. They can specify bandwidth availability,

response times for routine and ad hoc queries, response time for problem resolution (network

down, machine failure, etc.) (PC Mag.com, 2011).

SharePoint. A family of Windows software from Microsoft that is used to set up

internal Web portals (intranets) for document sharing and search, team collaboration, lists, blogs,

wikis and company news (PC Mag.com, 2011).

Methodology

The support specialist prepared a proposal for the remote desktop support forum

including objectives and risks and challenges. The proposal was then presented to the

marketing operations manager and group manager for approval. Once approved by the

manager and group manager the proposal was presented to the marketing operations

director. A pilot of the remote desktop support forum was planned after the director

approved the proposal.

Objectives of the proposal included:

• Provide end-users with convenient access to a support forum at their desk,

thus minimizing disruption to busy schedules

• Utilizing remote desktop technology to demonstrate to end-users the steps

to follow for issue resolution

• Solicit end-user questions during the forum as well as review of top five

frequently asked questions (F AQs)

• Provide end-users with an additional source of support

Risks and challenges of the proposal included:

• End-users unfamiliar with or intimidated by remote desktop application

• End-users register but fail to attend

• Remote desktop support frequency may not meet end-user's needs or

expectations

12

This study analyzed end-user client procedural support contact data for the marketing

project management application collected in an existing custom-designed, SharePoint list

between March and April 2011. The number of client procedural support contacts for the

marketing project management application was collected for a period of 30 days prior to the

implementation of the remote desktop end-user support forum and compared to the same support

resolution type for a period of30 days during the implementation of the remote desktop support

forum.

The data was then exported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and converted into a

PivotTable report for analysis of the client procedural issue resolution contact type by month for

the marketing project management application. A PivotTable report is a feature of Microsoft

Excel that enables the analysis of numerical data in detail by subtotaling and aggregating

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numeric data and summarizing data by categories and subcategories. The interest or demand for

continuing the remote desktop support forum was determined by attendance.

Summary

Providing end-user support is an essential business service however the manner in which

the support is provided various greatly. The available time and resources devoted to end-user

support often influences the delivery method. This research proposed a remote desktop support

forum as a supplement to individual support contacts. The study results provided the marketing

operations group with an understanding of the benefit to the support specialist of offering a

remote desktop support forum to the end-users of the marketing project management application

in the comparative number of client procedural support contacts, as well as the level of interest

among the end-users for the remote desktop support forum format.

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Chapter II: Literature Review

Help desk is a generic name typically associated with an end-user support center. There

is insufficient information to determine when the first help desk was established. However it is

generally accepted that it was first established about twenty years ago (Leung & Lau, 2007).

Prior to the creation of a dedicated help desk, end-users often resorted to contacting a friend or

colleague for assistance. Today's savvy technology managers realize that it is critical to

transform outdated "help desks," which rely primarily on telephone communications, into

efficiently managed "service desks" that efficiently and economically accommodate multiple

forms of interaction - from voice and data to email and instant messaging. They also understand

that by transitioning to self-assist and remote incident resolution they can reduce service desk

operational costs by half, while dramatically improving the quality of service provided

(CompuCom, 2006).

Support Source

Determining an end-user support strategy requires serious evaluation of the needs of the

end-user, the cost and the overall value to the company. Building an in-house support staff or

outsourcing to a third-party provider is a central consideration of any end-user support strategy.

Outsourcing support can refer to both onshore as well as offshore vendors. According to a

survey of 175 information technology (IT) and business managers conducted by Information

Week Research about technical support practices found that internal, centralized help desks are

the most prevalent assistance being provided (D' Antoni, 2001). The survey went on to state that

forty percent of participating managers work for companies that use third-party vendors to

resolve IT difficulties. However, outsourced support is generally provided in conjunction with

existing in-house services; only three percent of managers said their support is entirely

outsourced (D' Antoni, 2001).

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The challenge of finding and retaining help desk employees is leading more companies to

turn to automated products as well as outsourcers according to Tony Adams, an analyst at San

Jose-based Dataquest (Dash, 2000). Outsourcing is a trend that is clearly growing. Forrester

Research projects that by 2005 nearly 600,000 U.S. jobs - including many customer service and

technology support positions - will move offshore; by 2015, that figure could reach 3.3 million

(Kandra, 2005).

Outsourced help desk prices range from $7-$64 per user per month or charging may

occur on a fixed price per call or call bundle (Romney, 2004).

Support Method

Once the source of the support has been decided, how the support will be provided is

another primary consideration. Frequently an end-user's first contact for help is not to the

dedicated help desk. End-users often find consulting a trusted colleague who has previously

demonstrated proficiency with the application or issue in question a more convenient manner in

which to receive help. While consulting a colleague may seem expeditious and will reduce

contacts to the help desk the information provided may be inaccurate, incomplete, and may

obscure a more serious technical issue.

Calling the help desk is generally the preferred method of contacting the help desk.

According to the research firms Data-quest and Jupiter Research, most end-users seek support

through the telephone (Metz, 2000). Phone contact is understandably preferred as it allows the

end-user to interact with the support specialist providing the user with an opportunity to clarify

and expand on issue details.

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Although the telephone is the preferred method of seeking support, end-users can

encounter frustration when calling the help desk. End-users often lack confidence that they will

be able to adequately describe the issue they are experiencing or fear embarrassment for their

lack of application and or computer knowledge and skills. This can lead to confusion and

misinterpretation for the support specialist as they attempt to resolve the issue. Concern over a

language barrier is a potential drawback of phone support as well. The end-user may become

frustrated and abandoned the call before their issue is resolved if they're unable to understand a

support specialist due to a thick accent. As a result of these attitudes, end-users may postpone

contacting the help desk. This will ultimately result in a delay of their issue resolution.

A study by the Help Desk Institute (HDI), based on a survey of information technology

managers, directors and other personnel at approximately 800 businesses, government agencies

and organizations, found that 67% of survey respondents reported that calls had increased at their

organizations during 2010. The study concluded there's no single explanation for the continuing

increase in support calls (Thibodeau, 2011).

While phone support is convenient it is also expensive, the cost for a typical support call

is between $10 and $15 according to Giga Information Group customer relationship management

analyst Erin Kinikin (Bertolucci and Aquino, 2001).

Electronic support or e-support as it is referred to, often encompasses all other forms of

end-user support including email, Web-based incident initiation, Web-based chat, Web-based

self-service and remote desktop applications.

Email is probably the most common e-support means of contacting the help desk. While

email is widely available and easy to use the outcome is often less than satisfying for the end

user. According to a PC World Reliability and Service survey, between 65 and 70% of

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respondents who have tried to use email-based support say the answers they received didn't

resolve their problems (Bertolucci and Aquino, 2001). Also, email often doesn't meet the end

user's expectations for speed of resolution. David Daniels, a Jupiter Research analyst stated,

"We've found that 55% of consumers expect a resolution to their email inquires within six hours

and that only 20% of companies were meeting those expectations." (Metz, 2000).

As our society becomes increasingly self-service oriented from self-checkout at the

grocery store to scheduling a doctor appointment online, end-user support has also moved

towards a self-service model. Web-based, self-service support allows the end-user to use

keywords to search a Web-enabled knowledgebase for frequently asked questions (FAQs) and

troubleshooting tips to potentially resolve their technical issue without intervention from a

support specialist. The cost of this model is also considerably less expensive than other forms of

support at $1 or less per incident (Bertolucci and Aquino, 2001).

Tom Sweeny, an analyst at ServiceXRG, contends that organizations allocate a

disproportionate level of resources to delivering content through one-to-one channels rather than

creating content for self-services. Even with self-service making such strides, he says, many

companies still have the model where one support specialist is fielding 30 calls daily on the same

simple subject. It's grossly inefficient when this does not get captured and used in a knowledge

repository (Parature, 2009).

Companies electing to implement a self-service solution for end-user support should

focus on getting users over the cultural barrier of depending on technology not individuals -

for help. That means actively promoting self-help sites and making sure the content in these

Web-based knowledge bases is continually updated, relevant and easy to use (Stackpole, 1999).

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In a 2005 user survey, Gartner asked what was necessary to improve the self-service

experience. Specifically respondents were given a list of improvement areas and asked to

consider the benefits, effectiveness, and ease of use of self-service solutions, and identifY which

are needed to significantly increase the use of self-service solutions (CompuCom, 2006). The

results were:

• Easier to find solution for a specific problem

• Organized to make it easy to find the right tool

• Content that is more relevant to the context or problems

• Content that is specific to the application or operating system

• Content that is more comprehensive in scope and depth

• Increased performance of Web-based self-service

• Support site and content personalized to my needs

• Tailor site to my unique IT environment, rather than IT products

• Security of automated remote monitoring and management

• Easier to log in

According to Matt Healey, an analyst at Framingham, Mass.-based International Data

Corp. (IDC), the market for clientless remote-support tools is still emerging. Sales of these tools

are expected to more than double in the next four years, from an estimated $156.4 million in

2008 to $335.7 million in 2012 (Wong, 2008). See Figure 1 for a detailed breakout of cost by

external support, service provider, and internal help desk.

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Figure 1. Worldwide clientless remote support tools spending, 2007-2012

400

350

300

250 ~

~ 200 ~ '-"

150

100

50

0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

• External support 0 Services provider Internal help desk

Adapted from "Using Web-based support tools to improve customer service," by Gilhooly, K.

2009. Retrieved from http://www.supportindustry.com/whitepaper2009/whitepaper09 . pdf.

Although remote desktop software can't resolve every type of support call, it can

dramatically reduce the time spent on some support tasks as shown in Table 1. For instance,

demonstrating via remote desktop the resolution for a how-to question can shorten the time spent

on 70% to 80% of those tasks and avoid 5% of future calls.

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Table 1

Streamlining help desk operations

Type of Call % of Tasks Where % of Calls Time was Saved Avoided

How-to 70-80 0-5

Break/fix 10-30 0-5

Service request 0 0

Moves 0 0

Adds 15-30 0

Changes 15-30 0

Password reset 0 0

Outage 0 0

Adapted from "Remote control a la enterprise," by Phillips, K. 1999, 87.

Support Inquiry

End-user support is no longer primarily focused on whether or not the technology is

working but also how the technology should work in the specific business environment in which

it is being used. Many support inquiries are for how-to questions - user isn't sure how to use the

application however with the correct knowledge the user is capable of resolving the issue without

support intervention. Rather than contact the help desk for assistance, these how-to questions

could easily be resolved through the use of self-service Web-based knowledge bases.

The ten most common support actions that could easily be handled by self-service

methods include: Clear temp files; clear cache; reset password; check exchange server

connectivity; check network connectivity; fill out questions and answers; empty recycle bin;

create Webmail icon; clear Web browser history; map network drive (CompuCom, 2006).

According to Greg Oxton, executive director of the Customer Support Consortium (CSC)

21

in Seattle, between 60% and 70% of service calls are known problems that have been answered

before. Better access to information could prevent some of the repetitive questions (Girard,

1997).

Knapp and Woch have found that 80% of inquiries made to the help desk often require no

specialized technical knowledge. As a result, the help desk staff is overwhelmed by the

increasing workload and is no longer available for business-critical projects, proactive support

activity or training because their time is mainly occupied by resolving these simple and routine

contacts (Knapp and Woch, 2002).

Summary

The literature review suggests that the implementation of e-support tools can reduce the

number of contacts to the help desk. However, e-support tools such as self-service must be

supported and aggressively promoted by management to encourage end-users to adopt and

routinely utilize these methods rather than expecting a personal interaction with a support

specialist. As technology evolves so must help desk support. As with many technological

advancements adoption requires time and promotion.

Chapter III: Methodology

Introduction

A recent reorganization of the marketing operations group at Retailer X required

that the business-specific, dedicated support specialist spend less time providing end-user

support to devote more time to business-critical technology projects. This research

proposed the implementation of a remote desktop end-user support forum as a means to

reduce the quantity of how-to support contacts and increase the effectiveness of the end

user support provided for the marketing project management (MPM) application.

The support specialist prepared a proposal for the remote desktop support forum

including objectives and risks and challenges. The proposal was then presented to the

marketing operations manager and group manager for approval. Once approved by the

manager and group manager the proposal was presented to the marketing operations

director. A pilot of the remote desktop support forum was planned after the director

approved the proposal.

Objectives of the proposal included:

• Provide end-users with convenient access to a support forum at their desk,

thus minimizing disruption to busy schedules

• Utilizing remote desktop technology to demonstrate to end-users the steps

to follow for issue resolution

• Solicit end-user questions during the forum as well as review of top five

frequently asked questions (FAQs)

• Provide end-users with additional source of support

22

Risks and challenges of the proposal included:

• End-users unfamiliar with or intimidated by remote desktop application

• End-users register but fail to attend

• Remote desktop support frequency may not meet end-user's needs or

expectations

Subject Selection and Description

23

Intended subjects were all marketing project management application end-users. During

the study period there were approximately 350 active marketing project management application

end-users. The remote desktop forum was promoted to the end-users through the distribution of a

regularly scheduled weekly email (Appendix A) sent to all members of the marketing team. End

users interested in attending the forum registered using a Web-enabled email registration tool.

Instrumentation

Marketing project management application end-users registered for the remote desktop

support forum using a Web-enabled email registration tool. After interested end-users registered

they received an Outlook meeting invite. The meeting notice contained a conference bridge

phone number and meeting number, a link to Adobe Connect, and an agenda. Adobe Connect is

software used in part for Web-conferencing and remote desktop sharing.

Data Collection

A custom-designed, SharePoint list form (Appendix B) containing 36 questions, of which

23 were required, was used to gather support contact data for the period March through April

2011. The support specialist spends approximately two minutes per issue to complete the issue

form as the issues are received. A custom view was created in the SharePoint list to include the

data columns, filters and sorts necessary to capture the required data. The data was exported

24

from the SharePoint list by clicking Actions and selecting "Export to Spreadsheet" (Appendix

C). For the purposes of this study the how-to issue type was indicated by the "client procedural"

resolution type. The interpretation being the user was capable of resolving the issue without

support intervention.

Data Analysis

All support contact issue details were entered into an existing custom-designed,

SharePoint list. The export to excel feature in SharePoint was used to export the data for further

analysis. The data was then exported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and converted into a

PivotTable report to summarize the issue resolution type by month for the marketing project

management application. The data collected will be entered into a summary table as shown

below in Table 2.

Table 2

Sample summary table

Issue Resolution Type

Client procedural

Corporate support

Marketing support

No response from the user

Not supported by marketing

Request center request

Grand Total

Total

A PivotTable report is a feature of Microsoft Excel that enables the analysis of numerical

data in detail by subtotaling and aggregating numeric data and summarizing data by categories

25

and subcategories. A baseline of marketing project management application support data was

collected prior to the implementation of the remote desktop support forum in March 2011. This

provided a total quantity of support contacts for the marketing project management application

by issue type for the previous 30 days. The support data from the previous 30 days was then

compared to 30 days of data collected during the implementation of the remote desktop support

forum.

A reduction in support contacts related to how the marketing project management

application should function in the marketing environment - also known as client procedural -

thus resulting in a reduction in the total quantity of support contacts was expected to indicate that

the remote desktop support forum achieved the desired outcome.

Limitations

Results and recommendations of this study were limited to marketing project

management application end-users. Data gathered was exported to Microsoft Excel from an

existing, custom-designed SharePoint list and summarized in a PivotTable report. The data

represents only the support contacts collected during March and April 2011 for the marketing

project management application utilized by the marketing operations group at Retailer X.

Summary

The end-user issue tickets created for the marketing project management application

during March and April 2011 for the marketing operations group at Retailer X were collected

and analyzed. The number of client procedural resolution type tickets for March 2011 was

compared to April 2011 to detennine if the implementation of two remote desktop support

forums had any effect on the number of client procedural issues reported.

26

Chapter IV: Results

The purpose ofthe study was to reduce the quantity of client procedural or how-to issues

reported for the marketing project management (MPM) application used by the marketing

operations group at Retailer X. Issue ticket data for the marketing project management

application was collected during March and April 2011 and summarized and compared. The

end-user interest was determined by attendance. The results were used to determine the

effectiveness of continuing the remote desktop support forum.

Issue Resolution Type Results

The client procedural support contacts for the marketing project management application

during March 2011 are shown in Table 3 below.

Table 3

March 2011 marketing project management application issue tickets

Issue Resolution Type Total

Client procedural 10

Corporate support 0

Marketing support 10

No response from the user 1

Not supported by marketing 0

Request center request 1

Grand Total 22

The client procedural issue resolution type represents approximately 45% of the total

resolution types reported for all marketing project management application issues during March

2011. This percent is slightly lower than the historical average of 50% of all marketing project

27

management application issue resolution types per month.

The client procedural support contacts for the marketing project management application

during April 2011 are shown in Table 4 below.

Table 4

April 2011 marketing project management application issue tickets

Issue Resolution Type

Client procedural

Corporate support

Marketing support

No response from the user

Not supported by marketing

Request center request

Grand Total

Total

14

2

6

o

1

24

The client procedural issue resolution type represents approximately 58% of the total

resolution types reported for all marketing project management application issues during April

2011. This is 8% higher than the historical average of 50% of all marketing project management

application issue resolution types per month. The April 2011 client procedural issue resolution

type total represents a 40% increase over the March 2011 total. The desired result of the

implementation of the remote desktop support forum was a 5% decrease in client procedural

issue resolution type contacts.

Data Analysis

The client procedural support contacts have obviously increased rather than decreased

during the remote desktop support forum pilot period. This increase is not necessarily directly

28

attributable to the implementation of the support forum pilot. An increase in client procedural

support contacts could be the result of an increase in contract employees that have not yet

attended marketing project management application training. April is the fiscal quarter end for

Retailer X which may have resulted in an increase in finance-related client procedural contacts as

indicated by the increased number of Financial Codes issue type in Appendix D as compared to

Appendix C.

Forum Attendance

The first forum was conducted at the end of March 2011 and was attended by five

members of the marketing operations group. The second forum was conducted the middle of

April and was attended by two members of the marketing operations group. The low attendance

at the second forum might be explained by a technical issue. The Web-enabled registration tool

that users were directed to use in the email promoting the forum was offline for six hours the day

before the forum preventing users from registering. Although attendance was small those who

did attend were satisfied with the content of the forum and received answers to their support

questions.

Key Considerations

The marketing operations group should consider the following options when determining

whether or not to continue the remote desktop support forum:

• Promoting the remote desktop support forum through email as well as active, public

encouragement from management

• Increasing the frequency of the suppOli forum to weekly

• Providing an incentive for attending the forum

29

Summary

A remote desktop support forum for the marketing project management application at

Retailer X was conducted once at the end of March and again the middle of April. The support

contacts for the marketing project management application were collected for March and April

2011 and compared. The quantity of client procedural issue resolution type contacts increased

by 40% between March 2011 and April 2011. The remote desktop support forum did not

achieve the desired results of a 5% decrease in client procedural support contacts.

30

Chapter V: Discussion

The purpose of the study was to reduce the quantity of client procedural or how-to issues

reported for the marketing project management (MPM) application used by the marketing

operations group at Retailer X. Issue ticket data for the marketing project management

application was collected during March and April 2011 and analyzed. The end-user interest was

determined by attendance. The results were used to determine the effectiveness of continuing

the remote desktop support forum.

Conclusions

The literature review suggested that transitioning end-user support from a personal

experience with a support specialist to an e-support or technology support experience would

require a culture shift. The culture shift would need to be actively not just passively supported

by upper management. The transition would most likely be gradual and may require the support

specialist to actively direct the end-user to the e-support tools while resolving the issue.

Risks and Challenges

Risks and challenges to a successful implementation of the remote desktop support forum

were considered prior to implementation. A link to more information about the Adobe Connect

remote desktop technology was provided in the email promoting the forum as a means to inform

end-users who may have been unfamiliar with or intimidated by the remote desktop technology.

All end-users who registered for the forum attended. The risk that the frequency of the forum

did not meet end-user expectations may have been realized as attendance at both forums was

lower than expected. Each forum was scheduled on a different day of the week and the first was

scheduled before lunch while the second was scheduled after lunch. This was a conscious

decision to determine if the day of the week or the time of day of the implementation was a

factor in attendance.

Limitations

31

Results and recommendations of this study were limited to marketing project

management application end-users. Data gathered was exported to Microsoft Excel from an

existing, custom-designed SharePoint list and summarized in a PivotTable report. The data

represents only the support contacts collected during March and April 2011 for the marketing

project management application utilized by the marketing operations group at Retailer X.

Influencing Factors

The results of the remote desktop support forum may have been influenced by several

unanticipated factors. The first was the departure of the support specialist from the marketing

operations group in March. The support specialist who proposed the remote desktop support

forum continued to conduct the sessions however the support contact volume from end-users

may have been positively or negatively influenced. Second, the Web-enabled registration tool

that users were directed to use in the email promoting the forum was offline for six hours the day

before the second forum preventing users from registering.

Recommendations

Although the client procedural support contacts increased rather than decreased during

the remote desktop support forum pilot it is apparent from the literature review that e-support is a

more efficient and cost effective method of providing end-user support. In addition to evaluating

the promotion and implementation of the remote desktop support forum for possible

modifications, the marketing operations group at Retailer X should continue to pursue e-support

alternatives. Insistence by the support specialist that management frequently and enthusiastically

32

promote a future implementation of the support forum should be considered as the literature

substantiates increased adoption of e-support alternatives when upper-management is actively

engaged in its promotion. The content of the remote desktop support forums could be tailored to

meet the needs of how specific teams within the marketing operations group use the marketing

project management application rather than providing broad, one size fits all content. The

remote desktop support forum format could also be presented at a marketing operations group

meeting. This would provide team members with a preview of the remote desktop technology

and potential content and discussion points. Team members would be given an opportunity to

provide feedback on the format and the content of the support forum during the meeting.

Although a twice monthly support forum may not provide adequate frequency to accommodate

the on-demand nature of end-user support, remote desktop technology should continue to be

considered as a supplement to one-on-one support contacts. Once the proposed modifications

have been implemented, the support specialist should conduct another pilot or'the remote

desktop support forum. The cost to provide one-on-one support versus e-support alternatives,

that require little or no support intervention, should be calculated and compared. The resulting

cost data could be used to develop a cost-effective support plan. Individual self-service may be a

more effective method of delivering support to the marketing operations group rather than a

group forum. This could be accomplished through the development and active promotion of a

Web-based knowledge base of how-to instructions and frequently asked questions. Developing a

team of marketing project management application subject matter experts, who themselves

routinely use the application, who could be a first resource for support is another option. As

previously stated approximately half of the support contacts pertain to procedural questions

rather than technical issues, these

33

individuals would be knowledgeable about the specific business use of the application

and very capable of quickly responding to and resolving procedural questions. The marketing

operations group could also consider conducting a survey of marketing team members to

determine preferences for requesting and receiving marketing project management application e

support.

Summary

In this study the marketing operations group support specialist at Retailer X proposed and

implemented a remote desktop support forum as a means to reduce client procedural support

contacts for the marketing project management application. A pilot was implemented at the end

of March 2011. Support contacts for the marketing project management application were

collected and the client procedural issue resolution type totals were compared before and during

the pilot in March and April 2011. The client procedural issue resolution type increased rather

than decreasing during the pilot. As a result, several options were recommended for providing

end-user support that could effectively reduce the quantity of client procedural issue resolution

type support contacts. The first recommendation was to modify the promotion and content of the

remote desktop support forum and conduct a second pilot; calculate the cost to provide one-on

one support versus e-support then use the resulting cost data to develop a cost-effective support

plan; develop a team of marketing project management application subject matter experts; and

finally the marketing operations group could conduct a survey to determine how end-users prefer

to request and receive marketing project management application support.

34

References

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D'Antoni, A. (2001). Tech support: Mostly an inside job. Information Week, (832), 98.

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Romney, J. (2004). Help the help desk. Intheblack, 74(9),34-39.

Stackpole, B. (1999). Cooking up self-service support. PC Week, 16(8), 91-95.

Thibodeau, P. (2011). IT Help Desk Calls Up Again in 2010. Computerworld, 45(1),8.

Travis, P. (2005). Help-desk support meets worker expectations. InformationWeek, (1044), 72.

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htlp:llwww.baselinemag.comlc/aiInfrastructurelTaking-Control-of-a-Call-Center-with

Remote-Software.

BE INFORMED:

TOPIC:

Area/Contact: Overview:

Key Points:

36

Appendix A

Remote desktop support forum email announcement

INTRODUCING MPM REMOTE DESKTOP SUPPORT FORUM (Applies only to marketing team members who use MPM)

Marketing operations group The marketing operations group is piloting a new way to receive MPM Remote Desktop Support using Adobe Connect. Adobe Connect makes it possible for you to join an MPM working forum from your desk. Click here for more information about Adobe Connect.

The first session has been scheduled for March 25 from 10-llAM. Follow the steps below to schedule the meeting on your calendar:

1. Click on the link MPM Remote Desktop Support to register. 2. Click on the Marl 1 link 3. Click on 03/2512011 10:00 AM 4. Click submit

Once you register you'll receive two emails: • Meeting invite email: please click Accept and the meeting

will appear on your Outlook calendar. Specific meeting details and agenda will be available in the meeting invite.

• Attendee email: lists you as the "Organizer" along with any additional attendees that you registered on the site. No action required on this email.

Field Description Contact Type*

Any Additional Information

User Name*

LANID*

Any Additional Users

Have you been though training?*

Would you like desk side coaching?*

Computer Type*

Application*

Brief Description *

What is the issue?*

Steps to recreate the issue*

ID Number*

Other ticket*

Other ticket number

Screenshot*

Date Created

Assign to*

Information requested

Issue Type*

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Appendix B

Issue Ticket Form

Type of Field/Selections Web Form; Email

Free text field

Free text field

Free text field

Free text field

Yes; No - not yet, but will; No - don't plan to; No - how do I sign up?

Yes, No

PC, Mac

Application 1, Application 2, Application 3, Marketing Project Management application

Free text field

Free text field

Free text field

Free text field

No, Yes

Free text field

Yes, No

Calendar date selector

Free text field

Free text field

Access; Details tab; Downloading;

Support Team*

Number of contacts *

Days between contacts*

Work log*

Ticket number

Vendor

Vendor ticket type

Vendor ticket number

Resolution Date*

Resolution Type*

Brief resolution description*

Resolution communication to the user*

Send an update?*

From the user - reason to re-open the ticket

Update to the client

Global ticket * Indicates a required field

38

Enhancement request; Financial codes; Filters; General question; Login; Non-marketing issue; Notifications; Project status; Project workflow management; Reports; Roles; Search; Schedules; Suppliers; System issue; Tasks; Training

Marketing support; System administration; Development support; Corporate support; Vendor support; Other support

1,2,3,4

Free text field

Free text field

Free text field

Vendor 1

Issue, Defect

Free text field

Calendar date selector

Client procedural; Defect; Enhancement; Corporate support; Marketing support; No response from user; Not supported by marketing; Request center request

Free text field

Free text field

No, Yes

Free text field

Free text field

Only select if yes

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Appendix C

March 2011 Marketing Project Management Issue Tickets

Ticket Support Date Resolution -Number Issue Type Application Team Created Type *

Marketing Client 5940 Project Status MPM Support 311/2011 Procedural

Marketing Client 5935 Schedules MPM Support 3/1/2011 Procedural

Marketing Client 5944 General Questions MPM Support 3/912011 Procedural

Marketing Client 5957 Project Status MPM Support 311712011 Procedural

Marketing Client 5952 Financial Codes MPM Support 311712011 Procedural

Marketing Client 5953 Access MPM Support 3/18/2011 Procedural

Marketing Client 5964 Project Status MPM Support 3/22/2011 Procedural



Marketing Client 5969 General Questions MPM Support 3/28/2011 Procedural

Marketing Marketing 5932 Details Tab MPM Support 311/2011 Support

Marketing Marketing 5943 Roles MPM Support 3/9/2011 Support

Marketing Marketing 5942 Roles MPM Support 3/9/2011 Support

40

Marketing Marketing 5946 Details Tab MPM Support 311012011 Support

Marketing Marketing 5945 Schedules MPM Support 311 0/2011 Support

Marketing Marketing 5947 Access MPM Support 311412011 Support

Marketing Marketing 5954 Access MPM Support 3118/2011 Support

Marketing Marketing 5963 Project Status MPM Support 3/2112011 Support

Project Workflow Marketing Marketing 5968 Management MPM Support 3/28/2011 Support

Marketing Marketing 5967 Reports MPM Support 3/28/2011 SuppOli

Marketing No response 5975 Details Tab MPM Support 3/30/2011 from the user

Marketing Request Center 5955 Access MPM Support 3118/2011 Request *The how-to issue type was indicated by the "client procedural" resolution type.

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Appendix D

April 2011 Marketing Project Management Issue Tickets

Ticket Date Number Issue Type Application Support Team Created Resolution - Type*

Financial Marketing 5981 Codes MPM Support 4/6/2011 Client Procedural

Project Marketing 5982 Status MPM Support 4/612011 Client Procedural


Project Marketing 5984 Status MPM Support 4/6/2011 Client Procedural

Marketing 5985 Access MPM Support 4/612011 Client Procedural



Project Marketing 5990 Status MPM Support 411112011 Client Procedural


Marketing 5998 Filters MPM Support 411912011 Client Procedural

Financial Marketing 6001 Codes MPM Support 4/2112011 Client Procedural

Marketing 6002 Filters MPM Support 4/21/2011 Client Procedural


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Project Marketing 6009 Status MPM Support 4/22/2011 Client Procedural

Marketing 5977 Access MPM Support 4/412011 Marketing Support

Marketing 5980 Details Tab MPM Support 4/5/2011 Marketing Support

Marketing 5988 Reports MPM Support 4111/2011 Marketing Support



Marketing 6000 Access MPM SuppOli 4/20/2011 Marketing Support

Project Marketing Not Supported By 6006 Status MPM Support 4118/2011 Marketing

Marketing Request Center 6004 Access MPM Support 4114/2011 Request

System Corporate 6010 Issue MPM Support 4/27/2011 Corporate Support

System Corporate 6011 Issue MPM Support 4/2712011 Corporate Support *The how-to issue type was indicated by the "client procedural" resolution type.

implementation of remote desktop end-user support forum by … · 2011. 6. 29. · priority. remote...

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