Reorganized Help Desk Has New Numbers and Email Addresses

Mary Ziegler

The Computing Help Desk has established new phone numbers and email 
addresses (see chart below) as part of an effort to improve its 
services. Roughly 20 months ago, the Help Desk Redesign Team worked out 
a plan that included providing the MIT community with clear points of 
contact for computing support. Over the past nine months, the team has 
taken several steps to implement this plan. IS has merged the staff from 
four separately run help lines - Microcomputing, Network Services, 
Operations and Systems Client Services, and UNIX/VMS - and located them 
together in Building 11.

The Redesign Team considered how to categorize a new set of contact 
points (phone numbers and email addresses), so that customers could be 
put directly in touch with a consultant with the right expertise. Under 
the new plan, customers contact the Help Desk based on the platform they 
use on their desktop (Macintosh, PC, UNIX/VMS). There is also an 
extension for other queries that don't fit neatly into a platform-based 
category.

Although for the time being you can still reach IS consultants using the 
old points of contact (from the four separately run help lines), the new 
phone numbers and email addresses are fully operational. The 1996-97 
MIT Directory lists the new numbers and email addresses.

Automatic Call Distribution
The rollout of new Computing Help Desk phone numbers has been 
synchronized with the setup of an automatic call distribution (ACD) 
system. The system connects callers to a consultant on the line they 
dialed; if no consultant with that expertise is available, the call is 
forwarded to the first free Help Desk consultant. If all consultants are 
busy, the ACD system gives callers the option of waiting in a queue or 
leaving a voice mail message.
 
The ACD system also provides the Help Desk with key data, such as total 
call attempts, abandon rates, and waiting times. This data will be used 
to optimize staffing levels. 

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PLATFORM                EXTENSION               E-MAIL ADDRESS

Macintosh computers     3-1101                  mac-help@mit.edu

PC computers            3-1102                  pc-help@mit.edu

UNIX/VMS computers      3-1103                  unix-vms-help@mit.edu
(by subscription only)

Other                   3-1104                  computing-help@mit.edu