IT Help Desk Technician Assignment Report - ITHelp4U

This report details a student's response to an IT Help Desk assignment. The assignment began with an application letter for a Casual Help Desk Technician position, addressing essential criteria such as service desk quality, communication skills, and data integrity. The report then moves into practical tasks involving troubleshooting keyboard and printer issues, outlining step-by-step solutions and customer interaction strategies. Further, the report addresses service desk procedures, including ticket closure, customer communication, and the creation of a self-service knowledge base to prevent recurring issues. The report also covers the analysis of slow computer performance, identifying both hardware and software causes, and recommending solutions such as virus scans, malware removal, and disk maintenance. The report emphasizes the importance of clear communication, systematic problem-solving, and adherence to industry best practices in IT support.

Task 1
Application Letter
A N Other
Address Telephone Email
Date [ ]
The Manager
ITHELP4U
YOURTOWN 2300
Dear manager,
REF: Application for the Position of Casual Help Desk Technician - Level 1
The above refers; I am really interested in the Casual Help Desk Technician - Level 1 position that
you advertised on the media on June 3rd 2019. My experience and training as well as a proven
ability as a Junior Help Desk Technician puts me in good stead to contribute significantly and
positively to the quality and productivity of your company in meeting customer needs
In evaluating my attached resume, you will notice that I have valuable experience in most of the IT
Support facets, including service desk quality, troubleshooting, maintenance of various hardware,
customer communications and information sharing, mobile devices, software, desktop operations,
and peripherals and accessories. I have experience in communicating with and handling customer
issues when dealing with their complaints, including keeping them informed of progress while
ensuring customer data integrity, privacy, and security. I understand and have used service quality
standards relating to the service desk and the use of best practices in providing IT support from the
help desk. These skills have assisted me in my most recent job position, to improve completed
service counts on a daily basis and reduce response time for trouble tickets by nearly one half,
improving the client satisfaction levels vastly.
In addition to being a multi tasking oriented person who constantly stays updated with current
trends in technology, my greatest strengths lie in my skills, both technical and soft skills, such as
the ability to calm people down, guide them professionally, and help them resolve minor issues. In
addition to that, I am a good team player and a very fast learner. I understand service desk quality
principles very well, including the need for confidentiality, maintaining data security and integrity,

continuous improvement, and a customer-centric approach to technical service long with the
industry best practices. I am also familiar of the single point of contact (SPOC) and practices
needed to promote the highest service levels and the need to keep clients calm through continuous
communication and updates even as their complaints and issues are being handled. I understand
and have used the Information technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and this will ensure I
provide enhanced value to your organizations and the clients.
I believe we will benefit mutually if we could meet and discuss the position in relation to my skills
and the value proposition I am making for your esteemed organization. I will make contact again
and inquire about the possibility of having a meeting
Thank you
Kindest Regards
A N Other
Essential Criteria.
1. Understanding of the principles of service desk quality.
2. What legislation, codes of practice and other formal agreements, that directly impact
on the resolution processes, do you need to be aware of before you contact clients. I
could not find any information in your letter that addresses this issue Saquib.
3. Demonstrated ability to communicate with the customer keeping them informed of
progress and advising on workarounds. No information about workarounds
4. Ability to ensure data integrity.
5. Understanding of service management relating to service desk.
6. Demonstrated ability to use industry best practice in ICT service desk support.
Understanding of Quality Assurance of processes and procedures relating to service
desk.
ISSUES In YELLOW REVISED

Client want Task 1 , Task2 (que 4,7,8 ), Task 3 (ques 2,4) and Task 4 need to be done and want these
tasks in report format .
Task 2
Q 4.
Possible solution of #Call-1183
The first check will be on hardware issues; the connection should be checked if it is lugged in
correctly and securely (it is not loose) especially if the keyboard is USB. Advice would be to
disconnect the keyboard cable and lug it back in again. And if USB, a different USB port can be
used so as to isolate the issue. If it is a wireless keyboard, check if the battery is charged, the
adapter is laced in correctly in its cradle, and the wireless connection is working and the line of site
is not obstructed. If the LED indicators of the keyboard are illuminated for Caps Lock, Num Lock,
and Scroll Lock, especially for Windows systems, the solution would be to save any work and
reboot. If it is a windows environment, it could be a software issue and so the keyboard should be
checked in a non-windows environment to rule out software issues, such as those that directly
interact with Toggle Keys.
Possible solution of #Call-1184
In this case a new printer is not working; the first step will be to check for hardware problems,
starting with whether the power is plugged in correctly and is the printing cable such as USB is
connected to a computer or any network. Next solution is to check if the cartridges have been put in
place and set up for printing (i.e. not still held in packaging cradle or have the print-head protective
layer still intact). It should also be checked if print paper is not stuck within the mechanism, such as
damp printing papers that get stuck in the printing mechanism. Of course the printer needs to be
checked if it has printing paper in the first lace! If these are ruled out, the next step is to check is the
problem is software related and the first stop is if the user has selected the correct printer and and
input the correct settings, including the paper orientation. Once this is checked and ruled out, the
next step is to check if the printer was installed and installed correctly; for instance, it may have
required to download files from the web and the Internet was off during installation and this can be
tested by sending a print test age. Once these have been ruled out, the next step is to check if the
printer drivers are installed and updated in the computer settings pane. Drivers; the driver must not
have a yellow question mark. If it is a network printer, it must be checked if the printer is installed
and correctly configured on the network and the user has rights to print on it. Likewise, for a
wireless printer, the native computer must be checked to verify it is correctly installed and
configured for wireless printing. In checking the printer software, it is worth checking if there are
queued print jobs with an error that is holding print jobs in the print spool and this can be cleared by

canceling all pending print jobs. If the printer was installed recently, I would aks for the computer to
be restarted for changes to take effect and try to print again. These should solve the problem unless
the printer itself is faulty and warranty steps are taken.
Q 7.
In resolving the customer problems, I would guide them in a step by step manner, following the
synthesis of the possible solutions as outlined in Q4, starting with the simplest and most obvious
solutions in order to rule them out.
For the keyboard, I would ask the client to check if the keyboard lights are coming on; if they are
off, I would ask them to unplug the keyboard cable and plug it back in again whether it is a PS2 or
USB keyboard. For a USB keyboard, I would ask the client to remove and use another port to rule
out the previous one.
If the lights are on, then it is a software problem where I would ask to restart the computer if it is a
PS 2 keyboard, otherwise for USB keyboards, they can remove and put it in a different port.
For the printer, the problem would be resolved by guiding the to check basic things like the USB or
printer cable is correctly placed and secured, if the printer has been switched on, if the cartridges
have been set to print, and if the printer has paper. Next, a few software issues can be looked at,
such as if they have selected the right printer and set the paper correctly and if the printer is
installed. Depending on the users technical capability, I could ask them to check the drivers and
possibly restart the printer if it has just been installed for changes to take lace especially for a
Windows environment.
Q 8.
The customer must be asked to confirm if their problem as reported in the ticket has been resolved;
if in the affirmative, the closure procedures start.
The ticket must be marked as closed and successfully resolved, with the identified problem being
listed, the duration of the support, and the solution or procedure that led to the resolution of the
problem. The service desk technicians’ details are also entered, including the date, and mode of
solution (such as over the phone) and this is updated in the help desk system on the ticket. An e-
mail is then sent to the client detailing the issue and how it was resolved; this can be doe
automatically from the system using the automatic closure radio button. A message can then be sent
to finance for billing and the ticket officially marked as closed and resolved successfully.

To prevent the issue from ever happening again, a technical self-service user knowledge base will
be created and updated to be accessed online by customers and staff alike so they can solve similar
issues on their own without calling-in. The customers will be made aware of the knowledge base
and it will be created in a manner that is user friendly and easily accessible. Follow-ups will be
done as well by communicating with customers to ensure they understand the process for resolving
the issues and be advised to be using the self-service portal to find solutions to problems.
Task 3
Q 2.
If a computer is slow, there are a number of reasons and these include software related issues
(mostly) and hardware related issues. From the hardware perspective, the computer could be
overheating due to a dry heat sink paste, or a clogged fan that causes the processor to overheat and
run slowly, a potentially destructive issue. The client should be asked if the fan is making a noise to
be sure it is overheating. Another possible reason is a programs running in the background, such as
games or heavy files updating various software in which case one can check the task manager and
see what programs are running and close (end) those that they do not need and which could be
hogging processor power or memory, making the computer slow. I fusing the Internet, temporary
files could have accumulated and slowing down the computer and so the temporary files need to be
deleted using available programs such as C Cleaner TM which has a free version for Windows or
one can use the disk cleanup tool under ‘Accessories’. Another cause can be a full hard disk or a

fragmented hard disk in which case some space should be freed on the hard disk especially if using
a swap file. If the hard drive is bad, such a making audible clunking noise, it could be the cause and
this may need replacing or if fragmented, it needs to be De-fragmented using the De-fragmenting
tool in Windows Tools or other De-fragmenting software.
If these are ruled out, it is likely a software issue and the user should ensure Windows Defender is
on and running and/ or they have an updated anti virus from where they can scan for viruses. Apart
form scanning for viruses, a sinister cause is usually malware, such as worms or ransomware or
other kinds of payload malware and they will need a specialized anti malware tool to clean up, such
s using MBAMTM Antimalware software. Otherwise they can reboot the software and update drivers
and software to ensure it is running optimally.
Q 4.
If the problem has to be escalated, and so I will call the customer
“Dear Client, we have acknowledged your issue under ticket number xxxx; unfortunately, the
problem appears to be serious as there are a number of potential causes’
Accordingly, I am escalating your ticket to my superiors for action
Note down the ticket number and we will have someone call and possibly make a site visit to
establish exactly what is the cause and recommend a course of action.
We are sorry we are unable to solve it but rest assured it will be resolved in the shortest time
possible
Thank you fr bearing with use; we are handling this and will be in touch; you will receive an e-mail
detailing the escalation shortly
Task 4
The following are proposed solutions for the ticketing system
The Level 1 Technicians Monthly report shows there are still several opportunities for making
improvements; the job numbers have the logged in dates and the dates of closing; however, they do
not include the time/ duration taken to handle the logged complaints. The exact times when the
complaints were called in should be included, as well as the time it was closed and the entire
duration taken for purposes of review and making improvements to the call request handling
system. The details of the client must be recorded, apart from their names; these details should
include their departments, their respective organizations, their contact details including telephone
and e-mail and their exact locations. The recording of the problems needs to be more refined with
the problem type/ area affected also being recorded, including whether it is a hardware, accessory,
peripheral device, network, training, or software problem. The recording of the complaint must also

assign priority, whether high, medium, low, or it is a request made by the client. In addition to these,
the provision of client support must be systematic and follow the basic principles of help desk
procedures and principles, including a customer-centric approach and selecting the approach that
best guarantees the fastest resolution of the said problem. The team needs to have a purpose built
help desk software as this acts as a CRM (customer relationships management) portal and enables
historical information to be evaluated, as well as providing a portal that customers can access the
knowledge base and use self help services first, rather than making calls whenever they got a
problem. Greater collaboration will be required to enhance customer service delivery.
These are just areas that need to be improved on; the benefits will only be realized if a suitable plan
of implementation is used and the plan will start with highlighting the current approaches used and
benchmarking against the industry standards and best practices. This process will be able to identify
gaps that are then used as the basis fr making changes. The present staff will be educated on the best
practices and help desk support principles so they can own the process; this is a change process and
should follow the principles of change management, including sensitization and inviting ideas and
opinions from those the change will affect in order to ensure successful change. The staff will then
be trained on the best principles, beginning with the right procedures from how to receive a
customer call, what details to record, how to handle different situations, and how to communicate
with the client throughout the period when their issue is being handled. These should be recorded
and be used as the basis for creating a knowledge base that the present customers and others can
access and use for self-service/ self-help if such features arise. The staff will be trained on the
initiation of a call, responses, management of the resolution process, the closure, as well as post-
closure; how to ensure the problem does not occur again, for instance. The process will incorporate
continuous reviews in order to evaluate existing processes and seek opportunities for improvements.
Change the help desk management system to a software based application
Train employees in using the system
Implement Quality standards
Review performance
Find opportunities for improvements
Report
The implementation plan for the proposed changes are based on the Information technology
Infrastructure Library (ITIL) in which there is a call to focus on value, ether directly or indirectly.
As proposed in the implementation plan, the knowledge base and self help portal swill generate
value for clients by eliminating the time needed to make a service call and then wait for a problem
to be resolved; they can just solve it themselves, at no extra charge. By providing support through
calls before dispatching a technician, this complies with the second ITIL principle of starting where

one is- preserving good capabilities and improving where necessary. The plan and its
implementation as well as the service process will be improved continually in small steps, as per the
ITIL principle of progressing iteratively with feedback where improvements are done in small steps
and measurements made. The implementation will also fulfill the ITIL principle of thinking and
working holistically as well as keeping it practical and simple. The use of a software as proposed
will ensure the ITIL principle of automation and optimization is fulfilled as manual working is a
bug. The proposed implementation plan fulfills ITIL requirements, as well as industry best practices
for the IT service help desk (White and Greiner, 2019)

Reference
White, S. and Greiner, L. (2019). What is ITIL? Your guide to the IT Infrastructure Library. [online]
CIO. Available at: https://www.cio.com/article/2439501/infrastructure-it-infrastructure-library-itil-
definition-and-solutions.html [Accessed 7 Jun. 2019].