08.23.06
No Help in Helpdesk
I recently sent an email to an IT service department (the reason is not important). Knowing that in the past this department had simply been called “helpdesk” (as in “helping” right) I made up the email adress “helpdesk@…” and clicked send.
Then I got an auto-reply, which basically said that the “helpdesk” is no longer the “helpdesk” - it is the “servicedesk@…”.
I must conclude that there is no longer any “help” in helpdesk… and that explains a few things. :)
Mark said,
August 23, 2006 at 2:44 pm
Perhaps their duties have increased, would they now be your servants?
Lucien said,
August 23, 2006 at 4:20 pm
If only.
Last week I logged a request for “service”. I had installed Virtual PC on my desktop, and wanted to install the standard Swinburne SOE in the virtual space. So I talked to the “service desk” person for a while. They finaly agreed that there was not legal reason that I couldn’t do this, so agreed to send a tech down to install the SOE for me.
Yesterday the tech showed up saying “I’m here to install Virtual PC”.
“I’ve already installed it. Your suposed to bring the SOE installer.”
“Oh! I don’t have those disks. I’ll come back later.”
Haven’t seen him since :(
pimaster said,
August 23, 2006 at 9:00 pm
At the Herald and Weekly Times, they were going through a change to go from the help desk, to th service desk. Although, I think they did a lot more than the Swinburne Helpdesk.
We took requests for phones and hardware moves. We would organise the layout of desk in the office and co-ordingating a lot of effort.
Whilst you could say this is all helping the other employees. Internally it wanted to be seen as a service. Service sounds like something that is measurable.
The fact for you and me is: A rose by any other name will still smell as sweet.
(Although, from your experience, it sounds like the service won’t change if the name does)
Clinton said,
August 23, 2006 at 11:39 pm
I wonder - “help” to me just means… help. They’ll try, and that’s good, no definitely closure required (but I hope they can help). Now the word “service” seems to me to evoke - well… - an expectation of satisfaction. Maybe that’s just my vocabulary.
And maybe i’m reading too much in this now, but it just got me thinking. (The original post was just light and fun).