the poor man’s service desk

THE POOR MAN’S SERVICE DESK

Rules of the Game• The 2 most important aspects of any successful business

or department are:• #1 – Your People

• Focus on the “Meaning”• #2 – Available Tools

• Ask for everything• Don’t be afraid to fail

People – Rewards

It’s all about what you do And how you do it!

People – Rewards: What works?

HDI Rock StorySophie Klossner, HDI

People – Rewards: What works?

“Pizza Hut Story”Kirk Weisler

People – Rewards: What fails miserably?

Awards Suck! “The Plaque Story”

“The Dundies” from NBC’s “The Office”

People – Rewards: What fails miserably?

People – Retention: What works?“First Break All the Rules”, Marcus Buckingham

Do I know what is expected of me at work? Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right? At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?

Knowledge Growth

People – Retention: What fails miserably?Money as primary motivator

Set it and forget it

People – Teambuilding: What works?Get to know your people

Pot Luck or “Group Pay” outings

People – Teambuilding: What works?

“Give it some Heat!”

People – Teambuilding: What works?

“Chaos Theory”

People – Teambuilding: What fails miserably?Focus on “the Stars”

Not respecting/recognizing their differences

People – Training (Soft Skills)Local Library - Video from LibraryOrganizations that provide networking and group support

HDI Meetings Toastmasters Writers Group Experts “Internally”

Magazines/Newsletters/Blogs/PodcastsNote: Money ≠ Success

People – Training (Technical Skills)Strengths and Weaknesses

Free technical assessments – Online, Training Providers, Tech/Trade Schools, etc.

Partner with Vendors Get NFR licenses and technical training for implementation Understand your benefits Leverage Enterprise Agreements

Shareware & Beta TestingWebinarsLunch and learn Sessions

Build relationships with others in IT

Tools - Call TrackingWhat works?

Gather requirements first Input, processing, reporting

Do not operate in a vacuumSources

OpenSource In-house

Web DevelopmentAccessSharePoint

Find it cheap (ASP/Hosted solution)

Tools – Remote Control• What works? – Just about anything• Cheap tools

• Dameware• VNC• MS Remote Desktop Connection

• Solicit Remote Assistance (Win XP)• ZenWorks (Netware)• Radmin

Knowledge BaseWhat works?

Owner on the team “Knowledge Administrator” Process - KCS Framework Do not operate in a vacuum

Cheap Tools OpenSource (hundreds of choices) SharePoint/Wiki In-house Built

Web DevelopmentMS Access

Find it cheap (ASP/Hosted solution)

Tools - Patch Management • What works?

• Have a strategy, schedule, owner, and back-out plan• Work with Network Admin/Desktop Support

• Cheap tools• Windows Software Update Service (WSUS)• Microsoft Automatic Update• ZenWorks (Netware)• VB Scripting• KIX Scripting

Tools - Statistics/Metrics StrategyWhat works?

Know your database! Get direct access to it (or befriend your DBA)

Tools Crystal Report Microsoft

Excel Access InfoPath SQL Reporting Services

Dynamic Web Cold Fusion, ASP, CGI, PHP

Remember • The 2 most important aspects of any successful business

or department are:• #1 – Your People

• Focus on the “Meaning”• #2 – Available Tools

• Ask for everything• Do not be afraid to fail