Policy: 

This policy defines the proper use, description, and procedure for the Clarkson College IT Help Desk. 

Procedure: 

Overview of IT Help Desk Components 

• Phone (402-552-3911) 

• Main use is for critical/urgent calls but may be used for any type of incident or request during business hours. 

• Any non-critical requests received outside of normal business hours will receive a response the next business day. 

• IT Help Desk App (Office 365) & Help Desk Email ([email protected]) 

• Used for normal/low-priority incidents that can be resolved during business hours. (Do NOT use for critical requests.) 

• The IT Help Desk App must be used for Service Request templates. (New Report Request, System Access Request, etc.) 

• The IT Help Desk app and email are only accessible by Clarkson College employees and students. 

Definitions of Support Levels 

• Level 1: General support that can be provided by any member of the IT Staff. 

• Password resets 

• Resource availability (Where can I download MS Office for home use?) 

• General troubleshooting (Is the device on? Have you rebooted?) 

• Level 2: Support that is specific to a certain IT staff member’s job description. 

• Student information system and CRM issues -> Database staff 

• Server, network, PC, 3D Printing & Training, application issues -> Systems staff 

• Sim Lab, A/V, classroom issues, printer issues -> Coordinator, College Technology Services 

• Policy, compliance, escalated requests -> Director of Technology Services 

Support Item Response SLAs (Support Level Agreement) 

Helpdesk hours of operation and response times are published on the Clarkson College website. 

Coordinator, College Technology Services – Responsibility 

• Will monitor incoming calls and incidents/service requests, create cases, and assign them to staff members if unable to resolve them remotely.  

• Will attempt to handle Level 1 support requests. 

• Level 2 calls will be forwarded to other staff members. If the urgency is high, the College Technology Services Coordinator will directly contact the next level IT staff member to alert them of the incident.  

IT Staff – Responsibility 

• Will assist IT staff members with unanswered calls during the week and in that person’s absence.  

• Answer the Help Desk line after three (3) rings  

• Any incidents that have reached the 4-hour response time MUST be responded to immediately. 

 

Tracking the 4-hour Response Time for Incidents in the IT Help Desk App 

• An escalation notice will be released to all IT staff if a requester has not been contacted within the 4-hour SLA period. At this point, it is the responsibility of every member of the IT Staff to ensure the requester is contacted as soon as possible. 

 Handling of Direct Support Requests for IT Staff 

• A direct support request is when an individual contacts a member of the IT department directly with a support request instead of contacting the IT Help Desk. This is disruptive to staff members and takes away their time to work on other job responsibilities and projects. It also leads to an unbalanced workload as certain staff members may receive more support requests than others. The goal of the Help Desk is to provide a single point of contact for support. This prevents delayed responses when IT staff members are out of the office. 

• Upon receiving a direct support request: 

• Email 

• Forward the email to [email protected]. This will create a new incident. Update the Requester field to the actual requester's name and assign it to the correct IT staff member. 

• Phone 

• Create an incident for the request and assign it to the correct IT staff member. 

• Provide the requester with the Help Desk phone number and politely request that the number be used in the future. 

• Direct support requests will not be subject to the same response times as the IT Help Desk due to the inability to maintain consistent monitoring. 

• IT staff will attempt to forward direct support requests to the Help Desk within one (1) business day when the individual is in the office (e.g., a direct request received while on vacation will be forwarded to the Help Desk within one (1) business day of the IT staff member returning to work.