Databus Issue: 2004 2 04/01/2004
The Wonder of Wonderdesk
Christine Hill Tech Support Help DeskWeb-based Software
PDF
Before the entire issue of the help desk was established, it was information technology staff that responded to service calls, repairs, and field installation. With most calls made by phone or e-mail, the response time to these requests was slow and unprioritized, resulting in much inefficiency. Service calls were slipping through the cracks, creating frustrated customers. Something had to be done to increase our customer support.
Mike Vincelli, IT director of Shasta Union High School District, recommended WonderDesk SQL Web-based software. Since the help-desk software was installed, we, at Gateway Unified School District, have noticed a difference in the response time in serving two high schools, two middle schools, and four elementary schools.
Technicians can access this Web-based help desk from any computer, without disrupting the user desktop, to give a brief description of work done, and to close a ticket. Also, technicians at the school site have the capability to check for new tickets that have been entered for that school, which has greatly increased efficiencies.
The WonderDesk Web-based software is easy to use and access. Since the software is installed in one location (on your Internet or Intranet Web server), only a Web browser is required to access it. No software needs to be installed. All requested calls are dated and a unique reference numbered is assigned. In the response box, technicians are able to enter their progress, respond to the customer, and record the time it took to close a ticket. Both the customer and staff are notified via e-mail throughout the duration of the help-desk ticket. Pagers and cell phones can also be used if they are e-mail capable. Customers are informed of the progress of their work request. As well, all information is logged into the WonderDesk, regardless of whether customers can use either the Web interface or e-mail. If the customer logs onto the Web interface, they can view the status, update a help-desk ticket, communicate with a technician, change their contact info, and view past history.
One of the advantages of the Web interface is the ability to get the exact information you need from the customers. Another great feature of this software is that you can generate various reports—type of tickets, ticket ok duration times, tickets priorities, etc. On top of the reports, you can export anything you need to Excel with a single click. This is useful for additional reporting or archiving.
The WonderDesk also comes with a FAQ database (knowledgebase) that was designed to lighten support load because customers can find answers to frequently asked questions.
Even though the WonderDesk is ready to run out of the box, it is highly customizable. Not only can you add more fields (text, checkboxes, drop downs, radio buttons, etc.), but customize it as well. The look and feel can be adjusted to match your current Web site. Wording and images can also easily be changed. On top of that, you get the entire source code that is written in Perl and HTML.
The WonderDesk comes in two different versions. The primary difference is the database. WonderDesk Standard uses a text file database, and WonderDesk SQL offers a choice of MySQL, Microsoft SQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL (two of which are free). The SQL version can store more data and offers more features than WonderDesk Standard. WonderDesk allows for unlimited customer and technician usage and does not charge “per seat” like other help-desk competitors. More information, live demos to play with, and pricing is openly available on their Web site at http://www.wonderdesk.com
