How to Manage the IT Helpdesk: A guide for user support and call centre managers (Computer weekly professional series) [Paperback]

Noel Bruton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0750638117 | ISBN-13: 978-0750638111

Are you overworked, unappreciated and under-resourced? This book understands you, and provides years and years of User Support experience packed into one volume. The `How To' book that every I.T. department needs, it will help turn your helpdesk into a company asset. How to be successful at probably the most stressful job in I.T! This book offers tools for measuring productivity and features ten key steps for successful support, while User Support successes and failures are revealed in true life case studies.

`This book won't tell you how to get your printer working with your word processor - it's better than that. It tells you how to deploy your Support staff so as to have the best chance of preventing or fixing such problems. If you're in charge of a PC Support group, or would like to be one day, get this book and read it.' - Dr. Alan Solomon

This book gives you techniques for:
· Justifying staff and other expenditure
· Gaining senior management support
· Getting the users on your side
· Running a motivated and productive team
· Designing and managing services and service levels

How to manage the I.T. helpdesk will help you design and launch your helpdesk and Support services, measure their success and ensure user's satisfaction.

This book:
· contains 30 chapters, 18 real-life case studies, 10 life maxims and 19 figures
· agrees with Lee Iacocca but it has the nerve to disagree with Tom Peters
· is a significant talking point on the Internet
· is the result of over 15 years real experience, so it is practical and nitty gritty
· is part of the `Computer Weekly Professional' series

Noel Bruton is a specialist consultant and trainer with over fifteen years' experience in the support and helpdesk industries. He writes with knowledge, experience, pragmatism and enthusiasm. Visit the authors' WWW page for Helpdesk managers at http://www.pcug.co.uk/~bruton/

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

`This book won't tell you how to get your printer working with your word processor - it's better than that. It tells you how to deploy your Support staff so as to have the best chance of preventing or fixing such problems. If you're in charge of a PC Support group, or would like to be one day, get this book and read it.' - Dr. Alan Solomon In the 30 chapters, 18 real-life case studies, 10 life maxims and 19 figures it contains, this book gives you techniques for: · Justifying staff and other expenditure · Gaining senior management support · Getting the users on your side · Running a motivated and productive team · Designing and managing services and service levels

About the Author

Noel Bruton is an independent consultant and trainer with a global business reputation. His experience is sought by commercial and public service organizations, conferences, press and broadcast media around the world. He has been in IT since 1979 and advising corporations on improving IT support methods since 1991. He writes with knowledge, pragmatism and infectious enthusiasm. Visit his Website for helpdesk and call-center service managers at http://www.noelbruton.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750638117
• ISBN-13: 978-0750638111
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,284,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Reference Book for Help Desk Operations, August 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Manage the IT Helpdesk: A guide for user support and call centre managers (Computer weekly professional series) (Paperback)

How to Manage the IT help desk is written from many years of practical experience in solving common problems associated with supporting computer users. The writing style is pragmatic and enthusiastic. The book is full of real-life examples of success and failure in User Support. Read it through, as a guide - or dip into it as a reference manual. By Noel Bruton

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed with great info & an easy read - recommended!!!, April 3, 2001

By 

Linda Zarate "IT Ops Consultant" (Azusa, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Manage the IT Helpdesk: A guide for user support and call centre managers (Computer weekly professional series) (Paperback)

This small book contains a wealth of information and advice that is packed into less than 300 pages. It covers an incredibly wide range of topics that help desk professionals need to know. With a relatively low page count and the amount of topics covered the author demonstrates excellent writing skills by packing each paragraph with relevant information.

The book is divided into six parts, each with numerous short chapters and case studies. I found this organization to make for easy reading. Among the gems that I particularity liked are how the author defines business goals early on, the description of a typical support structures and support scenarios. Other highlights, in my opinion, are: Part 3, Service Level Management, which is one of the most concise treatments of the subject I have had the pleasure of reading; Part 3, Workload Management, which contained excellent ideas on prioritizing and managing jobs, metrics and reports and processes. This is excellent material. I also got a lot out of Part 5, Resource Management, which provides some good foundation material for determining total cost of ownership (TCO). This part gives you some great ideas on determining support costs and justifying them, and asset and inventory management. Part 6, Staff Management, provides some fresh thoughts about this necessary factor of help desk management.

I have read (and reviewed) a large number of books on technical support and help desks. Some of these books addressed topics in a lot more depth, while others focused a particular aspect of help desk operations, technical support of problem management. While I found all to be valuable, "How to Manage the IT Help Desk" distilled all of the "meat" into an easy-to-read quick reference and idea jogger. It earns a solid 5 stars and deserves a spot on every support professional's bookshelf.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IT REALITY SETTLES IN, June 20, 2001

By 

Susan Kemp Walker (Dectaur, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Manage the IT Helpdesk: A guide for user support and call centre managers (Computer weekly professional series) (Paperback)

This book is well-written and gives very good tips on running a helpdesk effectively. The emphasis on realistic goals and end results are for our real IT world. I would reccomend this book highly!