What is a SOP?
Standard Operating Procedure.
A step-by-step list of the actions that must be completed for any given task to comply with policy.
Governs most IT procedures
What are Guidelines and when would you use them?
They are for areas of policy where there are no procedures.
Because the situation hasn’t been fully accessed or because the decision making process is too complex.
Can also provide situations that are appropriate to deviate from a specified procedure.
What are SLAs?
Service Level Agreements.
Define the level of service requirements from an internal department or external third- party vendor.
Normally includes a description of the service being provided, and metrics to measure the services.
ex. Rule of nines
What could happen if a SLA is not upheld?
A complaint can be taken against the provider.
SLA may detail the amount of money the customer could recover.
What is the general process of ticket management?
- User contacts help desk, providing user info and device info
- User gives description of issue
- Agent categorizes the support case
- Agent may take user through troubleshooting steps
What are the basic ticket types?
Requests.
Incidents.
Problems.
Explain the Request ticket type.
Dealing with things the IT department has an SOP for.
Ex. setting up user accounts, purchasing new hardware or software, deploying a web server etc.
Explain the Incidents ticket type.
Related to any errors or unexpected situations faced by end-users or customers.
May be further categorized by severity i.e. minor, major, and critical.
Explain the Problems ticket type
Causes of incidents and will likely require analysis and service reconfiguration to solve.
What is ticket severtity?
A way of classifying tickets into a priority order.
Should be kept simple, three severity levels should suffice.
More discrete levels could be added if there is a large quantity of tickets and you need a better way to organize.
Give an example of 3 ticket severity levels.
Minor: doesn’t have a significant effect on customer groups.
Major: Affects a limited group of customers or involves a suspected security action.
Critical: Has a widespread effect on customers or involves potential or actual security breach.
What is escalation?
Escalation occurs when an agent cannot resolve a ticket so it goes to the next highest level.
The process of escalation can be broken into tiers.
What is an example of a support team being broken into tiers for escalation?
Tier 0: represents self service for the client to resolve an incident i.e. chatbots or FAQs
Tier 1: Connects the customer to a agent to resolve the ticket.
Tier 2: allows agent to escalate the ticket to senior techs (Tier 2 internal) , or a 3rd party support group. (Tier 2 external)
Tier 3: escalates the ticket to development/engineer team or to senior managers and decision makers.
What is a knowledge base?
A repository for articles that answer FAQs and document common or significant troubleshooting scenarios and examples.
Can implement self support and assist technicians.
What is the purpose of incident reports?
To identify underlying causes and to recommend remediation steps or preventative measures to mitigate the risk of of the incident repeating
Incident reports and support tickets can be turned into support tickets.
What are the usual three fields to reflect the ticket life cycle?
Issue Description: records the initial request
Progress notes: record the troubleshooting process
Problem resolution: documents the successful path to full system functionality. Should also record the customer acceptance that the ticket can be closed.
What type of written communication should you implement on tickets and why?
Clear and concise language, have regard for spelling grammar and style.
Tickets are likely to be reviewed and analyzed, and they could get sent to the customer
What is a AUP, and how can it be used?
Acceptable Use Policy.
Sets out what someone is allowed to use a particular service or resource for.
They are important to protect the organization from the security and legal implications of employees or customers misusing equipment.
Could be enforced by a business to govern how employees use equipment and services.
What does a splash screen do?
Displays terms of use or other restrictions before use of a computer app is allowed.
If you cannot solve a product issue remotely what are two options you might take?
Repair: give the customer clear instructions on how to pack and return the the item to the repair center, a tracking # and a RMA (returned merchandise authorization) Keep customer up to date on repair progress.
Replace: Tell customer how new product will be delivered or how they can re-order it and inform them if the broken product must be returned or not.
What is formal attire and when should you wear it?
matching suit clothes in sober colors and with minimal accessories or jewelry.
Usually only required for initial client meetings
What is business casual and when should you wear it?
Smart clothes. Not jeans, shorts, short skirts, t-shirts, or vests.
Usually for troubleshooting appointments.
What actions should you avoid with a customer to maintain a positive attitude?
Avoid arguing with the customer.
Don’t deny that their problem exists or dismiss its importance.
Avoid being judgmental.
What steps should you take if you have an angry customer?
- Identify signs the customer is getting angry and try to clam the situation down
- Don’t take the complaints personally
- Let the customer explain the problem and actively listen
- Hang up or escalate the call if the customer gets too crazy
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Management Consoles2
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Remote Desktop Tools4
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Support Procedures24
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Different OS File Systems14
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Config windows45
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Managing Windows28
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Command Line tools22
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Windows Networking7
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Troubleshoot Windows Networking9
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Remote Desktop Technologies20
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Performance and Troubleshooting Tools30
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Troubleshoot Windows OS Problems26
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Securing Windows68
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Installing OS26
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Other OS47
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Mac OS19
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Attacks Threats and Vulnerabilities24
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Wireless Security9
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SOHO router info8
