Chapter 8: Teams and Team Players in a Service Desk Setting

The average number of contacts refers to the average number of e-mail messages that must go back and forth to resolve an incident.

False

The most efficient and successful service desks have one person who knows everything about all the products supported.

False

Event-driven surveys are an excellent way to capture information about an individual analyst's performance.

True

One way to get settled into a new team is to volunteer to take on work, even if it is more than you can handle. The other team members will be appreciative of your hard work.

False

To be a true team player, you must give up your personal goals.

False

Typically a service desk's mission has no relationship to an overall company mission.

False

You should not delay resolving a conflict, even if the other person is highly upset or angry.

False

According to the Tuckman Teamwork Model, during which stage are the team members on their "best behavior" and trying to avoid conflict?

forming

To perform at maximum efficiency and effectiveness, a team must have a clear sense of purpose; a team leader cannot expect a team to follow blindly.

True

One way to be a team player is to recognize your teammates' achievements.

True

Which group of people are apt to question authority, will stay with an employer only when they are being offered a variety of experiences, and seek a balance between their work and personal lives?

Generation Y

If a group of team players is assembled, the team will be successful.

False

On a team, the challenger is task-oriented and does everything possible to provide the team with the skills, knowledge, and information needed to achieve its goals.

False

On a team, the collaborator is a good listener and encourages other team members to participate in team discussions and decisions.

False

What is a person called who contributes to a group's success by cooperating freely and communicating openly with the others in the group?

team player

According to the Tuckman Teamwork Model, during the acting stage, team members feel a sense of pride and satisfaction, and the team has become a close-knit community.

False

Asking for help from teammates is a sign of incompetence and should be avoided.

False

Feedback from one team member to another is appropriate when a team member does something well. If a team member's behavior isn't in line with the team's mission or goals, it is up to the team leader to provide feedback.

False

Which is true about team performance?

Team performance is only as good as the performance of the analysts on the team.

Which is true about a team's development?

The best teams accept and embrace change by taking a step back to the forming stage to clarify the team's purpose and members' roles and responsibilities.

"Resolve 80% of reported incidents at level one" and "reduce support costs by 5% by year end" are both examples of service desk goals.

True

A service desk's mission statement is a written statement indicating the customers that the service desk serves, the types of services the service desk provides, and how the service desk delivers those services.

True

Average call duration is the average length of time required to handle calls, and it is often used as an individual performance metric.

True

Customers form opinions of the entire company or department based on their interactions with the service desk.

True

Effective communication requires that team members are not only willing to talk but are also willing to listen.

True

Groupware is technology that enables multiple users to work together on related tasks and includes document sharing systems, project management systems, wikis, and knowledge management systems.

True

Most successful teams are made up of players who have unique skills and exhibit varying approaches to teamwork.

True

Which is a metric typically generated by an e-mail response system?

average number of exchanges

What are measurable objectives for analysts that support the service desk's mission called?

individual performance goals

According to the Tuckman Teamwork Model, which stage has the team members starting to take ownership for the team's performance and beginning to have confidence in the team's abilities?

norming

According to the Tuckman Teamwork Model, during which stage is the team achieving its goals and are the team members participating fully in team activities?

performing

What is the percentage of closed incidents that had to be opened back up within a given time period?

reopen %

What is the percentage of incidents an analyst resolved compared to the total number of incidents that an analyst handled during a given time period?

resolution %

Which is true when developing working relationships with teammates?

Listen actively to your teammates, as you would to your customers.

Which is a reason that technical support lends itself to a team setting?

-The sheer number of available products. -The need for business knowledge. -The need to use resources efficiently and effectively.

What should you remember when faced with conflict?

It is better to keep to the issues of the discussion.

What are measurable objectives that support the service desk's mission called?

service desk goals

Which is true about conflict?

-Conflict can arise as a result of the stress that is inherent in a service desk setting. -Conflict is a normal part of human interaction and when approached positively, can produce creative and innovate results.

Which is true about feedback?

-Employees must provide feedback to other employees. -Employees must provide feedback to supervisors and team leaders. -Supervisors must provide feedback to employees.

Which is correct about leadership?

An effective leader enables the team to achieve its full potential by removing obstacles and by sharing leadership responsibilities as needed.

What is something you should do when you are new to a team?

Learn the lingo or vocabulary of the new team.

During the forming stage of a team, who will push the team to set high standards?

a challenger

During the performing stage of a team, who will encourage the team to stay focused on its goals, and, when needed, revisit its goals in an effort to continuously improve?

a collaborator

A ____ team is a group of people who work across time, space, and organizational boundaries.

virtual

Which is true about teams?

Each of the team player styles discussed in this chapter serves a purpose and stands out in different times during the stages of a team's growth.

____ includes the ability to recognize and manage one's emotions and the emotions of others, motivate oneself and restrain impulses, and effectively handle interpersonal relationships.

Emotional intelligence

Reaching a consensus means that team members agree with the majority just to avoid conflict and to help move the team towards its goals.

False

When working on a multi-generational team, which group of people tend to believe a high-performing team is composed of strong members who focus on delivering individual results?

Seniors

The dramatic increase in the number of integrated products and systems makes it even more difficult for analysts to diagnose and determine the probable source of incidents.

True

Service desk analysts are accountable to the members of their team and to the "greater team" that constitutes the customer service value chain within their company and which includes external suppliers.

True