Help Desk Support Fill-in-the-Blank

____________________ is the overuse of too many design elements, such as color, graphics, clip art, shading, word art, borders, and fonts, in a document.

Clutter

A description of a problem solution at a level a user can understand is a(n) ____________________.

Explanation

A coworker who is introverted, communicates directly, bases decisions on objective factors and is well-organized, like George in the case study in the chapter, is probably a(n) _______________ personality type on the MBTI scale.

ISTJ

A(n) ____________________ is a word formed from the initial letters of words in a phrase; such as IBM for International Business Machines.

Initialism

A user who is rude, uses inappropriate language or makes personal attacks on a support agent falls into the category of _____________________________ users.

abusive

A(n) ____________________ is an attempt to relate something a reader may be familiar with to something they need to know about.

analogy

Information that may be of interest to only a few readers or is highly technical should be included in a(n) ____________________ to a document.

appendix

A(n) ____________________ is a telephone system that can answer calls, greet callers, provide menus, and route calls to a queue.

automatic call distributor

_________________ is a communication skill in which a support agent listens to the end user to obtain an accurate description of the problem.

basic listening

____________________ is severe hand or wrist pain due to inflammation of tendons in a user's hand and wrist.

carpel tunnel syndrome

____________________ are tools troubleshooters use to get a basic description of a problem, learn the user's perspectives on the problem, and to explain the solution to the user.

communication skills

____________________ include the ability to listen or read effectively, understand a user's problem, and relate a solution to a problem.

communication skills

Hardware ____________________ problems are caused by incorrect settings for the environment in which the hardware must operate.

configuration

A disagreement when end users and support workers have different opinions about problem solving steps or product evaluations is called a(n) _____________________.

conflict

A(n) ____________________ is a situation where two software packages use resources in different and incompatible ways.

conflict

__________________ is a criterion in a document evaluation checklist that asks whether the information is relevant, complete and accurate.

content

A(n) ____________________ is a visual display of key performance measures in a help desk software package used to monitor a help desk operation and identify issues that need management attention.

dashboard

A(n) ____________________ is an employee or individual who makes use of technology as a productivity tool at work or at home. They can be categorized by skill level, frequency of use, and by application software used.

end user

Tasks such as network security, media backups, virus detection and prevention, ergonomic analyses, supplies management and preventive maintenance are called ________________________.

facilities management

Information collected from help desk users about their level of satisfaction with a specific incident, the problem resolution, or with help desk services in general is called ____________________.

feedback

A(n) ____________________ is a way to organize user support services to provide a single point of contact for an organization's customers or employees.

help desk

A(n) _________________________ is a document organization that is arranged from general information to specific, such as in online help.

hierarchical organization

A telephone number that a user calls for technology assistance is sometimes called a(n) ____________________.

hotline

A guess or prediction about the likely result of a test or experiment to determine the problem with a computer is called a(n) ____________________.

hypothesis

Hardware components that cannot operate together in the same PC are called ____________________.

incompatible

The _____________________________________________ is a library of procedures, tools and methods that are considered support industry best practices used by successful help desk operations.

information technology infrastructure library

Special-purpose utility programs that aid in the startup and configuration of application packages is called ____________________.

installation software

A(n) ____________________ is a network based on Internet technology accessible by users within an organization.

intranet

A(n) ____________________ involves several paths or approaches to a problem in which steps are repeated in a loop until a solution is found.

iteration

Technical words that are understood only by those who are experienced in a field are called ____________________.

jargon

____________________ is a physical and/or emotional result of a mismatch between the personal characteristics of a help desk worker and their job requirements.

job stress

A(n) ____________________ is a database of help desk problems that have been successfully resolved.

knowledge base

__________________ is a criterion in a document evaluation checklist that asks whether words are spelled correctly and are grammatically correct.

mechanics

____________________ is the ability to analyze one's thought processes (to think about thinking).

metacognition

____________________ is a troubleshooting strategy that swaps a hardware or software component whose operational status is unknown with one that is known to be operational.

module replacement

A help desk with positions such as incident screener, product specialist, technical support, and support manager has organized its support function as a(n) ____________________ model.

multi-level support

A(n) ____________________ is an assessment to determine the characteristics of hardware or software needed to meet a user's job requirements.

needs analysis

The process of matching a user's needs with supported technology products is called a(n) ____________________.

needs analysis

A(n) ____________________ is an Internet discussion group where participants with common interests post messages in a bulletin-board atmosphere.

newsgroup

____________________ is the use of '-tion', '-ing', and '-ment' endings on verbs to create nouns.

nominalization

Contacts to a support staff about security, viruses, backups, and ergonomics indicate ____________________.

operating problems

Four general criteria that apply to website design include content, _____________________, format, and mechanics.

organization

____________________ is a communication skill where a troubleshooter restates a problem in his or her own words to clarify understanding of a problem.

paraphrasing

A(n) ____________________ is a replacement for one or a few small modules in a software package that fixes known bugs in the software.

patch

An informal level of support where coworkers in a company or department exchange information and provide assistance to their colleagues is ____________________.

peer support

A(n) ____________________ is a device that plugs into a computer system. Examples include modems, digital cameras, and scanners.

peripheral device

Illegally copying, distributing, or using proprietary software or information is called ____________________.

piracy

Rules that are industry-wide agreements on how an operating system and hardware components should communicate are called _________________________.

plug and play standards

A(n) ____________________ is a user who is technically very knowledgeable (or thinks they are) or who believes they have connections that warrant special treatment by support staff.

power user

A(n) ____________________ assigned during incident management indicates how serious a problem is and how many users are affected.

priority code

A(n) ____________________ is a follow-up question intended to get more information from a user about a problem.

probe

____________________ documents consist of written steps and checklists that describe how to perform a task and are intended for use primarily inside a company.

procedural

A(n) ____________________ is a waiting line or list into which incoming incidents are placed when they cannot be answered immediately.

queue

____________________ is a tendency among users to want to get a new hardware or software product operational as rapidly as possible.

quick start behavior

A(n) ____________________ format in a user manual pulls together all the information on a specific topic into a single section.

reference

A database of hardware and software configuration information maintained in a Windows operating system is called a(n) __________________

registry

A(n) ____________________ is a software package that contains some new features that have been added to an existing program without a major rewrite effort.

release

____________________ is an incident management step in which a user's problem has been solved or a complaint has been handled.

resolution

A(n) _________________________ is a backup copy of the configuration of a PC which a user can revert to if an operational problem arises.

restore point

A(n) ____________________ is a typeface that does not include fine lines that project from the top and bottom of a font's letters for a cleaner appearance.

sans seriff

A support agent who explains solutions to users, so they can understand the reasons for a problem and the recommended solution, is addressing the goal of ____________________.

self-reliance

Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are ____________________ that can provide support agents with links to other support professionals.

social media

____________________ are lists of approved and recommended technology products that an organization is committed to support.

support standards

Listening that has as its purpose to provide positive support to a user is called ____________________.

therapeutic

Calendars, automated reminders, schedulers, to-do lists and project management tools are examples of ____________________ tools in a help desk software package.

time management

The sum of all the expenditures necessary to purchase, maintain, upgrade and support a PC over its expected useful lifetime is called ____________________.

total cost of ownership

____________________ is the process of defining, diagnosing and solving technology problems.s

troubleshooting

A(n) ____________________ format is a document organized as a sequence of step-by-step tasks a user performs to learn how to use the features of a software package.

tutorial

A(n) ____________________ is a new version of a program made available at a lower cost to previous owners of the program.

upgrade

To avoid wordiness, the chapter suggests using shorter words such as ________________ instead of utilize or usage or utilization.

use

A feature of a website where discussions are organized to which members of a user community may contribute is called a (n) _______________________.

user forum

Hardware or software products that have been announced and promoted by vendors, but don't actually exist, are called ____________________.

vaporware

____________________ serves to confirm a troubleshooter's perception that the problem has been solved.

verification

A(n) ____________________ is a substantially rewritten software package that contains major new features.

version

_________________________ is the development of technologies and applications that emphasize interactions and social networking among communities of users.

web 2.0