Midterm guide

true or false. Service desk analysts must remember that emotional filters can influence their ability to listen effectively.

'True

E-mail is typically used to do which of the following?

Conduct satisfaction surveys

true or false. It is standard practice on most service desks not to log easy-to-solve or common incidents and service requests, as this wastes valuable resources.

False

true or false. Like e-mail, IM allows you to send a message even if a recipient is not online.

False

a

Knowledge

a

True

true or false. A call center is a place where telephone calls are made or received in high volume.

True

true or false. A procedure is a step-by-step detailed set of instructions that describes how to perform a task.

True

true or false. Accurately recording incidents in the incident management system is increasingly important, as service desks are now providing their customers with the ability to check the status of outstanding tickets.

True

true or false. Communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages, and information.

True

true or false. Customer satisfaction surveys are a series of questions that ask customers to provide their perception of the support services being offered.

True

true or false. Good listeners respond to what is being said and how it is being said.

True

true or false. If a customer leaves a message for a service desk analyst, the analyst should return the call, even if only to let the customer know that the call was received and logged, and that it is being handled.

True

Which is a factor that is causing companies to look more closely at using chat to communicate with customers?

--Reducing the overall cost of delivering support. --Increasing the efficiency of analysts through the use of simultaneous chat sessions. --Satisfying and retaining customers who demand alternatives to the phone.

true or false. Supporting mobile workers is particularly challenging for services desks. As a result, service desks are helping to define standards in terms of what mobile devices and applications best serve the needs of users and ensure the security of corporate data assets.

True

true or false. Listening and empathizing are two of the most basic and important skills that service desk analysts must possess.

False

what self-service is typically offered via a Web site?

--A solutions database that customers may use to solve incidents on their own. --Online forms to submit incidents and service requests. --A link to live text chats with service desk analysts.

true or false. The goal of a multi-level support model is to have the service desk resolve as many incidents as possible at level one.

True

true or false. Most successful service desk analysts develop one type of writing that is appropriate for the skill and education level of all of their customers, coworkers, and management.

False

true or false. One best practice to follow when improving your writing skills is to always use the passive voice.

False

true or false. Over the next few years, Internet, e-mail, and IM technology will become more popular and will replace the phone as the primary means for a customer to contact the service desk.

False

true or false. Since IM provides many of the capabilities of an incident management system, service desks are expanding IM communication with customers.

False

true or false. Technical skills are the most important of the principal service desk skills needed for an analyst to be successful.

False

true or false. The term Web center is now being used to refer to a call center that uses e-mail and the Web, in addition to the phone, to communicate with customers.

False

true or false. Today, the service desk is primarily considered a stepping stone to other professions.

False

true or false. When handling a customer's incident over the phone, vary the order in which you ask the customer for pertinent information, as this will ensure that the customer pays attention and gives you the correct information.

False

true or false. When helping a customer over the phone, you should always let the customer ask the first question, so he knows you are willing to listen.

False

true or false. Service desk analysts use verbal skills to communicate with customers; they do not use nonverbal skills.

False'

true or false. The service desk is experiencing an increased workload due to several trends, such as the expanded role of the service desk as organizations adopt ITIL best practices, more customers, greater awareness by customers of the service desk and its services, and the increasing complexity of technology.

True

true or false. Two things that most frustrate customers are being placed on hold for an extended period of time and being transferred repeatedly.

True

true or false. If an analyst cannot tell a customer when he should expect a resolution, the analyst should give the customer a timeframe within which he can expect an update on the call's status.

True

true or false. In addition to enabling an analyst to obtain the details of a customer's incident or service request, skillful listening also enables analysts to learn ways that a company's products and services can be enhanced and improved.

True

true or false. Instead of relating information over the phone, a service desk analyst may ask a customer to fax information, such as a form or a report that has an error message, so that the analyst can more accurately handle the incident.

True

true or false. It is important to remember that although e-mail is an easy way to communicate with customers, it does not provide many of the capabilities that an incident management system provides.

True

true or false. Off-the-shelf products are personal computer products that are developed and distributed commercially.

True

true or false. One advantage of service desks developing standard resolution formats is that it allows analysts with varying skill levels to obtain information at the level of detail that they need.

True

true or false. One of the challenges facing today's service desks is integrating the various tools, such as automatic call distributors, e-mail response sytems, and Web-based systems, needed to capture data.

True

true or false. One tip to avoid mental side trips preventing your ability to listen is to keep paper and pen nearby to write down items you don't want to forget.

True

true or false. When dealing with customers over the phone, consistency is particularly important because it builds trust between the analyst and customer, and it teaches customers what they can expect when they call.

True

true or false. When diagnosing a customer's incident, it is important to determine his skill level so you know how to respond and proceed to resolve the incident

True

true or false. When hiring people for front-line positions, companies look for people with positive, can do attitudes who genuinely enjoy helping other people and solving problems.

True

true or false. When interacting with complainers, empathize but do not necessarily sympathize with the customer's complaint.

True

true or false. When trying to be enthusiastic with customers over the phone, try approaching the phone call as if it were an interaction with a customer standing in front of you.

True

true or false. Sometimes not asking questions is actually a component of providing skills to communicate

True'

Which is correct when writing e-mails to customers?

Use a meaningful subject line.

Which is an example of a technology used to enable self-service for customers?

Using Web technology to order a product.

In which instance will customers most likely use IM technology?

When they have questions that need to be answered before they order a new product.

____ is a uniquely human characteristic and generally deals with the future.

Wisdom

Incident management, problem management, request fulfillment, and access management are examples of ____.

processes

a

requirements report

what is true about unsupported products?

Analysts should exhibit a "can do" attitude when faced with unsupported product questions.

true or false. Good writing skills are no more important for service desk analysts today than they were ten years ago.

False

true or false. If an analyst has exhausted all of his resources, it is appropriate to tell a customer that "There's nothing else I can do.

False

true or false. Incident surveys are customer satisfaction surveys that ask customers for feedback on a single, recent incident.

False

A ____ is software used to manage the content of a Web site.

content management system

a

hyperlink

Why are metrics important to a service desk?

-They ensure that the service desk understands the customers' expectations. -They measure the services desk's responsiveness and its ability to demonstrate a caring attitude and skill. Incorrect -They provide service desk analysts the information needed to determine what else they can do to satisfy their customers

According to a Help Desk Institute survey, what percentage of companies use voice mail to take after-hours calls?

49%

According to the 2009 Help Desk Institute survey, what percentage of its membership indicated that customers request services through the telephone?

98%

What is a form?

A predefined document that contains text or graphics users cannot change and areas in which users enter data.

What is a template?

A predefined item that can be used to quickly create a standard document or e-mail message.

Which of the following uses everyday language to ask users questions and interpret their answers?

CBR

Today, service desk analysts are relied upon to do what?

Develop procedures that can be used by customers.

what is a benefit of CTI?

Facilitating fax server transmissions.

Knowing what to say is much more complex than knowing how to say it.

False

a

False

true or false. A common best practice for service desks is to discourage complaints as complaints are typically biased customer opinions and are not useful in helping service desks improve.

False

true or false. A current trend within a trend is for major incidents to be handled by the major incident investigation team, a defined team of experts who are on call 24x7.

False

true or false. A designated expert is a person who has a high level of experience or knowledge in a particular area.

False

true or false. A feasibility report explores the viability, risks, and benefits of a proposed project such as implementing a new system or offering a new service. It also explores possible alternatives.

False

true or false. A good practice is a proven way of completing a task to produce a near optimum result and is proven over time through experience and research to work for a large number and variety of people and organizations.

False

true or false. A good resolution should describe things to attempt when diagnosing incidents or responding to inquiries.

False

true or false. A process engineer develops and oversees the knowledge management process.

False

true or false. A workaround is considered the final resolution to an incident; once it is implemented, and the customer is happy, the call should be closed.

False

true or false. An estimated fix time is the time frame within which the support organization is expected to resolve an incident.

False

true or false. Case-based reasoning is a searching technique which can include search operators and connecting words such as AND, OR, and NOT.

False

true or false. Due to increasingly better technology, the need for technical support has decreased.

False

true or false. E-mail and Internet support services are expected to increase considerably in the coming years; therefore, the telephone's role will be much reduced, if used at all.

False

true or false. Empathy is one of the 3 critical factors discussed in this chapter that makes up your tone of voice.

False

what is true about a VRU?

It allows the collection of a unique identifier and then verifies something about the customer.

true or false. If a manager is going to evaluate an analyst's handling of a call, the analyst should be provided with a checklist of what constitutes a successful call, prior to being evaluated.

True

true or false. If all analysts are busy, most phone systems place the customer in a queue and play a message indicating that all analysts are busy.

True

a

Most process-related initiatives are handled as formal projects to ensure that all stakeholders are engaged and that desired outcomes are achieved.

what is true of online chat and IM?

They are instantaneous.

Why are knowledge management systems beneficial to service desk analysts?

They help improve analysts' problem-solving skills.

Who is responsible for maintaining a knowledge management system?

a knowledge engineer

In ITIL, which of the following is an example of an incident?

an error message

When dealing with unsupported products, some companies establish a(n) _____ policy, with an established time limit for assisting customers.

best effort

Which of the following works well for entry-level analysts and involves a structure of questions and possible answers designed to lead an analyst to a solution?

decision trees

a

extranet

Try to strengthen the impact of your writing by saying

how good, how bad, or how fast something is, instead of just saying that something is good, bad, or fast.

a

intranet

If one resolution can be used to solve many incidents or service requests, it is referred to as a ____.

one-to-many relationship

Some organizations adopt a commercially available ____ which provides guidance on topics such as punctuation and grammar usage.

style guide

The term referring to the wide range of services that enable people and companies to continuously use the computing technology they acquired or developed is known as ____.

technical support

type of narrative is commonly used in technical writing?

third-person

Taking ownership of an incident means

tracking the incident to ensure that the customer is kept informed of its status, the incident is resolved and that the customer is satisfied with the resolution