ITSP165
Carpal tunnel syndrome is an example of which common computer problem?
A - Ergonomics
A computer user who purchases a software package that will not operate on their hardware configuration is a victim of which common computer problem?
A - Waste of resources
A software program that enables users to find and display information stored as HTML pages on the Internet is a(n) ____.
A - Web browser
Peripheral devices are part of a computer system's ____.
A - hardware
The position description for the Information Technology Specialist in the USDA in this chapter illustrates that ____.
A - network support and user support may be combined in a single position
A company that contracts with another organization that specializes in user support is using ____.
A - outsourcing
In order to make effective use of a new or upgraded computer system, a user may require ____.
A - training
An organization that provides a wide range of support services to users is called a(n) ____.
A - user support center
Sequential Organization
A document organization style that follows a step-by-step approach whereby information is arranged in the order in which the steps are executed; procedural and operational documents are examples.
Tutorial Format
A documentation style that guides a user step-by-step through the features of a program with frequently used features covered first; compare to reference format.
Reference Format
A documentation style that pulls together all the information on a specific topic in a single page, section, or chapter; compare to tutorial format.
Variable
A factor or an aspect in a problem-solving situation that can change or be changed; eliminating variables by removing components simplifies a complex problem so it is more manageable and can be solved
Passive Voice
A sentence in which the subject of the sentence receives the action indicated by the verb; for example, The documentation was prepared by me is in passive voice, whereas I prepared the documentation is in active voice.
"I can give you a workaround for this problem, then later we can diagnose the cause of the problem so you don't encounter it again." is an example of ____. a. empathy b. probing c. sincere greeting d. nonverbal communication
ANS: A
When a support agent does not know the answer to a question, a good incident management strategy is to tell the user ____. a. the support agent will research the question and get back to the user b. the support agent doesn't know and nobody else does either c. the question isn't as important as other questions d. to call back later when a different agent is available
ANS: A
Which type of nonverbal behavior is the least effective posture for support agents? a. An open stance b. Face the user c. Establish eye contact d. Fold arms
ANS: D
Which letter sequence represents the order of the following steps in the request for proposal process?
B, D, A, C
Which letter sequence represents the order of the following steps in the request for proposal process? A) Send the RFP to vendors. B) Develop product specifications. C) Evaluate RFP responses against the criteria. D) Define the selection criteria.
B, D, A, C
Which of these sequences is the order of the following steps in the iterative problem-solving process? A) Formulate and test a hypothesis. B) Collect information. C) Analyze the results. D) Consider alternative explanations.
B, D, A, C
Applications software that enables users to create, maintain, and update Web pages is called ____ software
C - Web site development
KSA stands for ____.
C - knowledge, skills, and abilities
Employees who provide informal peer support to other users in an organization ____.
C - often have little or no training in user support
Making an illegal copy of a software program is called ____.
C - piracy
A hardware device that was a first step toward decentralized computing was the ____.
C - terminal
Most operating systems are now distributed on ____.
CDs or DVDs
____ is not a common source of job stress among user support workers
. All of these are common sources.
False
A support agent should always be honest in every response to a user's questions.
Format consistency check
An edit pass through a draft document in which a writer checks to make sure that the headings and subheadings, fonts, indentation, centering, boldface, italics, underlining, and other format elements are used consistently throughout a document.
______ is a method used to generate a list of potential ideas or topics to include in a document.
Brainstorming
"Technical writing should be concise and it should be informative." is an example of a ____.
Compound Sentence
Incomplete coverage of a topic violates which of these four writing criteria?
Content
A troubleshooter's ability to design and test hypotheses in order to solve a computer problem is based on ____.
Critical Thinking
A distributed computing system usually includes ____.
D - all of these
In a user needs assessment project, an analyst develops a model of the proposed new system and makes a build-versus-buy recommendation during which of these phases?
Decision
When a troubleshooter must select from among several diagnostic tests to gather information about a problem, the selection is based on ____ skills.
Decision Making
A(n) ____________________ utility rewrites all the files and folders on a disk drive so they are stored in contiguous blocks in order to improve disk performance
Defragmentation
Which of these utility tools would you least expect a support agent to find useful to solve performance problems?
Deleted file recovery
An update is a new version of an existing program.
False
In troubleshooting a user problem, a probe is the use of a volt-ohm meter to measure whether the input electrical voltage is within the specification.
False
Multimedia materials are an effective, low-cost delivery method for training materials.
False
Training to use a computer is usually a free service. (True/False)
False
True or False? Because the default font in most word processors is a sans serif typeface, technical writers should use the default in the body text to improve a document's readability.
False
User support and technical support are two names for the same user support services
False
User support and technical support are two names for the same user support services. (True/False)
False
When a particular combination of hardware, operating system, and application software do not operate together, a support specialist often recognizes that the problem is too complex to solve.
False
Which of these aspects of help desk operation would not normally be covered in a user support mission statement?
Help desk fees for services
____ is not one of the five critical questions suggested in the chapter.
How much experience do you have using this system?
True
How much information a support agent can divulge to a user is often determined by an organization's policies.
Normalization
The use of -tion, -ing, -ment, and other word endings to create nouns; for example, Capitalization can be performed with the Change Case command could be rewritten to avoid nominalization as: To capitalize words, use the Change Case command.
Which listening type focuses on opportunities to empathize with the user and provide positive support?
Therapeutic
Most computer problems are not difficult ones for a support provider to handle.
True
The Information Technology department is a modern name for the Data Processing department.
True
True
True/False? An extraneous variable is one that could bias the results a benchmark test and should be eliminated if possible.
False
True/False? If Tablet A has a higher score than Tablet B on a weighted point evaluation, Tablet A scored higher than Tablet B on each of the evaluation criteria.
False
True/False? Industry-standard technology products are those selected by a panel of industry experts for use in organizations.
Another name for diagnostic software tools is ____.
Utility Software
Remote access to a user's PC can be implemented with a ____.
VPN
Which of these forms of knowledge bases is the least interactive?
Vendor Manuals
True
When reading a lengthy, prepared response to a user, the best strategy is to tell the user you are reading a passage to him or her.
A questionnaire designed to measure the effectiveness of services among a sample of users is called:
a user satisfaction survey
A utility tool that can change the software that is launched automatically at system start-up is a(n) ____ utility.
autoruns
HelpSTAR is an example of a(n) ____.
commercial help desk package
Tools a troubleshooter uses to get a description of a technology problem, learn a user's perspectives on the problem, and explain the solution to the user are called ____.
communications skills
A situation where two software packages use system resources in incompatible ways is called a(n) ____.
conflict
A troubleshooter who observes that a suspected faulty modem does not work in computer A, but operates correctly in computer B, is confronted with a(n) _____.
contradiction
During the development of a first draft, a technical writer is probably least concerned with ____.
correct spelling
A balance sheet that weighs the expenses associated with a computer system against the advantages of the system to an organization is called a ____.
cost-benefit analysis
A troubleshooting process that involves selecting one alternative from among a number of possible alternatives based on some evaluation criteria is called ____.
decision making
When a troubleshooter must select from among several diagnostic tests to gather information about a problem, the selection is based on ____ skills.
decision making
Which of the following forms of communication between a user and an agent is asynchronous?
"I can give you a workaround for this problem, then later we can diagnose the cause of the problem so you don't encounter it again." is an example of ____.
empathy
Help desk software packages usually include tools to help _____, _____, and _____ manage problem incidents.
end users, help desk agents, support managers
Nonverbal communication behaviors include posture, facial expression, ______, and ______.
eye contact, gestures, distance, voice quality
"By the time a software package has gone through testing and quality assurance, a"ny remaining bugs are extremely rare.
false
"Freeware is software that can be downloaded without any cost, but users must pay" a licensing fee before using the program
false
- All shareware software is written to conform to industry-wide program development standards and is compatible with other software on the systems for which it was developed.
false
- Plug and Play compatible hardware guarantees that users will not experience installation problems with new or upgraded hardware.
false
Communication is a one-way process that involves an effective transmission from sender to receiver
false
Technical writers often use nominalization in a document to make their writing clearer and easier to read.
false
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a document of operational rules help desk organizations must follow to retain their industry certification.
false
The Windows Registry can be edited with most word processors that can work with text files.
false
A substantially rewritten software package that contains major new features is called a(n):
new version
Briefly list three examples of interview situations that could be used to test a job applicant's stress tolerance.
noisy interview environment; interruptions; multiple interviews; overly technical questions
A user who bypasses the documentation to get a new hardware or software package operational as rapidly as possible is a victim of ____.
quick start behavior
_____ is a tendency among users to want to get a new hardware or software product operational without reading the installation documentation.
quick start behavior
An antistatic wrist strap is designed to:
reduce the risk of damage to computer components
In a cost-benefit analysis, the use of technology to lower inventory costs is an example of a(n) ____.
reduction of expenses
A document organization style in which all the information on a topic is pulled together in on place is called:
reference format
Experienced computer users who need information on advanced topics are likely to need a ____.
reference manual
A(n) ____ is a short document primarily intended to summarize material covered in a training session and promote recall.
reference sheet, handout
Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs and Twitter are examples of ______.
social media
- Network problems are often traceable to ____.
some combination of all of these
Network problems are often traceable to ____.
some combination of all of these
- Users who forget passwords and PINs are a common source of support problems
true
A common organization for a technical document is: 1) Introduction, 2) Body, 3) Summary.
true
Another name for diagnostic software tools is ____.
utility software
Write a paraphrase for the following problem statement: "The screen on my PC is blank."
"You don't see any text or colors on your display?"
Act with integrity and honesty in dealing with the public, end users, coworkers, management, and competitors", would likely be covered in which of the following?
. A professional code of ethical behavior
The relationship between carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injuries is summarized by which of the following sentences?
. All carpal tunnel injuries are repetitive strain injuries
- Which of these version numbers is likely the most recent version of a software package?
3.61
An organization-wide commitment that client relationships and client satisfaction are the most important aspect of a business is a(n) ______________________.
ANS: customer-service ethic customer service ethic client-service ethic client service ethic
A feature of a Web site where discussions are posted by members of a user community is called a ____. a. blog b. user forum c. chat room d. Twitter
ANS: B
Posts to a user forum with commentary on a single topic, arranged in date order, are called _____. a. Web 2.0 b. a thread c. a blog d. Web 3.0
ANS: B
The most effective strategy for using a script is to ____. a. read the script verbatim to the user b. restate the script in your own words c. memorize the script d. use the script only when needed
ANS: B
Which of these is not a recommended incident management strategy for support agents? a. Ask goal-directed diagnostic questions. b. Don't admit that you're wrong or don't know. c. Say thanks. d. Teach user self-reliance.
ANS: B
Which of these is not one of the four goals of incident management? a. Make the user more self-reliant. b. Complete the incident in the least amount of time possible. c. Manage stress levels for both user and support agent. d. Provide the user with the information he or she needs.
ANS: B
A script to handle a support incident has ____. a. a single sequence of questions and dialog from beginning to end b. a sequence of questions with one decision point c. several sequences of questions with multiple decision points or paths d. none of the above
ANS: C
The three essential communications skills are ____, understanding, and responding.
ANS: listening
The sentence "Larry will present a tutorial on Excel macros on Tuesday next week." is in ____ voice.
Active
Which of these personal characteristics of successful troubleshooter is the most important?
All
a benchmark
An objective test or measurement that technology product evaluators use to compare two or more products is ____. a benchmark evaluation software an industry standard subjective criteria
Knowledge Base
An organized collection of information, articles, procedures, tips, and solutions to existing problems that can serve as a resource in a problem-solving situation.
Ways in which the current problem is similar to other problems are called ____.
Analogies
Viewing a system as a group of subsystems begins the search for a problem at ____.
Any
Which of these can be examined for industry certification?
Any of these
When a troubleshooter tries to print a page on a printer that a user says no longer prints, the troubleshooter is using which problem-solving strategy?
Attempt to replicate the problem
A troubleshooter who tries to print a page on a printer a user says no longer prints is using the ____ problem solving strategy.
Attempt to replicate the problem.
A(n) ____________________ is a process to determine which software versions are installed on a PC or network server to verify software licenses.
Audit
Which of the following letter sequences represents the order of steps in the request for proposal process? (A) send RFP to vendors (B) develop product specification (C) evaluate RFP reponses against criteria (D) define selection criteria
B - D - A - C
Detailed steps for performing a task are generally described in which part of a document?
Body
Businesses and organizations first began to use data communications and network technology to connect computer systems in the ____.
C - 1980s
Mass-market applications software and personal computer operating became available in the ____.
C - 1980s
Widespread use of the Internet by business and home users first occurred in the ____.
C - 1980s
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic forecasts that the number of computer and network support specialist positions in the United States will grow at about ______ percent over the next 10 years.
C - 20
- Which of these sources of hardware problems is not one of the primary categories that account for most hardware support problems?
Component design problems
Which of these testing methods is often used in industry certification exams?
Computer adaptive test
Which of these is not a characteristic of technical writing?
Concludes with the most important point at the end of a section
During the development of a first draft, a technical writer is probably least concerned with ____.
Correct Spelling
A computer virus can be spread through ____.
D - any of these
A(n) ___________________________________ is a legal contract between a vendor and a user that governs the use of a software package or an information service.
End-user License agreement
In the weighted point evaluation method, ease of learning and ease of use are examples of which kind of criteria?
End-user needs
True
Even in a telephone call, clients can often tell whether a support staff member values the call.
A stress test is a process to determine which software versions are installed on a PC or network server to verify software licenses.
False
Because a goal of technical writing is to keep documents concise, pointers to additional materials and information should be omitted because they add to the length of a document.
False
Because computer users are primarily adults, no explanation of motivation (e.g., "Why are we learning this?") is needed in a training session.
False
Because there are few agreed-upon standards in the computer industry, it is very difficult to agree upon a code of ethics for IT professionals.
False
Benchmark tests of competing computer products are widely used, but are often influenced by the biases and personal opinions of product evaluators.
False
Bestselling computer products usually meet or exceed every user's specialized requirements.
False
By the early 1980s, hardware and software on personal computers were standardized in most organizations.
False
Call management is another term for incident management.
False
Cloud computing is a new way to access software that uses satellite technology to download applications to end users.
False
Commercial help desk software packages are available for large help desk operations, but are too expensive for small-scale help desks.
False
Computer vendors are usually not a good source of troubleshooting information because they are biased toward their own products.
False
Computer-based training (CBT) and Web-based training (WBT) are two words for the same delivery method.
False
Cost is usually not a factor in the weighted point evaluation method of computer product comparison.
False
Decision making is the ability to select the correct alternative from among all of the wrong alternative ways to solve a problem.
False
Experienced technical writers use many gender-related pronouns in their writing to avoid insulting their audience.
False
In a help desk queue, the incident that will be handled next is the most recent incident to enter the queue.
False
In comparison with technical support, user support deals with a higher-level of troubleshooting and problem. (True/False)
False
In the checklist of document evaluation criteria, content refers to whether words are spelled correctly and sentences are grammatically correct.
False
Industry standard computer products are those selected by a panel of industry experts for use in organizations.
False
Installation of office computers is now standardized so there are few installation issues that are likely to confront support specialists.
False
LBE Helpdesk software contains many of the most common help desk software features, but managing technology assets is an add-on module.
False
Many user support specialists need to write computer user guides, handouts, and email messages, but rarely need to be able to write business correspondence, such as memos, letters, and proposals.
False
Most computer hardware components function well, even if the quality of electrical power is very poor.
False
Most computer industry product standards have evolved over time but are now in place, and future changes are unlikely.
False
Problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making are different names for the same skill.
False
Support agents should avoid apologizing to users who have been kept on hold or who have been given the runaround.
False
Support specialists should practice using the troubleshooting tools in this chapter until they can use all the tools equally well.
False
Technical writers often use nominalization in a document to make their writing sound more professional.
False
The medium used to transmit a piece of technical writing (print or online) makes little difference in the length or writing style of a document.
False
The primary goal of technical writing is to entertain readers and hold their interest.
False
True or False? A computer system that operates at some level, but not as efficiently as it should, is called vaporware.
False
True or False? A customer-service ethic is an organization-wide commitment that the client is always right.
False
True or False? A first-time trainer should read notes and slides to trainees in order to avoid making a mistake or omitting important material.
False
True or False? A hypertext link in a document is a word or phrase that uses a fancy Word Art format to draw attention to the text.
False
True or False? A priority code indicates how easy or difficult a dispatcher thinks an incident will be to resolve.
False
True or False? A successful support worker is one who has learned from experience how to manipulate a user's behavior to make the user more productive.
False
True or False? All users prefer online documentation to printed documentation because accessing necessary information is easier.
False
True or False? An automated incident tracking system is primarily useful in a large help desk operation, but is of very limited or no use in a small help desk operation.
False
True or False? An end user who encounters a malfunctions CRT monitor should be encouraged by a support specialist to remove the case to check the fuse.
False
True or False? As a general rule, dominance in the software industry does not change over time; the best-selling products in the early 1980s are still the best-selling products today.
False
True or False? By the early 1980s, hardware and software for personal computers were standardized in most organizations.
False
True or False? By the time a software package has gone through extensive testing and quality assurance, all the bugs have generally been eliminated.
False
True or False? Due to the popularity of self-guided training materials and online interactive training delivery systems, the role of support specialists as trainers is likely to disappear in the next few years.
False
True or False? Effective trainers often cover bells-and-whistle features in a software package to pique trainees' interests.
False
True or False? Empathy means a user support agent takes ownership and responsibility for a user's problem.
False
True or False? Freeware and open source are two ways of referring to the same kinds of software.
False
True or False? Good technical documents should provide a reader with everything they would ever want to know about a topic.
False
True or False? Industry standard computer products are those selected by a panel of industry experts for use in most organizations.
False
True or False? Most computer hardware components function well, even if the quality of electrical power is very poor.
False
True or False? One difference between end users and computer professionals is that the latter do not make mistakes while using a computer.
False
True or False? Problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making are different names for the same skill.
False
True or False? Root cause analysis is a troubleshooting strategy designed to eliminate symptoms of a problem.
False
True or False? Scripts designed to guide a user support agent through an incident should be memorized or read verbatim to a user to avoid mistakes.
False
True or False? The build-versus-buy decision in a needs analysis project applies primarily to computer hardware.
False
True or False? The following example of a list illustrates good parallel structure: 1. Move the mouse pointer to the button of your choice. 2. Next, click the button on the mouse. 3. You then click on "OK".
False
True or False? The goals and objectives of an organization are usually long-term and do not normally impact decisions about a user's immediate needs for computer systems and services
False
True or False? The primary goal of technical writing is to entertain readers and hold their interest.
False
True or False? The purpose of client feedback features in a help desk software package is to make it easier for managers to terminate support agents with poor customer service skills.
False
True or False? To restate a problem description using the user's exact words is called paraphrasing.
False
True or False? Training is a teaching and learning process that aims to develop conceptual understanding and long-term thinking skills.
False
True or False? Unlike a question in a knowledge and skills test, there is only one correct answer to a scenario question in a job interview.
False
True or False? Wrist and finger pain is usually the result of a mouse that needs maintenance.
False
While software vendors generally provide evaluation or demonstration copies of their products, hardware vendors never provide evaluation products because of the expense of computer hardware.
False
Work colleagues are rarely a good source of troubleshooting information because they usually have similar experiences and access to the same information resources as other troubleshooters.
False
It is illegal to test the stress tolerance of an applicant for an entry-level help desk position.
Fasle
True
Feedback from users, other support agents, and supervisors is useful information for a support agent who wants to develop a personal incident management strategy.
A(n) ____________________ is a hardware device or software utility designed to intercept and prevent unauthorized access to a computer system from an external network.
Firewall
Which type of nonverbal behavior is the least effective posture for support agents?
Fold arms
In a troubleshooting situation, a modem failed to work when a replacement USB cable was installed. Which of these critical questions would likely lead a troubleshooter to the source of the modem failure?
Have you made any recent changes to your PC?
In a troubleshooting situation, a modem failed to work when a new Internet browser program was installed. Which of these critical questions would likely lead a troubleshooter to the source of the modem failure?
Have you made recent changes to your system
A(n) ____________________ is a file format that contains software in an archived form that can be burned (copied) onto a CD or DVD for installation on a PC.
ISO image
8
In the weighted point evaluation method, if a product receives a vendor support score of 80 and the weight of the vendor support criterion is 10%, the product gets a weighted score of ____ points for vendor support. 8 10 80 800
End user needs
In the weighted point product evaluation method, ease of learning and ease of use are examples of which kind of criteria? Hardware/software features End user needs Support issues Cost
The ____ help desk position is normally staffed by an entry-level employee.
Incident Screener
An organized collection of information, articles, procedures, tips, and problem solutions is called a ____.
Knowledge Base
A document with misspelled words violates which of these four general writing criteria?
Mechanics
Reinstalling a software package to fix a problem with an inoperative program is an example of which troubleshooting strategy?
Module Replacement
True
One goal of incident management is to help users be more self-reliant.
Which of these is an advantage of outsourcing as a way to provide user support?
Outsourcing takes advantage of expertise a company does not have
The ____________________ of a software package is an evaluation of whether all current updates have been downloaded and installed to fix known bugs.
Patch status
Which of these is not one of the steps in the training process?
Perform
Which of the following levels of support services likely costs the most to provide to users?
Premium level services
Which of these levels of user support is likely to be the most responsive to a user's needs?
Premium support
In a user needs assessment project, an analyst tries to understand the organization goals, the decision criteria, the roles of stakeholders, and the sources of information during which of these phases?
Preparation
A(n) _____________________ is a statement that describes how an organization collects, maintains, and uses information provided by and about its customers or end users, including sales of information to third parties.
Privacy policy
When there is a current state of events X and a future desired state of events Y, and the troubleshooter's objective is to move from X to Y, the troubleshooting activity is called ____.
Problem Solving
One-to-one training
Problem solve
Documentation that describes the steps to perform a task or a checklist of steps is ____.
Procedural Guide
Which of these utility tools would you least expect a support agent to find useful to provide information that could be included in a site management notebook?
Project status monitor
Which of these is not a primary step in the needs analysis and assessment process?
Purchase
False
Putting a caller on hold is considered a poor customer service tactic.
A(n) _____________________ is a disk medium that contains software images to reinstall, repair, or restore an operating system on a PC's hard drive to its original operational state.
Recovery disk
Which of these utility tools would you least expect a support agent to find useful to solve problems with application software?
Recovery disk
Under normal circumstances, the body of a document should be formatted in a ____ typeface.
Serif
Fine lines that extend from the top and bottom of a font's letters are called ____.
Serifs
Social learning (peer-to-peer) is most common in which kind of learning format?
Small groups/teams
Which of these categories of computer software can add thousands of dollars to the cost of a computer system?
Specialized software
Which of these utility tools would you least expect a support agent to find useful in a network support situation?
Start-up process monitor
False
Support agents develop their own incident management strategy from scratch.
False
Support agents should avoid apologizing to users who have been kept on hold or who have been given the runaround.
False
Support staff should always provide the information or services a customer needs, no matter what the request.
Which of these is not a strategy for effective listening?
Talk to fill awkward silences
_____ copies of new software packages may have limited features or operate for a limited trial period, and are not allowed to do, and the consequences or penalties for unauthorized or illegal use.
Trials, evaluation, demonstration
A digital camera is an example of a computer peripheral. (True/False)
True
Documents organized in a reference format pull together all the information on a specific topic in a single section or chapter.
True
Goal-directed diagnostic questions are designed to move a support incident to a successful resolution.
True
Help desk operations retain an archive of previously resolved incidents in a knowledge base to document the steps to resolve each incident as an information resource to help desk agents.
True
Help desk software often includes tools to help agents manage their time, such as calendars, reminders, scheduling, collaboration tools and project management tools.
True
Help desk software often includes tools to help support managers measure user satisfaction.
True
Help desk software packages often prepare statistical reports to provide support management with the information they need to operate the help desk.
True
In addition to specific benchmark tests that a product evaluator uses to select among competing products, industry standard, vendor-neutral benchmark tests are also available for evaluators to use.
True
In an organization with computer product standards, if users must work around the standards in order to get the products they need to do their jobs, the standards are counterproductive.
True
In discriminative listening, a support agent's purpose is to learn about the user, such as his or her knowledge level
True
Materials designed for web access should be short with hyperlinks to lead readers to additional information.
True
Metacognition is used to analyze a troubleshooter's problem-solving process and, as a result, improve it.
True
Most hardware components that malfunction are replaced rather than repaired.
True
Most problems a support specialist encounters are ones they have seen before or can quickly locate the solution to in a database of problem solutions.
True
Most user support groups do not provide software programming as a service to their users; although, they may be able to assist with some aspects of application development projects. (True/False)
True
Most user support staff members receive on-the-job training and continuing education. (True/False)
True
Network problems are often combinations of hardware, software and operating system problems.
True
Peer support is a form user support in which users look to their work colleagues for help with computer problems. (True/False)
True
The outsourcing method of support may be combined with an in-house support function in some organizations.
True
The outsourcing method of support may be combined with an in-house support function in some organizations. (True/False)
True
The percentage of incidents where a user hung up or gave up before a support agent responded is called the abandonment rate.
True
The purpose of a format consistency check is to ensure that format elements such as fonts, centering, and underlining are used consistently and are not overdone.
True
The purpose of a waterfall seat design is to take pressure off the back of a user's legs and promote better circulation.
True
The purpose of the screening step is to determine whether an incident is a request for information, question, problem, complaint or work order.
True
The strategy of removing components to return a computer to a basic configuration is designed to eliminate variables that may make a computer problem more difficult to solve.
True
The weighted point evaluation method of product comparison attempts to treat competing products equally and eliminate favoritism or bias among evaluators
True
The weighted point evaluation method of product comparison attempts to treat competing products equally and eliminate favoritism or bias among evaluators.
True
The writer of a technical document should help readers decide whether the document is intended for them or not.
True
Troubleshooting a computer problem is more an iterative process than a fixed sequence of steps a support specialist follows.
True
True or False? A Gantt chart allows a project manager to ask what-if questions about how changes in resources impact the timeline of a project.
True
True or False? A cost center is a help desk operation that has an expense budget, but no offsetting income budget.
True
True or False? A cost-benefit analysis is often in the form of a side-by-side comparison of the expenses and payoffs associated with a potential solution.
True
True or False? A keyboard placed on the standard height office desk (30") can cause user discomfort because the angle of the user's wrists at the keyboard is unnatural.
True
True or False? A technical writer should use the same word to refer to an object or a concept throughout a document rather than a variety of different words that are synonyms.
True
True or False? A troubleshooting strategy that involves swapping a hardware or software component whose status is unknown with one that is known to be operational is called module replacement.
True
True or False? A turnkey system is a package that includes hardware, software and support services from a single vendor.
True
True or False? An outside review of a technical document serves the same purpose as a beta test of a software package.
True
True or False? Change in case, font, indentation, and centering are format elements used to help the reader of a document understand its structure.
True
True or False? Computer product standards originally emerged in order to reduce the cost to provide support for end users.
True
True or False? In a help desk that uses the multilevel support model, the goal is to handle calls at the lowest possible support level.
True
True or False? Knowledge bases that have special search tools and other helps desk software features are called smart databases.
True
True or False? Nonverbal behaviors are often more important than the meaning of words in a communication.
True
True or False? One goal of end-user training is to make users as self- reliant as possible in order to reduce their need for support.
True
True or False? Some problems that user support analysts investigate turn out to be organizational problems instead of technology problems.
True
True or False? Support managers often used recordings of monitored support calls to help workers identify areas where performance improvement is needed.
True
True or False? freeware and shareware may cause compatibility problems when installed because they may not be tested as extensively as commercial software.
True
False
True/False? An ezine is a website that is easier to use than competing websites.
False
True/False? Since an organization's computer culture is often subjective, historical patterns of technology use should not influence an organization's current product and support standards.
False
True/False? Subjective criteria should not be used when selecting among competing technology products.
False
True/False? Subjective evaluation criteria are those in which a neutral evaluator should be able to reach the same conclusion as another evaluator.
True
True/False? The best evaluation articles in technology publications are those that compare several products against specific criteria and explain the pros and cons of each product.
True
True/False? The larger an organization, the more likely it is to need specialized or customized software products to meet its special requirements.
True
True/False? The larger the number of incompatible software packages an organization owns, the greater the cost to train and retrain employees.
False
True/False? The weighted point evaluation method can be used to compare two products, but is too complicated and confusing to use when more than two products are being considered.
False
True/False? When a new operating system is marketed by an organization like Microsoft, most organizations adopt it immediately as a new standard in order to take advantage of its productivity features for their employees.
True
True/False? When a new product becomes an organization standard, support services for the product it replaces usually continue during a transition period to allow users time to convert.
Which of these is not among the special project risk factors described in the chapter?
Vendor bankruptcy
List three resources a product evaluator might use to locate information about competing products.
Vendor literature, market information, web sites and user manuals; demonstration and evaluation products; product review articles; industry expert opinion; colleague opinion
Which of these forms of knowledge bases is the least interactive?
Vendor manuals
b, d, a, a
Which letter sequence represents the order of the following steps in the request for proposal process? a) send RFP to vendors b) develop product specifications c) evaluate RFP responses against criteria d) define selection criteria a, b, c, d b, d, a, c d, a, c, b a, d, b, c
Which of these sources of hardware problems is not one of the primary categories that account for most hardware support problems?
Component design problems
Which of these answers is least descriptive of the information on a Web page?
Comprehensive
Which of these categories of workers is expected to increase at about the same rate as employment in the U.S. economy over the next decade?
Computer Support Specialists
Which of these is not normally part of an explanation to a user?
Description of the various alternatives the support agent considered to find a solution.
Which of these is not a role that user support trainers are likely to perform in the future?
Design and develop CBT and WBT modules
False
Designers of customer service Web sites find that since Web site content changes frequently, the design of a Web site is less important than its contents.
Which of the following kinds of questions is designed to determine whether a help desk job applicant has specific educational and work experience required for a position?
Directed question
Which listening type focuses on learning about the knowledge level and emotional state of the user?
Discriminative
Which of these skill levels deals with an ability to perform a task effectively and efficiently?
Expertise
Which of these application software installation options installs the most commonly used set of features and capabilities?
Express
A troubleshooting strategy that removes components from a system in order to get back to a base configuration is called module replacement.
False
A turnkey system is hardware in a case that must be powered on with a specially coded key designed to prevent unauthorized use.
False
A user support center provides a wide variety of user services, but a help desk is limited to answering user questions.
False
A user support mission statement usually states how an organization's business transactions will be processed on a corporate computer system.
False
A workaround is designed to correct a problem in which a computer works, though ""poorly, and not as efficiently as it should."
False
Electronic components are much more likely to fail than electromechanical components.
False
End-user evaluation of new computer products is cost-effective because there are so many new products each year that the user support staff cannot possibly evaluate all of them.
False
End-user needs assessment is a formal procedure to analyze a user's computer needs; it involves a specific set of steps that are performed in sequence in each assessment project.
False
Entry-level help desk staff are usually not concerned with performance measures and the justification of help desk services; performance and justification are primarily management responsibilities.
False
Ergonomic problem that apply to technology users do not necessarily apply to help desk support agents.
False
Ergonomics is a field that studies how to make computers financially affordable for end users. (True/False)
False
Most open help desk and user support positions are advertised in the newspaper
False
PCs that are advertised in newspapers are usually complete end-user systems.
False
True or False? Every help desk incident, no matter what kind, goes through all 12 steps of the incident management process described in the chapter, even is some of the steps do not apply.
False
True or False? Incident management and call management are terms that mean the same thing.
False
True or False? Organizations that treat user support as a profit center may have difficulty justifying the cost of support services.
False
True or False? Plug and Ply-compatible hardware guarantees that users will not experience installation problems with new or upgrade hardware.
False
True or False? The percentage of incidents that cannot be resolved during the incident management process is frequently zero.
False
Website development software packages enable users to create, maintain, and update a list of participants in a chat room.
False
In critical thinking, a hypothesis is usually based on a ____.
Mental Model
True
Most support workers and computer users are considered to be a mixture of the personality types on the Myers-Briggs dimensions.
______ are an attempt to strike a reasonable balance between "select only this product" and "buy anything you want."
Product standards
Which of these knowledge, skills, and abilities would a help desk manager probably not seek in an applicant for a help desk position?
Programming skills
Which statement accurately describe the costs associated with computer-based delivery methods?
The development cost is high, but the cost per user is low.
True
Total user self-reliance is probably not achievable, but it is a worthwhile goal.
- Some support problems occur because users are poorly trained or do not read the documentation that came with their computer system
True
A "techie" who works exclusively with hardware and software, rarely comes into contact with people, and who talks in technical jargon, will probably not enjoy a career in the user support field.
True
A benchmark test of competing products is designed to use objective evaluation criteria instead of an evaluator's personal opinions.
True
A delivery method is a choice a trainer makes among several instructional technologies, media, and ways to present information
True
A style sheet is a list of common terms, formats, spelling conventions, and writing conventions that an organization uses to ensure consistency among technical writers.
True
A support agent who can empathize with a user is one who understands the problem or question from the user's point of view.
True
Documents organized in a tutorial format guide a reader step-by-step through the features of a program or the operation of a computer.
True
During an interview for a help desk position, a behavioral question gives an applicant an opportunity to describe actions he or she took in a specific help desk situation.
True
During an interview for a help desk position, a directed question is often used to find out whether an applicant has specific educational or work experience.
True
During the preparation step, a trainer decides on specific topics that will be covered and the sequence of topics.
True
Effective end-user documents should result in a lower volume of user support calls and emails.
True
Employment in the category of Computer Support Specialists is expected to increase at about an average rate compared with other occupational categories in the United States during the next decade.
True
End-user computing refers to the everyday use of computers for both business and personal use. (True/False)
True
Even for organizations with an in-house programming staff, the cost of custom software often outweighs its benefits if there are reasonable packaged software alternatives.
True
Eye contact and facial expression are examples of nonverbal behavior.
True
If a user reinstalls a software package from the original distribution media, they must also install any patches that had been previously installed to fix bugs
True
In a cost-benefit analysis, when costs outweigh benefits, an organization should be reluctant to spend resources on a project.
True
In a help desk that uses a multi-level support model, the goal is to handle as many calls at the lowest possible support level.
True
In a user needs assessment project, although managers may not work with a system on a daily basis, their input needs to be considered because they may make the final decision on a project.
True
In addition to listening to a user describe a computer problem, a troubleshooter should listen to the words the user chooses to explain the problem.
True
Listening to a lecture is not an effective retention and performance training method for most learners.
True
Small companies often meet their need for computer support by combining user support with another position. (True/False)
True
The ability to write documentation in English is an important job skill for user support staff members. (True/False)
True
The applications development backlog was due to the inability of computer professionals to design and write programs fast enough to keep up with the demand for new applications. (True/False)
True
The best evaluation articles in computer publications are those that compare several products against specific criteria and explain the pros and cons of each product.
True
The best training objectives begin with a verb, such as plan, describe, or perform
True
The books and manuals in a troubleshooter's personal or professional library are part of the troubleshooter's knowledge base.
True
The criteria used to evaluate the performance of a support employee should be related to the support mission statement and to the employee's professional growth objectives.
True
The design of a help desk work area should reduce distractions, noise, and interruptions to the extent possible
True
The design of a help desk work area should reduce distractions, noise, and interruptions to the extent possible.
True
The easiest documents to read are those that contain white space in margins and between paragraphs.
True
Training assessment measures whether training activities have met the planned learning and performance objectives.
True
True or False? Support specialists may need to add to or delete from site installation checklists, such as those in chapter, because user and support needs change over time.
True
True or False? Telecommuting is working for an employer full- or part-time from a home office.
True
True or False? The best performance objective for a training session specify how well a trainee needs to be able to perform a task.
True
True or False? The employee selection process for a help desk position can be described as an attempt to find applicants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities that most closely match the position's requirements.
True
True or False? The larger the number of incompatible software packages an organization owns, the greater the cost to train and retrain workers.
True
True or False? Trainers often discover that more short breaks during a training session are preferable to fewer long breaks.
True
True or False? in an end-user needs assessment project, software requirements should generally be considered first, followed by hardware needs.
True
Use of a computer's graphical user interface means that users no longer have to remember which command to enter to perform a task. (True/False)
True
Use of acronyms or initialisms where they are not defined or well-known makes documents difficult to understand.
True
User support expense budgets are often divided into two large categories: personnel and facilities.
True
User support is a constantly changing field that requires the ability to learn new information and procedures.
True
User support managers monitor several aspects of their support operation, including the percentage of calls that were abandoned by the user
True
User support staff often have more resources, tools, and expertise to install a computer system faster and with fewer errors than an end user.
True
User support staff often have more resources, tools, and expertise to install a computer system faster and with fewer errors than an end user. (True/False)
True
User support staff often have more resources, tools, and expertise to install technology faster and with fewer errors than an end user.
True
Using acronyms where they are not defined or well known makes documents difficult to understand.
True
Using too many design elements, such as color, clip art, shading, borders, and fonts, can distract a reader from the information in a document.
True
Virtualization is a method of allocating the resources of a computer into multiple execution environments, each of which may execute its own operating system and application software.
True
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that may permit more support workers to telecommute.
True
Web-based user support offers a cost-effective way to communicate support information to end users
True
Web-based user support offers a cost-effective way to communicate support information to end users.
True
When a support specialist tries to understand the goals of end users and an organization, one issue is what plans the organization has to grow or expand.
True
When organizing an idea list into an outline, some ideas become major topics and others become minor topics.
True
Remote Access
Utility software that lets a support agent view and control events on an external user's computer.
An objective test or measurement that computer product evaluators use to compare two or more products is ____.
a benchmark
During _______, a computer system is operated nonstop for a 48- to 72-hour period to give marginal components a chance to fail.
a burn-in test
The strategy in which the listener is as engaged as the speaker in a communication is called:
active listening
A way in which a current problem is similar to other problems are called ____.
analogies
A backup utility can write copies of important data files and folders on ____.
any of these
A computer virus can be spread through ____.
any of these
Effective communication skills are based primarily on a support agent's ability to ____.
any of these
Effective communication skills are important primarily to support agents who communicate ____.
any of these
Viewing a system as a group of subsystems begins the search for a problem at ____.
any of these starting points
The user support staff is most likely to experience conflict with the IT department over ____.
application software development
Technical writing should be concise and it should be informative." is an example of a ____.
compound sentence
Which of the following testing methods is commonly used in industry certification exams?
computer adaptive test
An instructional technology, medium, or approach to presenting information in a training session is called a ____.
delivery method
Application software used to prepare printed materials that include graphic images, such as newsletters, flyers, brochures, and posters, is called ____.
desktop publishing
The purpose of prescreening an incident is to ____.
determine the type of incident and how the help desk staff will handle it
When one hardware device conflicts with another device's use of system resources, the problem can often be diagnosed effectively by ____.
examining the configuration
Which of the following skill levels deals with performing a task effectively and efficiently?
expertise
A troubleshooting strategy that removes components from a system in order to get back to a basic configuration is called module replacement.
false
An automated incident tracking system is primarily useful in a large help desk operation, but of limited use in a small help desk operation.
false
Help desk software packages often include a report generator to prepare custom reports, but they do not include anything as powerful as a programming language
false
HelpSTAR software contains many of the most common help desk software features, but managing technology assets is an add-on module
false
In a help desk queue, the incident that will be handled next is the most recent incident to enter the queue.
false
In general, sans serif typefaces are easier to read than typefaces that contain serifs.
false
Job stress in a help desk position often indicates that an agent has worked in the support industry too long.
false
Most computer performance problems indicate that a hardware component is about ready to fail.
false
Most hardware component problems are the result of failures due to incorrect electrical supply to a computer system.
false
Organizations that have specialized software needs generally select products from among the mass market, bestselling products.
false
A light source that may flicker at the same rate as an older CRT display screen is a(n) ____ bulb.
fluorescent
Printed materials designed to be taken from a training session to refresh a trainee's memory later are called ____.
handouts
Printed materials designed to be taken away by the trainees from a training session to refresh a user's memory are called _____.
handouts, reference sheets
If a computer is plugged into a 15-amp circuit, the total amperage of all devices plugged into the circuit should be ____.
less than 15 amps
In a help desk patterned in the multilevel support model, what is the common title of workers at each level?
level 1: incident screener; level 2: product specialist; level 3: technical support; level 4: support manager
A software _____ is required to ensure that a software package can be legally installed on a system.
license, site license
The principle concept in the multi-level support help desk model is ____.
lower level help desk staff can refer difficult problems to higher levels
- Software with harmful or malicious intent to disrupt the business operation of a computer or network or to steal information or money is called ____.
malware
Software with harmful or malicious intent to disrupt the business operation of a computer or network or to steal information or money is called ____.
malware
Performance objectives for a training session should be ____.
measurable
The ability to step back from a toubleshooting situation and analyze one's own thinking process is called _____.
metacognition
A narrative or diagram that explains the structure and operation of a new or existing computer system is called a:
model
A site management notebook is especially useful in:
multiple systems installed in an office or training facility
The ____ position is unlikely to exist in a help desk that is organized in a multilevel support model.
needs analyst
A substantially rewritten software package that contains major new features is called a(n) ____.
new version
Which of the following learning methods results in the highest retention and trainee performance?
problem solve
A(n) _____ is a written narrative that describes the objectives, scope, methods, participants, deliverables, and timeline for a needs assessment project.
project plan, charter
A working model that a support analyst builds to help users evaluate the design of a new system is called a(n) ____.
prototype
In the weighted point evaluation method, if more than one support person evaluates competing products, the score a product receives is usually ____.
the average score of all evaluators
- Open source software is developed collaboratively by a loose-knit team of programmers who agree to improve a software product and make the program freely available to any user.
true
- Quick start behavior is a tendency among computer users to bypass reading an installation manual and attempt to get a new product operational quickly.
true
- Some support problems occur because users are poorly trained or do not read the documentation that came with their computer system.
true
A burn-in test is the operation of a new computer continuously for 48 to 72 hours to identify obvious problems or temperature-sensitive components.
true
A hierarchical organization of a document flows from top to bottom because information is organized from general to specific
true
A paper CNE is someone who has passed the CNE certification exam, but has little practical, hands-on experience with computer networks.
true
A rising inflection at the end of a sentence communicates that a support agent is unsure or lacks confidence
true
A sentence is in passive voice when its subject receives the action performed by the verb.
true
A support agent who can empathize with a user is one who understands the problem or question from the user's point of view.
true
A support portal is a single point of Web access for support services.
true
A technical document with a sequential organization follows a step-by-step approach
true
An example of a metacognitive question a troubleshooter might ask is, What assumptions did I make in working on this problem that led me in the wrong direction?
true
An extraneous variable is one that could bias the results of a benchmark test and should be eliminated if possible.
true
The design of a help desk work area should reduce distractions, noise, and interruptions to the extent possible.
true
The five critical questions described in this chapter are designed to force a troubleshooter to challenge the assumptions he or she may have made about a problem situation.
true
The purpose of incident tracking is to document the complete history of activities that occurred while handling an incident.
true
A procedure or method to accomplish the same result as a feature that does not work due to a big or other malfunction is called a(n) _____.
workaround
Computer technology generally doubles in capacity every two ____.
years
The average time it takes a help desk to respond to incidents is ____.
. wait time
Of the sequences listed below, which shows the correct order of the steps in the incident management process: (1) authenticate the incident; (2) archive the incident; (3) log the incident; and (4) prioritize the problem
1 - 3 - 4 - 2
A reading level that is appropriate for most technical documentation is:
10-12th grade
A computer adaptive test may be able to determine a test taker's proficiency level by asking as few as ____ questions
15
A computer adaptive test may be able to determine a test taker's proficiency level by asking as few as ____ questions.
15
Businesses and organizations first began to use data communications and network technology to connect computer systems in the ____.
1980's
Widespread use of the Internet by business and home users first occurred in the ____.
1990's
Which of these personal characteristics of successful troubleshooters is the most important?
. All of these are important characteristics.
Which of these types of documents is primarily intended to catch the eye of the reader and promote an event?
. Brochure or flyer
Which of the following kinds of questions is designed to determine whether a help desk job applicant has specific educational and work experience required for a position?
. Directed question
Which of the following are more likely to use subjective selection criteria to choose among competing computer products?
. Small organizations
An electronic magazine organized like a print publication, but distributed via a Web site, that may contain product reviews and comparisons is called ____.
. an ezine
The purpose of a preinstallation site visit is to ____.
. anticipate possible installation problems
A user's forearms should extend ____ to a keyboard.
. down slightly
A schematic diagram that uses symbols to represent the parts of a system is a(n) ____.
. flowchart
Dirt on computer keyboards can be cleaned with ____.
. isopropyl alcohol
When analyzing the feedback on an evaluation form, a trainer should look for ____.
. items where there is a pattern of low ratings
When choosing alignment for a paragraph of text, the easiest to read is ____ text.
. left-aligned
A cross-reference or link to where a reader can find additional information about a topic is called a(n) ____.
. pointer
A writer who performs each procedure or technical step in a document and tests each step with the hardware and software is doing a(n) ____ check.
. technical accuracy
A trainee who learns best by seeing a demonstration is called a(n) ____.
. visual learner
In the classification of skill levels listed below, what is the sequence in which the skills are usually built? (1.) basic skills, (2.) concepts, (3.) expertise, (4.) understanding
2 - 4 - 1 - 3
What is the correct sequence of the following steps in the technical writing process? (1) proofread the document (2) generate a list of ideas (3) arrange for an outside reviewer (4) write a first draft
2 - 4 - 3 - 1
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the number of computer and network support specialist positions in the United States will grow at about ____ percent over the next 10 years.
20
- Put the numbered versions of a software package in sequence from the most significant change to the least significant: 1 -" build #, 2 -"" release #, 3 -"" version #," 4 - update #.
3 - 2 - 4 - 1
Put the numbered versions of a software package in sequence from the most significant change to the least significant: 1 -" build #, 2 -"" release #, 3 -"" version #," 4 - update #.
3 - 2 - 4 - 1
Which sequence of numbers represents the correct order of the following four steps in the user needs analysis process? (1.) investigate alternatives to the current system; (2.) make a build-versus-buy decision; (3.) identify sources of information; (4.) understand the organization's goals
4 - 3 - 2 - 1
In the weighted point evaluation method, if a product receives a vendor support score of 80 and the weight of the vendor support criterion is 10%, the product gets a weighted score of ____ points for vendor support.
8
Computer software that helps a user enter, edit, format, store, and print text information is a ____.
A - word processor
An internal user is one who is a(n) ____.
A - worker in an organization
Really Simple Syndication RSS
A Web service that aggregates selected information from various Web resources, including newsgroups, blogs, forums, and other news and information services and delivers it to a user's desktop in a convenient, easy-to-use format.
False
A blog is a Web site where users who are angry or abusive can go to post complaints about a company's products or services.
False
A commitment to customer service excellence means the customer is always right.
Explanation
A communication skill that involves a support agent describing the solution to a problem so the user understands why the problem occurred and the steps required to resolve it.
Paraphrasing
A communication skill that involves you restating in your own words what you think you heard the speaker say.
Verification
A communication skill that permits a troubleshooter to confirm his or her perception that a problem is solved.
Active Listening
A communication skill that results in a listener being as involved and engaged in the communication process as the speaker; paraphrasing is an example of active listening.
Analogy
A comparison between an unfamiliar concept and a familiar one; an analogy highlights the similarities between things; for example, the CPU in a computer system is analogous to an office calculator in a manual system.
True
A comprehensive client service orientation among support staff applies to every staff member, and to every mode of user communication.
VPN
A computer network that uses the Internet to connect remote users to a corporate network; a VPN uses authentication and encryption to enhance security on a network.
Referent
A concrete word or concept that is designated by another word; for example, in Before you insert a CD, inspect it for scratches, the word CD is the referent of it; avoid pronouns such as it, them, and their when the referent is unclear.
Pointer
A cross-reference in a document indicating where a user can find more information on a topic; often used in technical writing to reduce the size of a document by including directions to appendices, attachments, exhibits, figures, tables, and other related materials.
A computer product vendor's response to an RFP usually includes all but which of these?
A description of problems with the competitor's products
Which of these is not normally part of an explanation to a user?
A description of the various alternatives the support agent considered to find a solution
Goal State
A desired outcome or objective; in troubleshooting, a common goal state is to diagnose or repair a computer subsystem to return it to a normal operational state.
Justified Text
A document or paragraph format in which the text is extended to both the right and left margins; commonly used in books and newspapers, but can be difficult to read.
Hierarchical organization
A document organization style that flows from top to bottom; information is arranged from general to specific; online help systems are an example.
Dangling Modifier
A few words (or a single word) at the beginning or end of a sentence that add little to the meaning of the sentence.
Probe
A follow-up question designed to elicit additional information from a user about a problem; a sequence of probes often clarifies a problem situation.
Hypertext Link
A highlighted word or phrase in a document that acts as a pointer to additional information; when a user clicks a link, the software displays a Web page, opens a different document, jumps to another location in the current document, or displays a popup window.
Which of these would you least expect to find in an organization's acceptable use guidelines?
A list of approved vendors
Style Sheet
A list of common terms, formats, and writing conventions that describes the preferred use and spelling of a documentation department or organization so that writers use consistent terminology and formats.
Which of these is a primary benefit of buying an off-the-shelf computer system?
A mass-market system often costs less.
Brainstorm
A method used to generate a list of potential ideas or topics; the brainstormed list is then prioritized and pared down, as needed.
Module Replacement
A problem-solving strategy that involves replacing a hardware or software component whose operational status is unknown with a component that is known to be operational.
Escalation
A problem-solving tool whereby a difficult or complex problem is referred to a higher-level support person or team for resolution.
Problem Solving
A process of moving from a current state of events X (the problem state) to a future desired state of events Y; the objective of problem solving is to get from X to Y quickly, accurately, effectively, and efficiently.
Iterative Process
A process that involves several paths or approaches to problem solving; steps are repeated in a loop until a fruitful path is found; troubleshooting is an iterative process in that it uses and reuses a variety of tools and skills.
request for proposal
A purchasing procedure that invites vendors to submit product and prices for new technology that meets a user's needs is called a ____. request for proposal Kepner-Tregoe process bidding war weighted point method
Critical Question
A question designed to elicit important information from a user that may force a support agent to challenge some basic assumptions about a problem.
True
A rising inflection at the end of a sentence communicates that a support agent is unsure or lacks confidence.
Active Voice
A sentence in which the subject performs the action indicated by the verb; for example: Mary will present a tutorial on Excel macros on Monday; compare to passive voice.
Contradiction
A situation in which a fact established through investigation rules out, or contradicts, a potential solution.
Serif Typeface
A style of type in which each character includes fine lines (called serifs) that project from the top and bottom of each letter; serifs lead the reader's eye from letter to letter across the line, improving readability; compare with sans serif typeface.
Sans Serif
A style of type that does not have fine lines (serifs) added to each character; often used in titles and headings; compare with serif typeface.
Specialty Typeface
A style of type that is intended for special uses, such as invitations, brochures, or flyers; draws attention to text, although it makes general text more difficult to read; script typefaces are an example.
False
A support agent should work to deny the sense of self-importance of users who are "power users."
False
A support agent who handles complaints or incidents from angry, upset users should try to move the incident into the problem-solving stage as rapidly as possible.
A description of problems with the competitor's products
A technology product vendor's response to an RFP usually includes all but which of these? A description of problems with the competitor's products A description of how the vendor's products meet or exceed requirements A bid price at which the vendor can supply the products All of these are included
Acronym
A word formed from the initial letters of words in a phrase; for example, CPU is an acronym for central processing unit; define acronyms to ensure readers' understanding.
Parallel Structure
A writing strategy in which similar items are treated consistently throughout a document; examples include consistent verb tenses and consistent phrasing in lists.
____________________ include the ability to listen or read effectively, understand a user's problem, and relate a solution to a problem.
ANS: Communication skills communication skills Communications skills communications skills Communications communications
Dissatisfied clients are more likely than satisfied clients to ____. a. resolve support incidents quickly b. contact the help desk repeatedly for assistance c. resolve support incidents at a low tier d. convey a positive business image to other users
ANS: B
One measure of whether a support agent understands a problem is that he or she can express the user's problem in ____. a. the user's words b. the support agent's own words c. industry standard vocabulary d. none of the above
ANS: B
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) measures ____. a. customer service ethic b. personality and work style preferences c. nonverbal behavior d. user self-reliance
ANS: B
A support agent should aim to use language that is ____ the language level that the user uses. a. slightly above b. at the same level as c. slightly below d. none of the above
ANS: C
A support agent who feels that a user needs substantial assistance with the organization of files on his or her computer system should ____. a. indicate how upset he or she is with the user's file organization b. tell the user how to straighten out his or her file organization c. point the user to useful information about file organization d. intimidate the user into changing his or her file organization
ANS: C
Analysis and evaluation of a user's message are likely to occur during which type of listening? a. Discriminative b. Comprehensive c. Critical d. Relational
ANS: C
Excellent customer service in a support organization is based primarily on which of these factors? a. The ability to solve user problems b. The ability to communicate effectively with users c. Both A and B d. Neither A nor B
ANS: C
In a telephone communication, which of the following is the telephone activity a support agent least likely needs to develop? a. A call greeting b. A way to transfer a call c. A way to hang up on abusive users d. A dialog to put a call on hold
ANS: C
Incidents that involve complaints ____. a. should be terminated as soon as possible b. are likely from angry and frustrated users c. are a valuable source of feedback and suggestions about products d. should be escalated immediately to experienced support staff who know how to handle them
ANS: C
Inexperienced support agents tend to speak ____ when they experience stress in a conversation with a user. a. too slow b. about the right speed c. too fast d. none of these
ANS: C
A Web site that contains large numbers of misspelled words and grammatical errors fails which of these general criteria? a. Content b. Organization c. Format d. Mechanics
ANS: D
A user's first impression of a support agent comes from the ____. a. solution to the problem b. incident script used c. tone and style d. incident greeting
ANS: D
Effective communication skills are based primarily on a support agent's ability to ____. a. listen and read effectively b. understand a user's problem c. communicate solutions to a user d. any of these
ANS: D
Effective communication skills are important primarily to support agents who communicate ____. a.via telephone c.via email b.face-to-face d.any of these
ANS: D
Support Web sites that use Web 2.0 technologies differ from earlier support Web sites primarily in ____. a. including frequently asked questions (FAQs) b. the authoring language used to build and maintain the site c. improved site navigation tools d. an emphasis on collaboration and communication among users
ANS: D
Which of these is not a primary strategy for a support organization that aims for customer service excellence? a. Treat clients with respect. b. Explain to clients what the support organization can do for them. c. Return calls to clients when promised. d. Meet all of a client's demands.
ANS: D
Which type of nonverbal behavior is suggested for effective voice quality? a. Use inflection to add interest. b. Speak at a normal pitch. c. Use a warm, upbeat tone of voice. d. All of these
ANS: D
One purpose or type of listening is to develop rapport with a user. This type of listening is called _____________________.
ANS: relational
Which of the following is not a primary benefit of computer industry certification?
Ability to identify a worker whose performance has fallen below industry standards
____ adopted by organizations often describe how users are permitted to use their computers, what users are not allowed to do, and the consequences or penalties for unauthorized or illegal use.
Acceptable use policies
The concept that a listener is an involved participant in the communication process is called ____.
Active Listening
Which of the Following not a primary strategy for a support organization that aims for customer service excellence?
Agree to any demand a client makes
Which of these personal characteristics of successful troubleshooters is the most important?
All of the above
Which of these is an important topic in a help desk staff training program?
All of these
Which of these would you expect to find as members of a product standards committee?
All of these
Newsgroup
An Internet discussion group in which participants with common interests in a topic post messages; similar to an electronic bulletin board.
ListServ
An automated email service that distributes all (or selected) email messages posted to the ListServ to every member who has subscribed to the ListServ; organized around a topic of special interest to its members.
Mental Model
An automated email service that distributes all (or selected) email messages posted to the ListServ to every member who has subscribed to the ListServ; organized around a topic of special interest to its members.
Technical accuracy check
An edit pass through a draft in which a writer tests any procedural or technical steps in a document by performing the steps with the hardware or software; helps reduce errors in step-by-step instructions or other technical information.
Hypothesis
An initial guess, hunch, or prediction based on experience.
In help desk jargon, ACD stands for ____.
Automated Call Distributor
The first PCs were used in businesses and homes in the ____.
B - 1970s
The purpose of support standards is to accomplish all but which of the following?
B - Expand supported products
Which of these is not a service you would expect of a help desk or hotline?
B - Operate a local area network
Which of these was not a primary characteristic of mainframe computer use in the 1950s and 1960s?
B - Served as an Internet host computer
Applications software that is intended for use in a specialized business environment is called ____.
B - an industry-specific application
Severe hand or wrist pain due to an inflammation of the tendons in a user's hand and wrist is called ____.
B - carpal tunnel syndrome
Applications software used to prepare printed materials that include graphic images, such as newsletters, flyers, brochures, and posters, is called ____.
B - desktop publishing
A software package used to prepare budgets, reports, forecasts, and financial statements is a ____.
B - spreadsheet program
Computer technology generally doubles in capacity every two ____.
B - years
What is the sequence of these steps in the technical writing process? A) Proofread the document. B) Generate a list of ideas. C) Arrange for an outside reviewer. D) Write a first draft.
B D C A
What is the sequence of these steps in the technical writing process? A) Proofread the document. B) Generate a list of ideas. C) Arrange for an outside reviewer. D) Write a first draft.
B, D, C, A
In the classification of skill levels below, what is the sequence in which skills are usually built? A) Basic skills B) Concepts C) Expertise D) Understanding
BDAC
Which of these sequences is the order of the steps below in the iterative problem-solving process? a) formulate and test hypothesis b) collect information c) analyze results d) consider alternative explanations
BDCA
Benchmark tests on competing products can be used to select ____.
Both hardware and software products
A list of as many topics as a writer can think of that might be useful to a reader is the result of ____.
Brainstorming
Which of these software packages is likely to be the most expensive?
C - Computer-aided design package
Which of these devices is not a peripheral?
C - Internal memory
Which of these categories of computer software can add thousands of dollars to the cost of a computer system?
C - Specialized software
Which sequence of letters represents the order of the steps below in the weighted point evaluation method?
C, B, D, A
Which sequence of letters represents the order of the steps below in the weighted point evaluation method? A) Compute the total ratings for each product. B) Assign a weight to the importance of each criterion. C) Decide on the evaluation criteria. D) Weight the product ratings for each criterion by the importance of the criterion
C, B, D, A
- Which of these hardware devices is more likely to fail during the operation of a computer system?
CD or DVD drive
A training delivery method that encourages trainees to make the transition from a training environment to the business world is ____.
Case Study
Describe a recent trend in help desk operation and briefly explain how it will impact help desk agents in the future.
Changes in off-shore outsourcing; employer demand for certified workers; acceptance of telecommuting work style; industry best practices; pressure to reduce support costs; web support protals; quantitative metrics; resources for security; help desk software integration
Which of these is least likely to be a purpose of proofreading the final draft of a document?
Check definitions of terms
Which of these training formats is generally the most cost-effective because the ratio of trainees to trainers is highest
Classes
Critical Thinking
Cognitive skills a problem solver uses to analyze a problem, search for the underlying logic or rationale, or strive for alternate ways to explain an event or situation.
Tools a troubleshooter uses to get a description of a computer problem, learn a user's perspectives on the problem, and explain the solution to the user are called ____.
Communication Skills
Web-based training is most similar to which of these other training delivery methods?
Computer-based training
_____ is a skill level in which a trainee learns the basic vocabulary needed to communicate with others.
Concepts level
Analysis and evaluation of a user's message are likely to occur during which type of listening?
Critical
Which of these software packages includes features to present graphical information?
D - All of these - Desktop publishing program - Word processing program - Spreadsheet program
Which of these is not one of the trends that led to growth in end users during the 1980s and 1990s?
D - Increased in the cost of large-scale computer systems
Due to increased use of the Internet, which of these are likely to increase in the future as a percentage of the total cost of a computer system?
D - Information costs
Which of these is not a primary reason the growth in the demand for user support workers has declined from the 1990s?
D - Interest rates in the United States were low during the 2000s
Which of these is an advantage to outsourcing as a way to provide user support?
D - Outsourcing takes advantage of expertise a company does not have
A computer user who enters an incorrect formula in a spreadsheet that results in a serious error is a victim of which common computer problem?
D - User mistake
Which of these categories of workers increased during the 1980s and contributed to growth in the number of computer end users?
D - Workers in offices who work with information
Which of these responsibilities would you least expect to find in a position description for a user support specialist?
D - Writes computer programs in COBOL
Use of a computer for unauthorized access to information about a customer, patient, or student is called ____.
D - an invasion of privacy
The user support staff is most likely to experience conflict with the IT department over ____.
D - application software development
Theft of information, use of a computer to commit sabotage or embezzlement, and fraudulent use of a computer are examples of ____.
D - computer crimes
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the demand for user support workers in the next 10 years will ____.
D - increase significantly
Another name for needs analysis is ____.
D - needs assessment
Applications software that helps a user maintain a calendar, appointment book, to-do list, and address book is called a ____.
D - personal information manager
Classifying end users as internal versus external is a classification by ____.
D - relationship
The process of unpacking, setting up, and configuring a new computer system for a user is ____.
D - system installation assistance
Which sequence of letters below is the order of steps in managing a special project? A) Monitor B) Plan C) Terminate D) Define E) Implement
D, B, E, A, C
In the early part of a training session, how should the topics below be organized into a sequence? A) Present new material B) Establish motivation C) Introduce new topic D) Review previous topic
D, C, B, A
A(n) ____________________ is a real-time display of statistical performance information and service fault alerts in a visual, graphic format.
Dashboard
Which of these is not a recommended incident management strategy for support agents?
Don't admit that you're wrong or don't know.
The number of hours when a computer system is unavailable for use due to a failure is called ____.
Downtime
In the weighted point evaluation method, when two product evaluators disagree about the score for a product, which of these is the least likely strategy?
Drop the product from consideration.
all of these
During the 1980s, incompatible computer products resulted in ____. excessive spare parts inventories lack of transferable employee skills increased support costs all of these
Hard to cross-train employees; productivity was decreased
During the 1980s, the number of competing operating systems and software packages had which effects on employee cross-training and productivity? Easy to cross-train employees; productivity was increased Easy to cross-train employees; productivity was decreased Hard to cross-train employees; productivity was increased Hard to cross-train employees; productivity was decreased
several
During the early 1980s, ____ word processors competed for market share. no one or two a few several
False
Employers usually hire support agents whose Myers-Briggs personality type is extrovert.
False
Empty phrases, such as "Now let me see...," are effective ways for a support agent to fill pauses in a conversation.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is an example of which common computer problem?
Ergonomics
_____ is a problem-solving tool that involves a difficult or complex problem being referred to a higher-level support person for resolution.
Escalation
During which of these steps in a training session should a trainer cover what trainees will achieve by the end of the training and why the training is useful?
Establish motivation
The purpose of support standards is to accomplish all but which of the following?
Expand supported products
True
Eye contact and facial expression are examples of nonverbal behavior.
Which of these is not a common method used to conduct a user satisfaction survey?
Face-to-face interview
False
Factors such as personality type probably have little impact on the working relationship between a support agent and his or her colleagues.
- Most computer performance problems indicate that a hardware component is about ready to fail.
False
- Plug and Play hardware automatically adjusts software settings to take maximum advantage of the hardware's capabilities
False
- The Windows Registry contains hardware and software configuration information that can be easily modified by end users.
False
A PC that operates at some level, but not as efficiently as it should, is called vaporware.
False
A blog is a Web site where users who are angry or abusive can go to post complaints about a company's products or services.
False
A commitment to customer service excellence means the customer is always right.
False
A computer professional in an organization, such as a programmer, is generally considered to be an external user.
False
A computer professional in an organization, such as a programmer, is generally considered to be an external user. (True/False)
False
A crash course is an intensive class designed to prepare those with no previous experience to take and pass a certification exam.
False
A dashboard is a visual display to alert each help desk agent that incidents assigned to them are waiting to be handled
False
A knowledge base is the personal experiences a support agent brings to the table to solve a problem.
False
A knowledge worker is another name for a computer user. (True/False)
False
A learning management system is a software package that automates the role of trainer for small businesses that cannot afford a trainer position
False
A multimeter is a software utility that can detect whether multiple operating systems are installed on a PC.
False
A professional association is a labor union that represents the interests of a group of agents who work for an organization.
False
A purpose of technical documentation is to tell readers everything they would ever want to know about a topic.
False
A sequence of repetitive operations performed to evaluate a PC system's ability to operate at peak efficiency for a defined time period under a maximum processing load is called a benchmark.
False
A sequential organization and a hierarchical organization of a document are one and the same thing.
False
A service level agreement is a contract between a help desk agent and their manager that specifies the percent of incidents the agent will handle correctly during each work shift.
False
A software evaluation copy is a trial version of a program that will automatically delete itself from a PC after 30 days.
False
A support specialist who installs an application software package normally edits the system Registry and configuration files before the software will operate correctly.
False
A task that a worker can either perform or not perform is called essential knowledge.
False
A task that a worker can either perform or not perform is called essential knowledge. (True/False)
False
A technical writer should use several different fonts, underlining, italics, and boldface to draw a reader's attention to the document and increase his or her interest level.
False
A training session that introduces new material, presents the new material, and then summarizes what was learned is too repetitious.
False
A workaround is designed to correct a problem where a PC works, though poorly, and not as efficiently as it should.
False
All knowledge workers are computer professionals. (True/False)
False
All users prefer online documentation to printed documentation because of its easy access to the information needed.
False
Although end users benefit from training, help desk staff are generally self-taught and usually do not benefit from an ongoing training program
False
An Erlang unit is a measure of the number of telephone calls received where a user hung up before a help desk agent was able to answer the call.
False
An automated incident tracking procedure is primarily useful in a large help desk operation, but of limited use in a small help desk operation.
False
An ezine is a Web site that is easier to use than competing Web sites.
False
An hypothesis is a sequence of trial and error guesses a troubleshooter makes to try to find a problem solution.
False
An incident's priority code is based on the number of incidents in a queue ahead of it
False
An incident's priority code is based on the number of incidents in a queue ahead of it.
False
An intangible benefit of a project is one that is difficult to quantify or measure and therefore should be omitted from a cost-benefit analysis
False
An online chat is an asynchronous type of communication between a user and support agent
False
An online chat is an asynchronous type of communication between a user and support agent.
False
An organization's acceptable use guidelines are the result of federal legislation to regulate the flow of information on the Internet.
False
As a general rule, dominance in the software industry does not change over time; the bestselling products in the early 1980s are still the bestselling products today.
False
As a training delivery method, hands-on training activities are not as effective as demonstrations
False
Computer departments in most organizations today are called data processing departments. (True/False)
False
Computer hardware sold today is so reliable it rarely needs repairs or replacement. (True/False)
False
Demonstrating bells and whistles (i.e., less frequently used features) is an important way to add interest and reduce boredom in a training session.
False
Disk fragmentation indicates that a PC's hard disk drive is likely to fail
False
Distributed computing links large-scale systems and personal computers to meet both organizational and individual worker needs.
False
Documentation for end users refers to information available to end users in a printed format. (True/False)
False
Documents organized in a reference format guide a reader step-by-step through the features of a program or the operation of a PC.
False
Due to the popularity of self-paced training materials and online, interactive training delivery methods, the role of support specialists as trainers is likely to disappear in the next few years.
False
During the 1980s, many organizations that purchased computer products viewed incompatibilities among vendor products as a sign of a healthy, competitive business climate.
False
During the 1980s, support costs were kept to a minimum because support staff could easily answer questions about competing hardware and software products.
False
Economics is a field that studies how to design a work environment that promotes employee health, safety, and productivity. (True/False)
False
Escalation is an unfortunate incident management step that indicates lower level tier help desk agents failed to perform their responsibilities.
False
Even when an incident is escalated to a higher level tier in the multi-level support model, the help desk agent who initiated the incident retains ownership of it.
False
Even when an incident is escalated to a higher level tier in the multilevel support model, the help desk agent who initiated the incident retains ownership of it.
False
Every help desk incident, no matter what kind, goes through the 12 steps of the incident management process described in the book, even if some of the steps don't always apply.
False
Experienced trainers do not rely on the evaluation feedback from trainees because trainees are rarely qualified to provide feedback to experienced trainers
False
Factors such as personality type probably have little impact on the working relationship between a support agent and her or his colleagues
False
Factors such as personality type probably have little impact on the working relationship between a support agent and his or her colleagues.
False
Freeware is software that can be downloaded without any cost, but users must pay a licensing fee prior to the use of the program.
False
Given a choice, most technical documents are written in past tense.
False
Help desk software is intended primarily for internal help desk use and do not usually include email or Internet access capabilities.
False
Help desk software packages often include a report generator to prepare custom reports, but they do not include anything as powerful as a programming language.
False
Help desk software tools are available for support agents and managers, but few tools are available to help users access a help desk.
False
Help desks that solve problems for end users rarely get complaints about the features of computer products. (True/False)
False
In a help desk that uses a multi-level support model, the highest level of support is the most knowledgeable and experienced, so it usually handles most of the incidents.
False
In a search for useful computer products, support specialists generally do not consider products used by an organization's competitors because competitive differences between organizations are large.
False
In general, sans serif typefaces are easier to read than typefaces that contain serifs.
False
In order to avoid bias, product evaluation decisions are usually made by the user support staff working independently of other employees.
False
In order to educate users, a support agent should use technical terms and explanations in communications with users.
False
In problem solving, a contradiction occurs when the current problem is unlike any problem a troubleshooter has experienced before.
False
In technical writing, writers should vary the words they use to refer to an object or concept in order to maintain the reader's interest level.
False
Most hardware troubleshooters don't use Internet search engines to locate potential problem solutions because they rarely know the exact model number of hardware devices with problems.
False
Most technical documents should contain a mixture of compound and run-on sentences.
False
Narrative passages are preferable to bulleted or numbered lists when a sequence of facts or steps need to be communicated.
False
One benefit of help desk certification is an automatic increase to step 2 in starting pay for an entry-level agent.
False
One goal of an effective computer training class is to eliminate the need for documentation.
False
One goal of an effective computer training class is to eliminate the need for documentation. (True/False)
False
One goal of incident management is to give users information about how they should organize their files, improve their personal work habits, and make more effective use of their technology.
False
One of the categories the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) addresses is best practices in hardware diagnosis and repairs
False
One of the categories the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) addresses is best practices in hardware diagnosis and repairs.
False
Organizations that have specialized software needs generally select products from among the mass market, bestselling products.
False
PCs that are advertised in newspapers are usually complete end-user systems. (True/False)
False
Personal characteristics of a troubleshooter are simply part of a support specialist's basic personality and cannot be modified with experience, feedback, or coaching.
False
Plug and Play hardware automatically adjusts software settings to take maximum advantage of the hardware's capabilities.
False
Poorly designed office chairs are a principal cause of eyestrain
False
Prescreening is an incident management step where incidents that a help desk cannot handle are rejected.
False
Project management software should be used by needs analysts for even very small projects such as the selection of a home computer
False
Project manager is a career path option that is usually not available to user support workers.
False
Scripts designed to guide a support agent through an incident should ideally be memorized to be effective.
False
Self-guided tutorials permit trainees to work at their own pace and are cost-effective, and help is available any time it is needed.
False
Since computer products change constantly, user support staff are not expected to evaluate new products for end users. (True/False)
False
Since email messages are addressed primarily to other workers in a company, support specialists need not be overly concerned about their writing style in an email message.
False
Software that attempts to discover a user's online password by making repeated, obvious guesses or by repeated brute force attempts is called a rootkit.
False
Subjective criteria should not be used when selecting among competing computer products.
False
Subjective evaluation criteria are those in which a neutral evaluator should be able to reach the same conclusion as another evaluator.
False
Support agents develop their own incident management strategy from scratch.
False
Support staff should always provide the information or services a customer needs, no matter what the request.
False
Teams of support agents are generally less effective at working on a complex problem because each team member has a different approach, and they frequently cannot agree on how to tackle a problem.
False
Teams of support agents are generally less effective in working on a complex problem because each team member has a different approach and they frequently cannot agree on how to tackle a problem.
False
Technical support costs are generally included in the purchase price of a computer product, and are therefore free to users. (True/False)
False
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a document of operational rules help desk organizations must follow to retain their industry certification.
False
The Intranet is the new name for Web 2.0 technology
False
The Intranet is the new name for Web 2.0 technology.
False
The ability to design an effective local area network is a critical job skill for user support staff members. (True/False)
False
The academic version of LBE Helpdesk featured in the text book is a subset of the features of the full commercial version.
False
The dollar amounts in support budgets vary little from one help desk operation to another; these amounts are based on industry standards.
False
The first computers used widely in businesses were available during the 1940s. (True/False)
False
The font size of a body of text should be at least 20 points in order to be readable.
False
The footprints of a computer case are rubber protectors mounted to the bottom of a case that will rest on the floor.
False
The goal of computer product standards is to define a clear, one-product-fits-all-needs approach to product selection.
False
The more time a technical writer spends on the first draft of a document, the less need there is for an outside review of it.
False
The percentage of incidents that cannot be resolved during the incident management process is essentially zero.
False
The purpose of an engineering inspection is to prevent damage than can occur due to a disaster.
False
The purpose of computer product standards is to make the widest possible array of products available to workers in an organization. (True/False)
False
The recommended height of a laptop keyboard is not the same as the recommended height of a desktop keyboard because laptops are often used outside an office environment
False
The software uninstaller utility described in the chapter is often unnecessary because operating systems include a built-in function to uninstall application software.
False
The text book recommends against using repetition in technical writing because it lengthens a document and readers can always re-read information they want to repeat.
False
The textbook recommends against using repetition in technical writing because it lengthens a document, and readers can always re-read information they want to repeat.
False
The total cost of ownership of a personal computer is primarily the cost of the hardware part of the system. (True/False)
False
The weighted point evaluation method can be used to compare two products, but is too complicated and confusing to use when more than two products are being considered.
False
To avoid mistakes and misinformation, scripts designed to guide a support agent through an incident should be read verbatim to the user.
False
To operate a graphical user interface, a user types keyboard commands to tell a computer which tasks to perform. (True/False)
False
To restate a problem description using the user's exact words is called paraphrasing.
False
Troubleshooting computer problems is a fixed sequence of steps a support specialist follows from the initial problem description to the resolved problem.
False
True or False? A payroll clerk should make the final decision about whether or not a new payroll software package is needed.
False
True or False? A support specialist who installs an application software package must edit the system Registry and configuration files manually before the software will operate correctly.
False
True or False? Experienced trainers agree that most trainees learn best by watching a demonstration.
False
True or False? Help desk industry certification is now essentially a requirement for any user support position.
False
True or False? In order to avoid bias and favoritism, product evaluation and selection decisions are usually made by user support staff working independently of other workers.
False
True or False? Most hardware problems are the result of component failures due to incorrect voltages in a computer system.
False
True or False? Troubleshooting computer problems is a fixed sequence of steps a support agent follows from the initial problem description to the resolved problem.
False
User support staff recommend computer products to end users based primarily on each user's personal product preferences.
False
User support staff recommend computer products to end users based primarily on the user's personal product preferences. (True/False)
False
User support staff recommend technology products to end users based primarily on the user's personal product preferences.
False
Verification is a troubleshooting procedure that tries to repeat the same problem on another PC.
False
Web site development software package enables users to create, maintain, and update a list of participants in a chat room. (True/False)
False
When a new operating system is marketed by an organization like Microsoft, most organizations adopt it immediately as a new standard in order to take advantage of its productivity features for their employees.
False
When an organization adopts new support standards, support for existing products should be terminated in order to reduce the cost to support both old and new products.
False
When setting computer product standards, hardware standards are generally set first, followed by software product standards.
False
When sitting at a keyboard, the keyboard should be 2 to 3 inches higher than the user's elbows.
False
A utility that inputs a file in one format and outputs the same information in a file with a different format is called a(n) ____________________ utility.
Format converter
Social Media
Forms of online communication that provide interactions with people around the world who share similar interests and problems; examples include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogs.
Hypothesis Testing
Formulating a hypothesis about the cause of a problem and designing an experiment that will prove or disprove the hypothesis.
Which of these application software installation options often requires the most disk space on a user's hard drive?
Full
A project planning tool that shows basic information about each project task as horizontal bars on a timeline graph is called a ____.
Gantt chart
A troubleshooting activity where there is a current state of events X, a future desired state of events Y, and the troubleshooter's objective is to move from X to Y is called____.
Goal State
True
Goal-directed diagnostic questions are designed to move a support incident to a successful resolution.
The most effective fire extinguisher for computer equipment is ____.
Halon gas or a substitute
During the 1980s, the number of competing operating systems and software packages had which effects on employee cross-training and productivity?
Hard to cross-train employees; productivity was decreased
Which of these is not a primary use of the software utilities described in this chapter?
Improve user productivity.
the highest overall score
In the weighted point evaluation method, the product that is usually selected is the one with ____. the lowest overall score the highest overall score the score closest to the benchmark the score with the lowest cost
the average score of all evaluators
In the weighted point product evaluation method, if more than one support person evaluates competing products, the score a product receives is usually ____. the lowest score the product received from any evaluator the highest score the product received from any evaluator the average score of all evaluators not calculated when there is disagreement between evaluators
During the ____ step in the incident management process an incident is categorized as a request for information, a question, a problem, a complaint, or a work order.
Incident screening
Which of these is not one of the trends that led to growth in end users during the 1980s and 1990s?
Increase in the cost of large-scale computer systems
When a support staff selects general office productivity software such as word processors or spreadsheets, they often use which decision strategy?
Industry standard products
False
Inexperienced support agents tend to speak too slowly when they experience stress during a conversation with a user.
Due to increased use of the Internet, which of these are likely to increase in the future as a percentage of the total cost of a computer system?
Information costs
Which of these is not a common physical access control used in computer facilities?
Internet firewall
The intended audience of a document is generally described in the ____.
Introduction
The content criterion of good technical documentation is primarily concerned with which of these questions?
Is the information accurate?
Which type of cleaner is generally not recommended for use on laptop display screens?
Isopropyl alcohol
Troubleshooting computer problems can best be described as a(n) ____.
Iterative, repetitious procedure
_____ is often the result of the personal characteristics of a worker not matching the requirement of a position.
Job stress
Another name for the weighted point evaluation method is the ____ method.
Kepner-Tregoe
_____ is a training approach that matched the needs of each individual trainee with an information-acquisition strategy in order to achieve the most effective training results.
Learning styles
When choosing alignment for a paragraph of text, the easiest to read is ____ text.
Left aligned
An automated email service that distributes all (or selected) email messages to its members is called a ____.
ListServ
An automated service that consolidates and distributes information from newsgroups, blogs, forums and news websites is called ____.
ListServ
Which of these learning methods generally results in the lowest retention and poorest trainee performance?
Listen
Rebooting a system in an attempt to fix a problem is an example of which of these problem-solving strategies?
Look for a simple, obvious fix
Rebooting a system in an attempt to fix a problem is an example of which problem -solving strategy?
Look for an obvious solution
Rebooting a system in an attempt to fix a problem is an example of the ____ problem-solving strategy.
Look for an obvious solution.
Which of these proficiencies (KSAs) would a user support manager usually not specify in a position description for a user support position?
Marketing ability
A Web site that contains large numbers of misspelled words and grammatical errors fails which of these general criteria?
Mechanics
Which of these is not a primary strategy for a support organization that aims for customer service excellence?
Meet all of a client's demands
In creative thinking, a hypothesis is usually based on a ____.
Mental Model
Reinstalling a software package to fix a problem with an inoperative program is an example of the ____ troubleshooting strategy.
Module Replacement
During which stage in the management of a special project does the project manager communicate with stakeholders about how changes in project specifications may impact the project timeline?
Monitoring
False
Most users who are angry or frustrated are personally upset with the support agent.
_____ materials combine text, images, animation, and sound in training delivery system.
Multimedia
A site management notebook is especially useful in which of these situations?
Multiple systems installed in an office or training facility
When a sequence of facts or steps is described, technical writers try to avoid which of these?
Narrative Passage
The ____ position is unlikely to exist in a help desk that is organized in a multi-level support model.
Needs Assessment Analyst
Which of these is not a recommended incident management strategy for support agents?
Never admit that you are not sure
The sentence "Development of software is not a frequent user support function." is an example of ____.
Nominalization
One of the first vendor-specific certification programs was offered by ____.
Novell
False
One goal of incident management is to give users information about how they should organize their files, improve their personal work habits, and make more effective use of their computers.
False
One goal of user self-reliance is to make users change the way they use computers.
True
One method support agents use to communicate effectively with a user on the telephone is to visualize the use and communicate with the visual image.
Which kind of training format tends to be the highest cost method?
One-to-one training
Which of these forms of documentation often contains hyperlinks to related topics?
Online Help Systems
____ feasibility considers analysis of the other systems or procedures a new system must interact with.
Operational
A(n) __________________________ is an input component on a Web form that permits a user to agree to receive specified services and provisions
Opt-in check box
The sentence "I know I saw the information I need in this document, but now I can't find it." violates which of these four general writing criteria?
Organization
The concept that similar items should be handled consistently throughout a document is called ____.
Parallel structure
Software that attempts to discover a user's online password by making repeated, obvious guesses or by repeated brute force attempts is called a(n) ____________________.
Password guesser
____ is not a category of management issues covered by the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library).
Personnel management
During which stage in the management of a special project can the project manager make statements such as, "If the staff and budget resources specified are available, the project's estimated completion date is the first of next month."
Planning
- Most hardware components today use which of these strategies to maximize compatibility with computer systems?
Plug and Play standards
Most hardware components today use which of these strategies to maximize compatibility with computer systems?
Plug and Play standards
- Support staff can reduce the likelihood of hardware configuration problems today by purchasing ____.
Plug and Play-compatible hardware
A cross-reference or link to where a reader can find additional information about a topic is called a(n) ____.
Pointer
Complete information on a particular end-user topic is usually organized together, in one document, organized in a ____ format.
Reference
Which of these utility tools would you least expect a support agent to find useful to diagnose a problem with an inoperable system?
Registry cleaner
(n) ____________________ is invisible malware that activates during a system's start-up process and permits viruses and spyware to be installed on a PC without the user's knowledge or consent
Rootkit
False
Scripts designed to guide a support agent through an incident should ideally be memorized to be effective.
Which of these was not a primary characteristic of computer use in the 1950s and 1960s?
Served as an Internet host computer
A(n) _________________________ is any interruption of service in a network environment that degrades or disrupts normal services to users.
Service fault
A repetitive operation performed to evaluate the ability of a PC to operate at peak efficiency for a defined time period under a maximum processing load is called a(n) ____________________.
Stress test
_____ are selection criteria that are neither measurable nor repeatable in an evaluation of competing computer products.
Subjective criteria
A writer who performs each procedure or technical step in a document and tests each step with the hardware and software is doing a(n) ____ check.
Technical Accuracy
Which of these help desk positions is often staffed by an employee with programming or product development experience
Technical Support
A help desk manager would probably emphasize which of these skills in a job search for an advanced technical support staff member?
Technical knowledge and skills
____ feasibility considers project risks due to reliance on a new, untested software package
Technological
A reading level that is appropriate for most technical documentation is ____.
Tenth Level
During which stage in the management of a special project does a project manager write a final project report?
Termination
Decision Making
The ability to select one alternative from among a number of alternatives, based on some evaluation criteria; an important skill for troubleshooters.
Metacognition
The ability to think about thinking; the ability of a troubleshooter to step back from a problem-solving situation and analyze his or her thought processes.
Which of these statements is true of Honolulu Community College's computer support policies described in the chapter?
The college offers a choice of PC and Macintosh computer platforms.
Creativity
The critical-thinking ability to find a novel or innovative solution to a problem; the ability to see a problem from new and different perspectives.
False
The likely result of increased user self-reliance will be to eliminate the need for user support agents as an occupation.
Troubleshooting
The process of defining, diagnosing, and solving computer problems; involves the use of several thinking and communications skills, information resources, strategies, and methods.
Replication
The process of trying to repeat a problem in a different situation or environment to reproduce a problem.
Root Cause Analysis
The process of trying to repeat a problem in a different situation or environment to reproduce a problem.
False
To avoid mistakes and misinformation, scripts designed to guide a support agent through an incident should be read verbatim to the user.
- "Vaporware is a technology product that is announced in the media, but that does "not yet exist or is not yet available for sale.
True
- Installation software utilities have automated many of the manual tasks required to install and correctly configure software packages.
True
A common organization for a technical document is: 1) Introduction, 2) Body, 3) Summary
True
A common organization for a technical document is: 1) Introduction, 2) Body, 3) Summary.
True
A common piece of information in a site management notebook is warranty and repair information.
True
A common problem with media backups of user data is failure to test file restoration procedures.
True
A common reason new or upgraded hardware or software do not operate correctly in a computer is that the configuration requirements don't match the existing system.
True
A common reason new or upgraded hardware or software does not operate correctly in a computer system is that the configuration requirements don't match the existing system.
True
A comprehensive client service orientation among support staff applies to every staff member, and to every mode of user communication.
True
A computer system can be viewed as a group of subsystems linked together to form a complete system.
True
A computer virus is a program that can destroy information in a computer or adversely affect the operation of a system.
True
A cost-benefit analysis is intended to increase the likelihood that a support analyst has considered the major advantages and disadvantages of each alternative in a needs assessment project.
True
A dangling modifier is a word or phrase in a sentence that adds little to the meaning other than to make the sentence longer.
True
A dashboard is a real-time display of statistical performance information and network service fault alerts in a visual, graphic format.
True
A disadvantage of classroom training is that all trainees do not learn at the same pace.
True
A disadvantage to organizing user support under the IT department is that IT staff often have priorities other than user support that they feel are more important.
True
A disadvantage to organizing user support under the IT department is that IT staff often have priorities other than user support that they feel are more important. (True/False)
True
A focus group is a small group of selected users who represent a larger group of users and participate in an interview when including every user is impractical
True
A graphics program is used to prepare pictures, charts, maps and diagrams to analyze trends, summarize data, and show relationships visually.
True
A graphics program is used to prepare pictures, charts, maps and diagrams to analyze trends, summarize data, and show relationships visually. (True/False)
True
A help desk incident that is a simple question may get identified early and not go through every step in the incident management process.
True
A help desk provides a single point of contact for computer users in need of support.
True
A help desk provides a single point of contact for computer users in need of support. (True/False)
True
A hierarchical organization of a document flows from top to bottom because information is organized from general to specific.
True
A niche or vertical market for computer products is one that is highly specialized, such as video rental stores or real estate offices.
True
A project goal is a specific, measurable end result that is the ultimate target or outcome of a project.
True
A remote access utility permits a support specialist to access, diagnose, and troubleshoot problems on a user's PC without being physically at the user's site.
True
A rootkit is software and file folders that are hidden from view and permit viruses, spyware, and malware to be installed on a PC without the knowledge or consent of a user.
True
A sentence is in active voice when its subject performs the action indicated by the verb.
True
A server farm is a collection of interconnected computers with large, networked storage devices that hosts cloud computing over the Internet.
True
A software evaluation copy is a limited, trial version that permits a user to try out a product's features and assess its ability to meet user needs.
True
A software utility advertised as a "free download" may provide limited use until the user pays a fee.
True
A support operation that is organized as a profit center has both an income and an expense budget.
True
A support portal is a single point of web access for support services
True
A support portal is a single point of web access for support services.
True
A task that an employee can get better at with additional training or experience is called a job skill.
True
A task that an employee can get better at with additional training or experience is called a job skill. (True/False)
True
A techie who works exclusively with hardware and software, rarely comes into contact with people, and talks in technical jargon will probably not enjoy a career in the user support field.
True
A technical document with a sequential organization follows a step-by-step approach.
True
A technical writer should stop editing a document when edit passes result in fewer and fewer significant changes in the document.
True
A technical writer should try to eliminate unclear referents in a document.
True
A troubleshooter who uses creative thinking is one who can see a problem from a new and different perspective.
True
A troubleshooting strategy that swaps a hardware or software component whose status is unknown with one that is known to be operational is called module replacement.
True
A troubleshooting tool that permits a support worker to access a user's PC without traveling to the user's physical location is called remote access.
True
A user support specialist who does not enjoy the problem-solving process will probably not enjoy user support as a career path.
True
A visual learner would probably prefer to read a manual rather than listen to a lecture on a training topic.
True
Active listening occurs when a support agent is as engaged in the communication process as the user with a problem.
True
Ads for $500 computers may mislead purchasers because hardware costs account for only about 20 percent of the total cost of a computer system over a period of years.
True
Ads for $500 computers may mislead purchasers because hardware costs account for only about 20% of the total cost of a computer system over a period of years. (True/False)
True
After a solution to a user problem has been found, an explanation is a communication where a support agent describes the solution so a user understands both the problem and the solution.
True
Among the reasons for the growth in decentralized computing was the availability of inexpensive personal computer hardware and productivity software. (True/False)
True
An advantage of assigning primary responsibility for user support to the IT department is that all computer activities are combined and users know who to contact about various computer problems. (True/False)
True
An analogy is a useful technical writing tool because it compares an unfamiliar concept to one that may be familiar to a reader.
True
An assistive device is a computer peripheral or software that adapts a system so users with various physical limitations can be more productive.
True
An automated call distributor (ACD) is a combination of computer and telephone technology that can answer and greet callers, provide menus and route calls to specific agents or queues.
True
An example of a metacognitive question a troubleshooter might ask is, "What assumptions did I make in working on this problem that led me in the wrong direction?"
True
An extraneous variable is one that could bias the results of a benchmark test and should be eliminated if possible.
True
An interactive Web-based messaging service that allows two or more online users to communicate is called a chat session. (True/False)
True
An organization that does not have a list of standard computer products often finds that the costs of computer technology are higher than they need to be.
True
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is an electrical device that includes power conditioning circuits as well as a battery backup for use when power is interrupted.
True
An upgrade is a new version of an existing program that is sold at a reduced price to owners of a previous version of the program.
True
As the result of an analysis project, a project deliverable may be a recommendation to buy or build a new system, or to change or upgrade the existing system
True
Authentication is an incident management step to determine whether it is appropriate for a help desk to handle a user's incident
True
Automated project management tools, while useful, cannot substitute for careful project planning, good estimates, and analysis of project risks.
True
Before an analyst recommends replacing an existing system, he or she should investigate successful systems in operation in other, similar organizations.
True
Belarc Advisor is an example of a utility that audits and reports on system information
True
Brainstorming is a method used to generate a list of possible topics that may or may not be included in the final document.
True
Build-versus-buy decisions may apply to all components of a computer system, but apply primarily to software acquisition decisions.
True
Help desk software that includes asset management can help a support staff control an organization's equipment inventory.
True
In general, organizations that operate in the same industry are likely to have similar requirements for computer technology and often select the same computer products.
True
In some cases, hardware components that work when installed individually in a PC do not operate correctly when installed together in the same system.
True
In some incident management workflows, the assignment of an incident simply moves it from one queue into another queue.
True
In the 1980s, organizations often found that the larger the number of different types of computers it owned, the larger the inventory of spare repair parts were required
True
In the 1980s, organizations often found that the larger the number of different types of computers it owned, the larger the inventory of spare repair parts were required.
True
In the checklist of document evaluation criteria, format refers to whether a document's layout helps guide the reader and whether format elements are used consistently.
True
Industry-standard certification exams are vendor-neutral.
True
Installation software utilities have automated many of the manual tasks required to install and correctly configure software packages.
True
Jargon words are those that are understood primarily by readers experienced in a field.
True
Job stress results from physical and emotional responses to a mismatch between an agent's personal characteristics and their job requirements
True
Justified text that is aligned on both the right and left margins can make a document more difficult to read.
True
Knowledge bases in help desk software are sometimes called smart databases.
True
LBE Helpdesk software includes a knowledge base that can be searched for problem resolutions.
True
Many offices today that were designed for paper-and-pencil activities are over-lit for computer use
True
Most problems support specialists encounter are ones they have seen before or can quickly locate the solution to in a database of problem solutions.
True
Most user support groups do not provide software programming as a service to their users; although, they may be able to assist with some aspects of application development projects.
True
Objective evaluation criteria are those where a neutral evaluator should be able to reach the same or a similar conclusion as another evaluator.
True
Occasionally support agents encounter problems they have never seen before.
True
Of the three essential communication skills, listening comes before understanding and responding.
True
One aspect of the target audience a technical writer needs to determine is its reading level.
True
One factor that can be evaluated using the weighted point evaluation method is availability of product support.
True
One factor that often determines product and support standards is an organization's computer culture.
True
One goal of incident management is to help users be more self-reliant.
True
One purpose of user support staff training is to help agents meet the performance objectives of their position.
True
One type of critical thinking is the use of cognitive skills to build a mental model to understand or explain an event or a situation.
True
One way to classify end users is whether they use a computer occasionally, frequently or extensively in their work. (True/False)
True
Organizations that can use off-the-shelf, industry standard computer software may reduce their support costs because support services and related products are widely available for bestselling software.
True
Performance measures for a help desk operation may be reported as statistics, but are often reported as a visual graphic, such as a histogram.
True
Problem solving is a process of moving from the problem state to the goal state (an operable system).
True
Problem solving is the process of moving from the problem state to the goal state (an operable system).
True
Product support standards are useful because it is impossible for an organization to support every possible hardware and software configuration.
True
Product support standards are useful because it is impossible for an organization to support every possible hardware and software configuration. (True/False)
True
Reading materials selected for a training session should match the reading level of the trainees.
True
Rebooting a PC to troubleshoot a problem falls in the category of looking for a simple, obvious solution.
True
Replication is a troubleshooting procedure that tries to repeat the same problem on another PC.
True
Root cause analysis is a troubleshooting strategy that attempts to go beyond a problem's obvious symptoms to determine why a problem occurs.
True
Setting product standards reduces the cost to support computer products.
True
Setting product standards reduces the cost to support computer products. (True/False)
True
Small companies often meet their need for computer support by combining user support with another position.
True
Some help desk operations use a script to guide an agent through the steps in the incident management process.
True
Some troubleshooters find that just describing a problem situation to a work colleague may result in new insights into the problem.
True
Specialty typefaces add interest to a document, but they can be more difficult to read and should not be overused.
True
Support managers often use recordings of monitored support calls to help workers identify areas where performance improvement is needed.
True
Support staff in a help desk may perform a product marketing and sales function. (True/False)
True
Support staff should return a telephone call when promised, even if no progress has been made on a problem.
True
System installation usually takes less time for a user support specialist than for an end user.
True
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) describes procedures to manage incidents, problems, changes, releases and configurations
True
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a collection of best practices in the user support industry based on experiences of successful help desk operations.
True
The Information Technology department is a modern name for the Data Processing department. (True/False)
True
The goal of incident logging in the incident management process is to begin to document the incident and the problem
True
The goal of incident logging in the incident management process is to begin to document the incident and the problem.
True
The goal of technical writing is to communicate effectively and efficiently information that users need.
True
The goal of transaction processing on early computers was to replace as much manual processing of business information as possible with automated processing. (True/False)
True
The larger an organization, the more likely it is to need specialized or customized software products to meet its special requirements.
True
The larger the number of incompatible software packages an organization owns, the greater the cost to train and retrain employees.
True
The purpose of incident tracking is to document the complete history of activities that occurred while handling an incident.
True
The purpose of technical documents is to move readers from what they already know to what they need to know.
True
Total cost of ownership of a computer system includes all of the costs to purchase, upgrade, and support a computer system over its expected useful lifetime.
True
Total cost of ownership of a computer system includes all of the costs to purchase, upgrade, and support a computer system over its expected useful lifetime. (True/False)
True
True or False? A benchmark test of competing products is designed to use objective evaluation criteria instead of an evaluator's personal opinions.
True
True or False? Communication skills are often more difficult for a new help desk agent to learn than technical skills or business skills.
True
True or False? Effectively written user documents should result in a lower volume of user support calls and emails.
True
True or False? Of the three essential communication skills, listening (or reading) comes before understanding and responding.
True
True or False? One of the goals of incident management is to help users be more self-reliant.
True
True or False? To calculate the air conditioning requirements for computer equipment, an HVAC specialist considers that heat generated by both the computer equipment and its users.
True
True or False? When making a decision about a new computer system or service, an organization must consider what is feasible in terms of time, staffing, money, and technology.
True
True
True/False? A benchmark test of competing products is designed to use objective evaluation criteria instead of an evaluator's personal opinions.
True
True/False? A niche or vertical market for technology products is one that is highly specialized, such as video rental stores or real estate offices.
True
True/False? An organization that does not have a list of standard technology products often finds that the costs of technology are higher than they need to be.
False
True/False? An organization's acceptable use guidelines are the result of federal legislation to regulate the flow of information on the Internet.
False
True/False? As a general rule, dominance in the software industry does not change over time; the best-selling products in the early 1980s are still the best selling products today.
False
True/False? Best-selling technology products usually meet or exceed every user's specialized requirements.
False
True/False? By the early 1980s, hardware and software on PCs were standardized in most organizations.
False
True/False? Cost is usually not a factor in the weighted point evaluation method of technology product comparison.
False
True/False? During the 1980s, many organizations that purchased technology products viewed incompatibilities among vendor products as a sign of a healthy, competitive business climate.
False
True/False? During the 1980s, support costs were kept to a minimum because support staff could easily answer questions about competing hardware and software products.
False
True/False? During the 1980s, support costs were kept to a minimum in many organizations by offering training courses that covered several different hardware and software platforms in the same class.
True
True/False? During the 1980s, the lack of standard operating systems and standard productivity software meant that workers had difficulty filling in for each other during illness and vacations.
False
True/False? End-user evaluation of new technology products is cost-effective because there are so many new products each year that the user support staff cannot possibly evaluate all of them.
False
True/False? In a search for useful technology products, support specialists generally do not consider products used by an organization's competitors because competitive differences between organizations are large.
True
True/False? In addition to specific benchmark tests that a product evaluator uses to select among competing products, industry-standard, vendor-neutral benchmark tests are also available for evaluators to use.
False
True/False? In order to avoid bias, product evaluation decisions are usually made by the user support staff working independently of other employees.
True
True/False? Organizations that can use off-the-shelf, industry-standard software may reduce their support costs because support services and related products are widely available for best-selling software.
False
True/False? Organizations that have specialized software needs generally select products from among the mass market, best-selling products.
True
True/False? Public organizations are often required to select technology products from vendors who submit the most cost-effective bid or competitive response to an RFP.
False
True/False? When an organization adopts new support standards, support for existing products should be terminated in order to reduce the cost to support both old and new products.
False
True/False? When setting technology product standards, hardware standards are generally set first, followed by software product standards.
False
True/False? While software vendors generally provide evaluation or demonstration copies of their products, hardware vendors never provide evaluation products because of the expense of hardware.
A document that is organized as a step-by-step introduction to the features of a computer program is called a ____ manual.
Tutorial
Which of these types of documents is often used to describe the steps to install a software package?
User Guide or manual
Which of these types of documents is often used to describe the steps to install a software package?
User guide or manual
A computer user who enters an incorrect formula in a spreadsheet that results in a serious error is a victim of which common computer problem?
User mistake
One of the most effective ways to enable users to be more self-reliant is through a ____.
User training program
"I want to confirm that, with the changes we made to your software, you can now enlarge the font in your document." is an example of ____.
Verification
The sentence I want to confirm that, with the changes we made to your software, you can now enlarge the font in your document. is an example of ____.
Verification
Which of the following is not a common type of certification used in the information technology field?
Verification of prior employment during a job interview
Which of the following does not normally occur during the first step in the incident management process
Verify that the caller is authorized to call.
Which of these technology trends may permit a support agent to answer questions about multiple operating systems from a single PC?
Virtualization
(n) ____________________ is software that can attach itself to other software or to disk media and cause harm to the programs and data stored in a computer.
Virus
Any weakness in a PC that is connected to the Internet or other network that permits an outside attacker to violate the integrity of the system is called a(n) ____________________.
Vulnerability
A support agent should make liberal use of the word:
We
A software program that enables users to find and display information stored as HTML pages on the Internet is a(n) ____.
Web browser
Which of these product evaluation methods uses several criteria of predefined importance to arrive at a numerical score for each competing product?
Weighted point method
Metacognition involves a troubleshooter asking all of these questions except ____.
What recent change in configuration caused the user to experience a problem?
Metacognition involves a troubleshooter asking all these questions except ____.
What recent change in configuration caused the user to experience a problem?
Industry standard products
When a support staff selects general office productivity software such as word processors or spreadsheets, they often use which decision strategy? Weighted point evaluations Industry standard products Request for proposals Benchmarks
small organizations
Which of the following are more likely to use subjective selection criteria to choose among competing technology products? Large organizations Government agencies Small organizations None of these
List three strategies for dealing with users who forget important information.
Written reminder note, save password in operating system, reference sheet, script, checklist
A software utility tool of primary use to a support specialist who assembles or installs hardware systems is ____.
a burn-in utility
"Tell me about your educational background." is an example of:
a non directed question
A revision to a software package that contains a collection of patches to fix documented problems with a program is called:
a service pack
- A user who presses the wrong sequence of keys in a software program is a victim of ____.
a user mistake
A(n) ____ is an attempt to relate something a reader may be familiar with to something they need to know about.
analogy
A support agent should aim to use language that is ____ the language level that the user uses.
at the same level as
Most hardware problems occur:
at the time a component is purchased and installed
A telephone system that can answer calls, greet callers, provide menus, and route calls is a(n) ____.
automated call distributor
A(n) _____ is a telephone system that can answer calls, greet callers, provide menus, and route calls.
automatic call distributor (ACD)
- A software package feature that periodically checks the vendor's Web site for software updates is called ____.
automatic update
A software package feature that periodically checks the vendor's Web site for software updates is called ____.
automatic update
When covered in a training session, hardware or software features that are unusual and rarely used are sometimes called ____.
bells and whistles
A(n) _____ is an objective test or measurement used to evaluate the speed, capacity, capabilities, or productivity of competing computer products.
benchmark
Which of the following training environments is generally the most cost-effective because the ratio of trainees to trainers is highest?
classes
A mental model to help a computer troubleshooter understand and explain a problem situation is based on:
critical thinking
A troubleshooter's ability to design and test hypotheses in order to solve a computer problem is based on ____.
critical thinking
A troubleshooter's ability to design and test hypotheses in order to solve a technology problem is based on ____.
critical thinking
The cognitive skills a troubleshooter uses to understand and explain an event or a situation are called ____.
critical thinking
The display screen connected to a computer system should be located so a user looks:
down slightly
To avoid jargon, a technical writer might substitute a word(s) such as ______ for head crash in the following sentence: Users frequently lose their data when there is a head crash on the file server.
driver error, disk error
- Most software problems that impact end users occur ____.
during the installation and configuration of the software
Stakeholders in a needs assessment project are most likely:
end users, managers, support analysts
Designing computer systems and laying out workspaces to minimize health problems and maximize worker safety, productivity, and comfort is called ____.
ergonomics
_____ deals with how to design computer equipment and workspaces to minimize health problems and maximize worker safety, productivity, and job satisfaction.
ergonomics
An incident management step in which a problem is transferred to a support staff member who has greater experience or resources to handle difficult questions is:
escalation
When planning a training session, the purpose of a pretest of trainees is to ____.
establish a baseline of the skill levels that trainees bring to the table
Work colleagues are rarely a good source of troubleshooting information because they usually have similar experiences and access to the same information resources as other troubleshooters
false
A common strategy for assigning a priority to help desk calls is:
first in, first out (FIFO)
A(n) _____ is a schematic diagram that uses symbols to represent the parts of a computer system.
flowchart
A support worker who uses a telephone extensively is likely to need to know how to put calls on hold and ______.
greet a caller, transfer a call, terminate a call
A user's first impression of a support agent usually comes from the:
greeting
Which of the following hardware devices is most likely to fail during the operation of a computer system?
hard drive
Peripheral devices are part of a computer system's ____.
hardware
One way to organize user support services that provides a single point of contact for an organization's workers or customers uses a(n) ____.
help desk
Which of the following aspects of help desk operation would you least expect to be covered in a help desk mission statement?
help desk fees for services
A chemical used by support specialists to clean many computer components is ____.
isopropyl alcohol
Smudges on a laptop display screen can be cleaned periodically with ____.
isopropyl alcohol
An increasing number of help desk incidents are handled:
on support web site
Which of the following forms of documentation often contain hyperlinks to related topics?
online help systems
CBT and WBT for those preparing for certification exams are ____ courses.
online tutorial
- "If a computer, over a period of time, takes longer and longer to perform a task ""such as a File Save operation, it likely has a ____.
performance problem
- A computer system that operates but does not work as efficiently as it should has a ____.
performance problem
A(n) ______ is a choice each support agent makes about how professional or casual, respectful or condescending, formal or informal, or terse or verbose they will be in their interactions with users.
personal communication style
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) measures ____.
personality and work style preferences
Making an illegal copy of a software program is called ____.
piracy
Written instructions that describe how to perform a business transaction or handle an organizational procedure are called ____.
procedure documentation
A(n) _____ is a formal organization that represents the interests of a group of help desk professionals.
professional association
A short narrative statement that describes the objectives, scope, methods, participants, deliverables, and timeline for a needs assessment project is a ____.
project charter
A software tool that helps a needs assessment analyst organize the tasks in a project, set priorities, monitor project costs, and schedule activities is ____.
project management software
Which of the following is not a primary step in the needs analysis and assessment process?
purchase
A(n) _____ is a waiting line into which incoming calls are placed when they cannot be answered immediately.
queue
- A user who bypasses the documentation to get a new hardware or software package operational as rapidly as possible is a victim of ____.
quick start behavior
RFP stands for ____.
request for proposal
Whether to use the form Plug-n-Play or Plug-and-Play in a document would likely be specified in a ____.
style sheet
The process of unpacking, setting up, and configuring a new computer system for a user is ____.
system installation assistance
Which of these help desk positions is often staffed by an employee with programming or product development experience?
technical support
In a user needs assessment project, the fact that an organization is uncomfortable with risks due to reliance on a new, untested software package would be considered as part of:
technological feasibility
The process of updating the information about an incident as it is processed and as information is added to the incident record is called incident ____.
tracking
Which of these assessment tools is aimed primarily at evaluating a trainer's effectiveness?
training evaluation surveys
Eye contact and facial expression are examples of nonverbal behavior.
true
In technical writing, use the same word to refer to an object or a concept throughout a document instead of using a variety of different words that are synonyms.
true
- A user who expects a software product to be able to perform a task for which it was not intended is a victim of a ____.
user misunderstanding
Which of these is not an objective evaluation method for selecting a computer products?
user preferenes
An organization that provides a wide range of support services to users is called a ____.
user support center
Dust buildup inside a computer case can be managed effectively by ____.
vacuuming the inside of the case
Simplifying a problem situation by removing components from a configuration is a strategy to eliminate or reduce the number of _____ in a problem.
variables
The Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+ exam is an example of a ____.
vendor-neutral exam
A communication skill that confirms a troubleshooter's perception that a problem is fixed is:
verification
The average time it takes a help desk to respond to incidents is ____.
wait time
When an HVAC technician considers the air conditioning requirements for a computer facility, the technician calculates the ____.
wattage
- Major coding mistakes made by programmers when they write software are called ____.
bugs
A(n) _____ considers whether to purchase a system off-the-shelf or construct one from scratch.
build-versus-buy decision
When investigating alternatives in a user needs assessment project, a decision to reconfigure existing software is an example of a(n) ____.
change to an existing system
The ____ technology trend may change the way users access software and data.
cloud computing
A(n) _____ is a set of behavior guidelines that professional organization expects its members to follow.
code of ethical conduct
In the early 1980s, significant differences between competing computer products were thought by vendors to have ____.
competitive strengths
The information on a Web site should be expected to have all of the following characteristics except:
complete
A hardware component that has its jumper pins set incorrectly is an example of a hardware ____.
configuration problem
A mismatch between the type of printer connected to a system and the software printer driver installed is an example of a ____.
configuration problem
A mistmatch between the type of printer connected to a system and the installed software printer driver is an example of a:
configuration problem
A(n) _______ is a situation in which two software packages use system resources in different and incompatible ways.
conflict
Dissatisfied clients are more likely than satisfied clients to ____.
contact the help desk repeatedly for assistance
A mental model to help a computer troubleshooter understand and explain a problem situation is based on ____.
critical thinking
A(n) _____ is the end result of an analysis project that recommends purchase, modification, upgrade, or construction of a system.
deliverable
A(n) _____ tried to answer the question: "What steps will an organization take in the event an emergency occurs?"
disaster recovery, contingency plan
An incident management step, in which an incident is transferred to a support staff member who has greater experience or resources to handle difficult questions, is incident ____.
escalation
The incident management step in which an incident is transferred to a support staff member who has greater experience or resources to handle difficult questions is incident ____.
escalation
A(n) _____ is a factor that an evaluator tries to eliminate from a side-by-side test of competing products because it could bias the test results.
extraneous variable
- "A computer system that operates at some level, but not as efficiently as it should, is called vaporware."
false
- "A workaround is designed to correct a problem in which a computer works, though ""poorly, and not as efficiently as it should."
false
- A new release of a software package generally contains more new features than a new version.
false
- The Windows Registry can be edited with most word processors that can work with text files.
false
- The difference between end users and computer professionals is that the latter rarely make mistakes while using a computer.
false
A hypothesis is a sequence of trial-and-error guesses a troubleshooter makes to try to find a problem solution.
false
A new release of a software package generally contains more new features than a new version.
false
A service level agreement is a contract between a help desk agent and his or her manager that specifies the percentage of incidents the agent will handle correctly during each work shift.
false
A support agent who handles complaints or incidents from angry, upset users should try to move the incident into the problem-solving stage as rapidly as possible.
false
Because a goal of technical writing is to keep documents concise, pointers to additional materials and information should be omitted because they add to the length of a document.
false
Effective communication skills are more important in telephone conversations than in face-to-face, email, or other forms of communication with users.
false
Every help desk incident, no matter what kind, goes through the 12 steps of the incident management process described in the book, even if some of the steps don't always apply.
false
Help desk software is intended primarily for internal help desk use and does not usually include email or Internet access capabilities.
false
One goal of incident management is to give users information about how they should organize their files, improve their personal work habits, and make more effective use of their computers.
false
One goal of user self-reliance is to make users change the way they use computers.
false
Personal characteristics of a troubleshooter are simply part of a support specialist's basic personality and cannot be modified with experience, feedback, or coaching.
false
Plug and Play compatible hardware guarantees that users will not experience installation problems with new or upgraded hardware.
false
Restating a problem description using the user's exact words is called paraphrasing.
false
Support specialists should practice using the troubleshooting tools in this chapter until they can use all the tools equally well.
false
Teams of support agents are generally less effective at working on a complex problem because each team member has a different approach, and they frequently cannot agree on how to tackle a problem.
false
The academic version of HelpSTAR included in the textbook is a subset of the features of the full commercial version.
false
The font size of a body of text should be at least 20 points in order to be readable.
false
The intranet is the new name for Web 2.0 technology
false
The medium used to transmit a piece of technical writing (print or online) makes little difference in the length or writing style of a document.
false
The purpose of client feedback features in a help desk software package is to terminate support agents with poor customer service skills.
false
To keep documents short, a technical writer should recommend to the reader a dictionary where he or she can find the definitions of any technical terms used.
false
When a particular combination of hardware, operating system, and application software do not operate together, a support specialist often recognizes that the problem is too complex to solve.
false
A light source that may flicker at the same rate as a CRT display screen is a(n):
fluorescent light
The length times the width of a computer case is called its _____.
footprint
The usual sequence of incident escalation during help desk incident management is ____.
from incident screener to product specialist
The usual sequence of incident escalation during help desk incident management is ____.
from incident screener to technical support
A user's first impression of a support agent comes from the ____.
incident greeting
_____ is a well-defined, formal procedure that help desk staff follow to solve user problems.
incident management (or call management)
During the ____ step in the incident management process, an incident is categorized as a request for information, a question, a problem, a complaint, or a work order
incident screening
- Computer hardware components that cannot operate together in the same system are called ____.
incompatible
Computer components that cannon operate together in the same system are said to be:
incompatible
In the next decade, the U.S. labor market demand for user support workers is expected to:
increase
In a cost-benefit analysis, a software package that permits an organization to offer its customers expanded services would be considered an opportunity to ____.
increase revenue
When support staff select office productivity software such as word processors or spreadsheet, they often use which decision strategy?
industry standard products
Troubleshooting computer problems can best be described as a(n) ____.
iterative, repetitious procedure
A primary purpose of help desk performance statistics is to:
justify the value and expense of help desk services
The primary purpose of help desk performance statistics is to ____.
justify the value and expense of support services
An organized collection of information, articles, procedures, tips, and problem solution is called a:
knowledge base
The ability to step back from a troubleshooting situation and analyze one's own thinking process is called ____.
metacognition
- A user who bypasses the documentation to get a new hardware or software package operational as rapidly as possible is a victim of ____.
misrepresentation of a vendor's product
A help desk structured into levels or tiers of support uses a ____ support model.
multi-level support model
The sentence "Development of software is not a frequent user support function." is an example of ____.
nominalization
A vendor-specific certification is ____.
none of these
The purpose of benchmarks and weighted point evaluation methods is to make the product selection process as ____ as possible.
objective
Employees who provide informal peer support to other users in an organization ____.
often have little or no training in user support
If a project task must be completed on time in order for the entire project to be completed on time, the task is ____.
on the project's critical path
A support Web site implementer uses four criteria to evaluate a client-friendly site: content, ______, ______, and mechanics.
organization, format
A communication skill commonly used in active listening is ____.
paraphrasing
- A replacement for one or a few modules in a software package that fixes one or more known bugs is called a(n) ____.
patch
- A software company that discovers a bug in an infrequently used feature of a software package is likely to fix the problem by issuing a(n) ____.
patch
Which one of the following is not a step in the training process described in this chapter?
perform
A(n) ______ is a process to evaluate a help desk or support worker according to established criteria.
performance appraisal
"If a computer, over a period of time, takes longer and longer to perform a task ""such as a File Save operation, it likely has a ____.
performance problem
A computer system that operates but does not work as efficiently as it should has a ____.
performance problem
Objective measures of the user support or help desk operation are called ____.
performance statistics
_____ is an industry standard that helps the Windows operating system automatically recognize the configuration and operating characteristics of many hardware devices.
plug and play
A(n) _____ is an electrical device that permits a user to power on a computer system with one switch.
power strip, surge protector, sure suppressor
A(n) _____ is a project activity or step that must be completed before another task can begin.
predecessor task
A follow-up question a troubleshooter asks to get additional information about a problem situation is called a(n) ____.
probe
A follow-up question a troubleshooter asks to get additional information about a problem situation is called a(n) ______.
probe
When there is a current state of events X and a future desired state of events Y, and the troubleshooter's objective is to move from X to Y, the troubleshooting activity is called ____.
problem solving
A(n) _____ is a database of hardware and software configuration information collected into one large file in a Windows system.
registry
Classifying end users as internal versus external is a classification by ____.
relationship
Most hardware devices that malfunction today are ____.
replaced
A purchasing procedure that invites vendors to submit product and price proposals for a system that meets a user's needs is called a ____.
request for proposal
A(n) _____ is a purchasing procedure that invites competing product vendors to submit product and price proposals for a system that meets specified needs.
request for proposal (RFP)
The incident management step in which a user's problem is satisfactorily dealt with is called incident ____.
resolution
_____ is an activity in which trainees participate in a rehearsal or practice of a simulated work environment situation.
role play, role playing
An operation that obliterates data in disk files and folders by repeatedly writing random bit patterns on disk media is called a(n) ____________________ operation
secure erase
A script to handle a support incident has ____.
several sequences of questions with multiple decision points or paths
Another name for an input form is a ____.
source document
A software package used to prepare budgets, reports, forecasts, and financial statements is a ____.
spreadsheet program
"Vaporware is a technology product that is announced in the media, but that does "not yet exist or is not yet available for sale.
true
- "If a user reinstalls a software package from the original distribution media, he" or she must also install any patches that had been previously installed to fix bugs.
true
- "Installation of software packages in the 1980s was primarily a manual process, in which a user typed commands to create directories and copy files.
true
- "Network problems are often combinations of hardware, software, and operating system problems.
true
- A burn-in test is the operation of a new computer continuously for 48 to 72 hours to identify obvious problems or temperature-sensitive components.
true
- A conflict occurs when a computer component uses system resources in a way that is incompatible with another component.
true
- A dual-boot option can permit a user to run two or more operating systems on a computer system.
true
- A patch is a replacement for one or a few modules of a software package intended to fix known bugs.
true
- A workaround is a procedure or method that accomplishes the same result as a feature that does not work due to a bug or other malfunction.
true
- An upgrade is a new version of an existing program that is sold at a reduced price to owners of a previous version of the program.
true
- Installation software utilities are capable of examining the hardware configuration to determine whether the software and hardware are compatible and adjust software settings to match hardware.
true
- Most hardware components that malfunction are replaced rather than repaired.
true
A techie who works exclusively with hardware and software, rarely comes into contact with people, and talks in technical jargon will probably not enjoy a career in the user support field.
true
A technical document with a sequential organization follows a step-by-step approach.
true
A technical writer should stop editing a document when edit passes result in fewer and fewer significant changes in the document.
true
A troubleshooting strategy that swaps a hardware or software component whose status is unknown with one that is known to be operational is called module replacement
true
A user satisfaction survey is a questionnaire that measures how satisfied users are with the support services they receive
true
Active listening occurs when a support agent is as engaged in the communication process as the user who has a problem.
true
An advantage of assigning primary responsibility for user support to the IT department is that all computer activities are combined and users know who to contact about various computer problems
true
Authentication is an incident management step to determine whether it is appropriate for a help desk to handle a user's incident
true
Communication skills are more often difficult for a new help desk agent to learn than technical skills or business skills.
true
Even in a telephone call, clients can often tell whether a support staff member values the call.
true
Feedback from users, other support agents, and supervisors is useful information for a support agent who wants to develop a personal incident management strategy.
true
Help desk operations retain an archive of previously resolved incidents in a knowledge base to document the steps to resolve each incident as an information resource to help desk agents.
true
Help desk software that includes asset management can help a support staff control an organization's equipment inventory
true
Help desk software that includes asset management can help a support staff control an organization's equipment inventory.
true
How much information a support agent can divulge to a user is often determined by an organization's policies.
true
If a user reinstalls a software package from the original distribution media, he" or she must also install any patches that had been previously installed to fix bugs.
true
In the checklist of document evaluation criteria, format refers to whether a document's layout helps guide the reader and whether format elements are used consistently
true
Installation of shareware software may conflict with existing software and cause a system to fail to operate.
true
Installation of software packages in the 1980s was primarily a manual process, i"n which a user typed commands to create directories and copy files
true
Installation software utilities have automated many of the manual tasks required to install and correctly configure software packages.
true
Most support workers and computer users are considered to be a mixture of the personality types on the Myers-Briggs dimensions.
true
One method support agents use to communicate effectively with a user on the telephone is to visualize the user and communicate with the visual image.
true
One type of critical thinking is the use of cognitive skills to build a mental model to understand or explain an event or a situation.
true
Open source software is developed collaboratively by a loose-knit team of programmers who agree to improve a software product and make the program freely available to any user.
true
Parallel structure is a writing strategy in which all paragraph indentations in a document start with a consistent tab size.
true
Permitting employees to purchase whichever computer system they need may maximize purchasing flexibility, but it can increase support and maintenance costs to an organization.
true
Some help desk operations use a script to guide an agent through the steps in the incident management process.
true
Some support problems occur because users are poorly trained or do not read the documentation that came with their computer system.
true
The applications development backlog was due to the inability of computer professionals to design and write programs fast enough to keep up with the demand for new applications.
true
The purpose of a format consistency check is to ensure that format elements such as fonts, centering, and underlining are used consistently and are not overdone.
true
The purpose of the screening step is to determine whether an incident is a request for information, question, problem, complaint, or work order
true
Users who forget passwords and PINs are a common source of support problems.
true
Virtualization is a method of allocating the resources of a computer into multiple execution environments, each of which may execute its own operating system and application software.
true
Web-based user support offers a cost-effective way to communicate support information to end users.
true
An automated call distributor (ACD) is a combination of computer and telephone technology that can answer and greet callers, provide menus, and route calls to specific agents or queues.
truw
A packaged system that includes hardware, software, and support from a single computer vendor is called a(n) ____ system.
turnkey
Documentation that is organized as a step-by-step introduction to the features of a computer program is called a:
tutorial manual
In a computer facility, a UPS is a(n) ____.
uninterruptible power supply
- A software package that contains few new features but primarily fixes known bugs in a previous version is called a(n) ____.
update
A software package that contains few new features but primarily fixes known bugs in a previous version is called a(n) ____.
update
- A common source of user misunderstanding and subsequent calls to help desks is poorly designed ____.
user documentation
A common source of user misunderstanding and subsequent calls to help desks is poorly designed ____.
user documentation
A user who expects a software product to be able to perform a task for which it was not intended is a victim of a ____.
user misunderstanding
- Hardware or software products that have been announced by vendors but do not actually exist are ____.
vaporware
Hardware or software products that have been announced by vendors but do not actually exist are ____.
vaporware
The sentence I want to confirm that, with the changes we made to your software, you can now enlarge the font in your document. is an example of ____.
verification
Software designed specifically for a highly specialized industry is called ____.
vertical market software
Remote access to a user's PC can be implemented with a ____.
virtual private network
A network technology that uses authentication and encryption to connect remote users to a company server over the Internet is a(n) _____.
virtual private network (VPN)
Which of these technology trends may permit a support agent to answer questions about multiple operating systems from a single PC?
virtualization
Which of the following product evaluation methods uses several criteria of predefined importance to arrive at a numerical summary score for each competing product?
weighted point method
Before a computer is plugged into an outlet for the first time, the outlet should be checked:
with an LED tester
The best location for a peripheral, such as a printer, that a user accesses frequently is ____.
within arm's reach of the user in a normal working position
Which of these is not one of the four goals of incident management?
Which of these is not one of the four goals of incident management?
The college offers a choice of PC and Macintosh computer platforms.
Which of these statements is true of University of Texas Arlington's technology support policies described in the chapter? The college offers a choice of PC and Macintosh computer platforms. The recommended computers for faculty are different from the one for students. The college will support any hardware or software products a user purchases. The support policies are designed to favor one vendor over others.
all of these
Which of these would you expect to find as members of a product standards committee? end users managers user support specialists all of these
list of approved vendors
Which of these would you least expect to find in an organization's acceptable use guidelines? permitted computer uses list of approved vendors unauthorized uses illegal uses
c, b , d, a
Which sequence of letters represents the order of the steps below in the weighted point evaluation method? a) compute the total ratings for each product b) assign a weight to the importance of each criteria c) decide on the evaluation criteria d) weight the product ratings for each criterion by the importance of the criterion
Root cause analysis is an iterative process that asks a series of ____ questions.
Why
Root cause analysis is an iterative process that asks a series of ____ questions. Why
Why?
An alternative to the Windows operating system GUI interface that accepts keyboard text commands is called the ______________________________.
Windows command-line interface
Jargon
Words that are understood only by those experienced in a field; for example, hacker is jargon, whereas unauthorized user is more general; define jargon words to ensure that readers understand them.
Which of these responsibilities would you least expect to find in a position description for a user support specialist?
Writes computer programs in COBOL
Documentation
Written communication intended to provide user support information to end users; can be printed or online; includes brochures, flyers, newsletters, handouts, training aids, user guides, handbooks, manuals, online help systems, proposals, letters, memos, email and chat messages, procedural and operational documentation, Web pages, and troubleshooting guides.
LBE Helpdesk, featured in this chapter, is an example of a(n) ____.
a commercial help desk package
A utility that can search disk media and recover a file that was accidentally removed is called a(n) ____________________ utility.
a file backup utility
One way to organize user support services in a way that provides a single point of contact for an organization's workers or customers is to use ____.
a help desk
Tools to manage service level agreements (SLAs) in a help desk software package probably are of greatest use by ____.
a help desk manager
In which category of help desk incidents does that following statement fall? "My computer runs slowly when I connect to the Web in the evening."
a problem
Which category of help desk incident is: "My PC runs slowly when I access the Internet with a modem in the evenings"?
a problem
Which of these is not an example of a difficult support problem?
a problem a support worker has not seen before, a problem involving an angry caller, a problem for which the solution is not obvious
ITIL is:
a set of industry best practices
A 48- to 72-hour period during which a system or component is operated nonstop before installation at a user site is ____.
a system burn-in test
A user who presses the wrong sequence of keys in a software program is a victim of ____.
a user mistake
- A user who purchases an image scanner that is incompatible with the computer system to which he or she wants to connect it is a victim of ____.
a wrong product purchase
A user who purchases an image scanner that is incompatible with the computer system to which he or she wants to connect it is a victim of ____.
a wrong product purchase
Which letter sequence is the order of the steps below in the incident management process? a) authenticate the user b) archive the incident c) log the incident d) prioritize the problem
a, c, d, b
Utility software, such as virus checker, screen saver, and security software, is usually installed on a computer system immediately ____.
after the operating system is installed
Which type of nonverbal behavior is suggested for effective voice quality?
all of these
A measure of the number of support calls that can be processed in a given time period, often used to determine staffing levels in a help desk operation, is:
an Erlang
A measure of the number of support incidents that can be processed in a given time period, often used in staffing the help desk group, is ____.
an Erlang unit
Support Web sites that use Web 2.0 technologies differ from earlier support Web sites primarily in ____.
an emphasis on collaboration and communication among users
Application software that is intended for use in a specialized business environment is called ____.
an industry-specific application
A successful troubleshooter recognizes a dead end (or block in progress) as:
an opportunity to look at other alternatives
Computer product standards are often defined by:
an organization's computer culture, early adopters of technology, a product standards committee
A help desk software package that includes asset management can help a support staff control ____.
an organization's equipment inventory
Which of the following electrical devices contains a battery backup?
an uninterrupted power supply
The purpose of a preinstallation site visit is to:
anticipate possible installation problems
The incident management step in which a closed incident is stored for later use in a knowledge base of solved problems is ____.
archive the incident
The incident management step in which a closed incident is stored for later use in a knowledge base of solved problems is called ____.
archive the incident
_____ is a feature of an operating system or application program that periodically checks a vendor's Web site for modifications that can be downloaded and installed in a user's system.
automatic update
Which kind of interview question gives a job applicant an opportunity to describe what he or she did in a specific job situation?
behavioral question
Detailed steps for performing a task are generally described in which part of a document?
body
Performance problems in a computer system are usually due to ____ problems.
both A and B
Performance problems in a computer system are usually due to:
both hardware and software problems
Any interruption of normal network traffic that reduces or halts the flow of data on a network is called a(n) _________________________.
bottleneck
A(n) _____ is a plan prepared by a help desk manager to describe the costs to provide support services.
budget
During the 1980s, incompatible computer products resulted in ____.
all of these
KSA stands for ____.
knowledge, skills, and abilities
The percentage of calls in which a user hangs up before support staff respond is called:
abandonment rate
In a cost-benefit analysis, the development or purchase of software is generally considered a(n) ____.
acquisition cost
In a cost-benefit analysis, the development or purchase of software is generally considered a(n):
acquisition cost
The concept that a listener is an involved participant in the communication process is called ____.
active listening
Which of these support management concerns directly affects the support staff's job?
all of these
Whether to use the form 'Plug-n-Play' or 'Plug-and-Play' in a document would likely be specified in a(n) _____.
style sheet
In the weighted point evaluation method, the product that is usually selected is the one with ____.
the highest overall score
The goal of the multi-level support model is to handle most support incidents at ____.
the lowest support level
One measure of whether a support agent understands a user's problem is whether they can express the problem in:
the support agent's own words
The footprint of a desktop computer case is ____.
the width times the length of the case
A ______ is a way to organize the commentary on a single topic in a discussion forum from oldest to newest, in an easy-to-follow format.
thread
Inexperienced support agents tend to speak ____ when they experience stress in a conversation with a user
too fast
One way to explain the different goals of training and education is ____.
training may be short term; education is usually longer term