Four calls in five minutes
It is 9am at a busy office. The phone rings. Maya cannot log in. A printer shows an error. A manager needs a program installed before a meeting. A new starter has no email.
Four people need help at once. A service desk worker must listen, sort and fix, and keep a record of every one.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can describe what a service desk worker does and the skills they use to help users.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Service desk | the team users contact for help with IT | |
| Ticket | a record of one user problem, from report to fix | |
| User account | a login with its own settings and access | |
| Quota | the most storage a user may use | |
| Permission | a rule saying who may open or change a file | |
| Asset register | a list of the equipment a firm owns | |
| Standard operating procedure | a written set of steps for a regular job | SOP |
| Active listening | giving full attention and checking you understood |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter: what you already know
Have a go
Starter: what you already know
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
The twelve duties of digital support
A support worker gives hardware and software support, and installs software. They manage user accounts, including storage quota and file permissions.
They tell users about support updates and system changes, train users, keep the asset register up to date, and use incident response software. They escalate when needed, work to the law, update standard operating procedures, and help keep the system available and fast.
Duties in daily work
| Duty | Example in a normal day |
|---|---|
| Hardware support | Replace a broken keyboard |
| Software support | Fix a program that closes by itself |
| Install software | Put the new design tool on a laptop |
| Manage accounts, quota and permissions | Make an account for a new starter and set a storage limit |
| Communicate updates and changes | Email staff that the system will restart tonight |
| Train end users | Show staff how to use the new chat tool |
| Maintain the asset register | Record the new laptop and who has it |
| Use incident response software | Log the call as a ticket and update it |
| Escalate | Pass a server fault to second line |
| Work to the law | Do not read a user's private files without reason |
| Update SOPs | Add the new printer to the steps for adding printers |
| Keep availability and performance | Clear a full disk before it stops a system |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: which duty is it?
Have a go
Check: which duty is it?
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.