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The Dark Side of Help Desk SLAs  by: Hallett German You just signed a Help Desk Service Level Agreement (SLA) and now think things will get easier. However, you may soon be falling into one of these traps: 1) COVERING THE TRUTH WITH METRICS In some companies, those under the radar of SLA compliance may resort to doing the minimum instead of really solving the problem. This includes closing or reassigning customer tickets just to meet the ticket queue deadline. While a review of SLA monthly metrics may look like the help desk is meeting or exceeding metrics, in reality the quality of support had started a downward death spiral. 2) DOING ACTIVITIES JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE SLA When creating the SLA, the customer/management may ask for services and reports because "they are nice to have" and they perceive them as free. However, once the SLA is in force, the help desk staff discover that the customer/management rarely read the reports or utilize these services. But the staff is forced to keep doing them because they are in the SLA. 3) IGNORING ACTIVITIES NOT IN THE SLA Changes in current products, organizations, management, vendors, and users may require currently unsupported services to receive some level of support. Helpdesk staff are now faced trying to make both the SLA and non-SLA users happy. But picking the wrong choice may mean that you may be trading a happy today for a thousand unhappy tomorrows. In conclusion, take the time to create a realistic SLA that both and your management/customer can live with -- today and tomorrow. Schedule monthly reviews to see if the real needs are being met. Periodically sanity check the SLA and see which activities/reports should be dropped and which should in the short-term and mid-term. Good luck in your efforts! About The Author Copyright Alessea Consulting 2004 Hallett German (hallett.german@alessea.com) is President of Alessea Consulting. is president of Alessea Consulting http://www.alessea.com specializing in Identity Management, Project Management, and Business Development This article was posted on October 18, 2004   View More Videos from the "Computers and Internet" category: How to Use Aviary to Take a Screenshot in Firefox Essential Yahoo - #2 - Searching with Yahoo How to Navigate Firefox in OS X Facebook Connect as a Powerful Catalyst for Video Views   Read More Articles from the "Computers and Internet" Category: Posting Resumes - How to Successfully Post Your Resume Online by Silas Reed Understanding Web Logs and Why it Matters by S. Housley What is a Domain Name? by Sinta Makah Why Downloading the Best Free Spyware Removal Software is Essential For Cyber Theft! by D. Grace Pruitt Save $100 in 5 Minutes Backing Up Your Web Site? by Robert Plank Find the Best Web Hosts Using Online Reviews by Rick Swanson How to Get the Best Deal on a New Computer by Ronald E Wilbanks Data Backup - Prevention Is Better Than Cure by Justin Koh Web 2.0 And Why You Shouldn't Fake Reviews by Simon Dance Blizzard Cracks Down On World Of Warcraft Gold Farmers by Emma Martin << Back to "Computers And Internet" Index

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