Email User Support service definition

Service Definition

A 2nd level user support person (otherwise called "the analyst"), is responsible to follow users' problems, escalated by the computing helpdesk, until they reach a satisfactory solution.

This includes electronic mail, news, distribution lists, available to users through the selected set of CERN supported user interfaces. More specifically:

• Grant extra quota for users.
• Recover mail folders from backup tapes.
• Recover lost addressbook files for Outlook and Netscape.
• Fix corrupted mail folders.
• Help users with problems like:
  • using and configuring Netscape Messenger under Linux or Windows in the standard CERN Network Integrated Computing Environment (NICE).
  • using and configuring Mozilla for reading mail.
  • using and configuring Outlook 2000, Express or XP under Windows 2000 or XP.
  • using and configuring PINE under Linux / PCPine under NICE. No support is provided for "private" installations e.g Operating System versions other than the CERN's certified ones.
  • importing personal addressbooks from Netscape to Outlook 2000.
  • sending e-mails from/to the CERN domain.
  • accessing the server facilities (configuring the vacation message, forward file, LDAP, routing, etc.).
  • any issues arising from services mentioned on page My Mail and More covering the Microsoft Exchange facilities.
  • sending and deleting posted news.
  • making suggestions for the users.

Task description

• investigation and resolution of user problems, apart from the small list of simple cases and registered Questions and Answers that should be solved by the helpdesk. This could require occasionally going to the users' desktop, or using remote diagnostic tools when available.
• The analyst will directly get in touch with the user whenever (s)he needs additional details about a case.
• Communication with the users and with the other support levels is done using the CERN Problem Reporting system, called PRMS and based on the Remedy/ARS system.
• Write documentation of learnt problems and their solutions (in Q&A form)
• follow-up of user 'problems' detected via server-side monitoring (e.g. bad directory structure on mail server; excessively big INBOXes; excessive polling rates; ...) and simple interventions to fix them. Analysts are given some priviledges by the services to perform trivial operations on users' profiles.
• The analysts participate in the testing phases of products before release in production
• They have to use tools and documentation offered by the US and IS groups that help isolate and understand the users' problems.
• It's the analysts' task to keep the QA database up to date (by adding, deleting or editing Questions and Answers).
• Procedures and deadlines for reminders to other support levels, i.e. the helpdesk (1st) and the service specialists (3rd) are defined in the IT Service Level Agreement (SLA), e.g cases which can easily be answered looking at the QA DataBase, if escalated to the 2nd level, will be sent back to the helpdesk by the analyst.
• The analysts should participate in the weekly meeting (1 hour) organised by US group, where problems and workplan for the week are agreed.
• If necessary, analysts should be able to work in a shift (alias 'rota') system agreed in their weekly meeting, mentioned above. A handbook contains instructions to peer analysts, for backup purposes. Analysts on shift should participate in IS group's problem review meeting.
• It's the analysts' task to keep the above mentioned handbook up-to-date.

Operational logistics

Problems escalated to the 2nd level should be treated within HALF A WORKING DAY, i.e.

• a notification should be sent to the user that work started on the case
• escalation to the 3rd level, if needed
• if unclear, the problem should be put "on Hold" for "Requestor Information".

For the rest of the problem's life the SLA deadlines apply for reminders at regular time intervals.

Volume figures

• interventions/week: Average:50, peak:70, low:42
• time spent per intervention on average: 0.4 hour or discretional as is appropriate.
• The service covers user request resolution at a desk as well as field intervention; both tasks will have to be load-balanced according to user requests.

Qualification required

• good technical engineer Experience/Knowledge required
• competent user of both Windows, Linux and other Unix flavours.
• advanced user of one or other, able to configure applications to local environment
• good analysis skills to isolate problems in a complex environment
• good knowledge of English (mandatory) and French (desirable)
• good communication skills are extremely important.
• ability to work in an international team environment.

Candidate newcomer analysts for desktop application support should be interviewed by the service specialists (3rd level) and the Internet Services (IS) group management as well as the present analysts and management of User Services (US) group.

Related documentation

1. Service Level Agreement protocol between User Support and divisional services by M. Dimou (editor).
   
2. Mail Support (2nd level) description, by M.A. Aliaga, M.Arregui and M.Moles.
3. News Support (2nd level) description, by M.A. Aliaga, M.Arregui and M.Moles.