Original Date: 07/10/2006
Revision Date: / /

Tobyhanna Army Depot’s Help/Service Desk implemented new process upgrades to better service the 19,125 work requests received each year. Upgrades that affect staff size and expertise, response time, and software have significantly enhanced the overall quality of the facility’s Help/Service Desk.

In 2002 the Information Management Team implemented a “Most Efficient Organization” that improved the Help/Service Desk in its efforts to support Tobyhanna Army Depot’s (TYAD’s) 4,000 users. Prior to 2002, the Help/Service Desk was not operating at peak performance. Software tools were outdated and limited, and employees lacked the expertise and administrative rights to adequately service customers. As a result, the Help/Service Desk had difficulty in servicing simple tier one-related calls (i.e., password resets and print queue clearing). No call records existed to document the number of calls received or how they were resolved. The Help/Service Desk was primarily a “pass-through” operation that recorded customer trouble and work requests and subsequently forwarded the request to others for resolution.

The current Help/Service Desk at TYAD is equipped with the Enterprise Management System (EMS) and serves as the single point of contact for the facility’s IT support. One of the most significant features of the EMS tool is its ability to automate software delivery remotely. TYAD’s technicians are now trained to monitor and troubleshoot user desktops remotely, which has resulted in an 85% resolution to work requests and has reduced the need to dispatch a technician to the user’s PC. Another dynamic feature of the EMS is its ability to incorporate problem resolutions into a common database, streamlining and eliminating future calls. The EMS capabilities have reduced resolution time and improved the overall efficiency of the Help/Service Desk.

Customer surveys issued by the Help/Service Desk indicate that users are “extremely satisfied” with the recent upgrades to the Help/Service Desk. Customer feedback and recorded Help/Service data indicate a widespread improvement in service production and quality, repair time, and customer perception. The improved Help/Service efficiency has also resulted in a staff reduction from 92 to 68, which has significantly improved costs. TYAD’s Help/Service Desk far exceeds other military depot centers in quality of process and performance and received the Unicenter Technology Excellence Center Award from Computer Associates in 2004 and 2005.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.