Deck 8: Customer Support As a Profession

Question 1

The most successful companies in the future will be those that keep a close eye on business and service desk industry trends and embrace the ones that enable them to achieve their goals.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

One benefit of a service desk career is learning about different departments in a company and gaining appreciation of opportunities available within that company.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

At their essence, different generations of technology users tend to have the same needs and expectations with regards to service desk and support.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

With all the methods of contacting a service desk now available, the telephone is being phased out as a contact channel.

Question 5

In order to be successful in delivering support to customers, it is important that the service desk develops processes and techniques that are easy and convenient for the service desk to follow and cost effective, and then ensure that the customer conforms to those processes.

Question 6

With multichannel support, roles such as technical support and knowledge engineer are more important, as service desks rely more heavily on their support systems for knowledge and use those systems to collect and maintain content for their web sites.

Question 7

Trends such as cloud computing, BYOD, and desktop virtualization have forced service desks to look more strategically at how they provide support. They must assess their staff's skills, redesign their processes, evaluate their tools, and rethink their data and information needs.

Question 8

To increase the service desk's ability to assist customers at the first point of contact, companies are using VRUs, web-based features such as chat, and skills-based routing.

Question 9

Whether a company charges for support or not has no bearing on how an analyst accounts for his or her time.

Question 10

The trend is that all Web-based services will soon be offered for some type of a fee.

Question 11

Companies providing global support must address the language and legal issues that come with working in an international environment; it is not so important to address technical and cultural issues.

Question 12

Having one global support desk tends to be more expensive than follow the sun support.

Question 13

Most process-related initiatives are handled a projects to ensure all stakeholders are engaged and to ensure the new processes and associated tools achieve the desired outcome.

Question 14

The current trend is that outsourcing will not be an option to service desks in the future.

Question 15

Because of the nature of the service desk industry, the trend is for service desks to continue to be stepping stones to other professions.

Question 16

One method of reducing burnout and also increasing experience and skills of service desk analysts is to rotate them through other positions in the department.

Question 17

The benefits of certification include certificates never losing value over time.

Question 18

Certifications related to ITIL and project management are beneficial because they help service desk analysts acquire a broader understanding of IT industry best practices and provide a bigger picture perspective than technical certification programs tend to offer.

Question 19

Project management skills enable service desk analysts to participate in projects affecting the service desk and ensure the service desk's needs are being fully addressed.

Question 20

Becoming certified typically guarantees an individual will be promoted.

Question 21

If a company pays for an analyst's certification, they may require the analyst to stay with the company for a certain amount of time once they are certified.

Question 22

Since the trend is for people to stick with one or two jobs throughout their career, it is best to gain skills specific to the company for whom you're working. That will give you the best chance for success.

Question 23

Successful managers are able to focus on how their team or department fits into the company as a whole and how it contributes to the company's goals.

Question 24

According to Frederick Herzberg, a behavioral scientist, responsibility is one of the factors that leads to job satisfaction.

Question 25

A good service desk manager understands that people, processes, and technology are all available resources; information is not considered a resource as it is derived from data.

Question 26

____ contributes to a successful service desk career.

A)Continuously leveraging your experiences
B)Concentrating on individual goals first and service desk goals second
C)Focusing on the present and not worrying about the future
D)Being conservative and changing only when necessary

Question 27

As members of the support industry, analysts must ____.

A)be aware of service desk industry trends and objectively evaluate how the trends affect their skills
B)concentrate on getting as many technical certifications as they can so they can get promoted
C)always know which are the most high paying jobs, get certifications in those areas prior to applying for a job
D)not concentrate on service desk industry trends, as they will change soon anyway

Question 28

Which is true in today's workplace?

A)Tools are becoming so advanced that fewer people are needed on the service desk.
B)Service desks are merging with application development areas.
C)There is almost an irreversible dependence on technology.
D)Due to complexity of technology, customers expect to pay more for support.

Question 29

Which is true about today's service desk industry?

A)Service desk positions are typically entry level and don't require many skills.
B)Service desk analysts focus on being more technical and less customer-service oriented.
C)Service desks are being moved into more strategic positions in companies.
D)Typically, service desks don't contribute to the company's bottom line.

Question 30

Which is a trend affecting how service desks are run?

A)Increasing complexity in number and types of support levels
B)Insourcing and less reliance on best practice frameworks
C)Multichannel and global support requirements
D)Less technically savvy customers

Question 31

Older workers ____.

A)typically are not comfortable using self-help and will not use it to solve problems
B)will often pose questions to a large group of people via Twitter or Facebook
C)typically are more comfortable receiving step-by-step instructions via the phone
D)generally do not fit any one profile; their level of comfort using technology varies

Question 32

If a service desk is providing multi-channel support, ____.

A)analysts' writing skills have less importance because customers often use self-service options and don't interact with analysts
B)customers typically contact the service desk for less complex and simpler incidents and service requests as they can be resolved quickly
C)there is less of a need to develop, maintain, and support the service desk's systems as most technology is integrated
D)analysts must ensure that they are capturing the data needed to efficiently and effectively manage the various support channels

Question 33

When Web support sites are well-designed ____.

A)they allow service desks to provide free support for most issues
B)the Web-based contacts cost less than contacts involving analysts
C)the Web-based contacts cost more than contacts involving analysts
D)the Web-based contacts cost about the same as contacts involving analysts

Question 34

When Web support sites are well-designed ____.

A)users will not use the telephone
B)the cost of telephone contacts will rise
C)the cost of telephone contacts will decline
D)the cost of telephone contacts will stay the same

Question 35

Trends such as cloud computing, BYOD, and desktop virtualization ____.

A)make integration easier as they come with an increase of standards
B)are forcing service desks to implement more self-help options to be more proactive and handle new incidents
C)are resulting in organizations adopting a more formalized reactive problem management approach
D)enable a swifter adoption of worker mobility and a need for immediate support

Question 36

Which is a trend seen in today's environment?

A)Connectivity incidents are now viewed as major.
B)Service desks are participating less in the creating of SLAs.
C)The service desk's role has narrowed, while the role of L2 has expanded.
D)Service desks are participating less in the developing standards.

Question 37

Gartner defines ____ as a work style characterized by a flurry of collective activity by anyone and everyone available to add value.

A)major incident handling
B)crowdsourcing
C)crowdhelping
D)swarming

Question 38

The current trend in the industry is to ____.

A)increase the number of support levels as incidents are becoming more complex
B)decrease the number of support levels to resolve incidents quickly and lessen customers' hold time
C)have major incidents handled by third level support analysts dedicated to providing service desk support
D)escalate more incidents to external vendors who have more knowledge and can resolve them faster

Question 39

Which is true about 24x7 support?

A)Service desk analysts must be on-site at all times to quickly resolve incidents and service requests.
B)Service desks typically do not offer emergency support after regular business hours, as it is too costly.
C)It allows for flexible analyst schedules such as ten hour days with three days off, which accommodate different analyst needs.
D)Service desks strive to provide the same depth of support after hours as during business hours.

Question 40

____ support is an effective way to manage customer expectations, as the service desk can charge a higher rate for premium or value-added services.

A)Tier-based
B)Incremental
C)Level-based
D)Fee-based

Question 41

Which of the following enables companies to eliminate the costs associated with shift work?

A)follow the sun support
B)one global support desk
C)regional in country service desks
D)local service desks

Question 42

Companies that need to provide global support but lack a large support staff often opt to use ____.

A)follow the sun support
B)one global support desk
C)regional in country service desks
D)local service desks

Question 43

How are best practice frameworks and standards used to redesign processes?

A)Some companies are using the ITIL framework along with the ISO/IEC 20000 specifications to redesign their processes.
B)Some companies are using the MOF framework along with the ITIL specifications to redesign their processes.
C)Some companies are using the PMBOK framework along with the HDI specification to redesign their processes.
D)Companies typically do not use frameworks and standards when redesigning processes; they perform this task as part of a project.

Question 44

Which is true about outsourcing?

A)Successful outsourcing creates jobs for the organization hiring the outsourcer; however, it does not increase jobs for the supplier of the outsourced services.
B)Support of custom-written applications is a popular activity to outsource as outsourcers typically have more time and resources to dedicate to that type of support.
C)The advantage of outsourcing is that once the contract is signed, the company who has hired the outsourcer does not have responsibility for the outsourced services.
D)Due to the desire to outsource, there has been an increase in the number of companies that offer service desk outsourcing services.

Question 45

Which is a trend that indicates that the service desk has been elevated to a profession in and of itself?

A)Service desk managers typically manage the service desk staff and the staff in level 2 and level 3 support groups.
B)Many companies have rewritten service desk analyst job descriptions to create higher-level positions.
C)An increasing number of level 2 and level 3 staff, especially software developers, are applying to work on the service desk.
D)Companies are relying on one level of management and one level of analysts to streamline job functions.

Question 46

In the ____, organizations began to value nontechnical certifications for IT professionals.

A)1970s
B)1980s
C)1990s
D)early 2000s

Question 47

Certification, coupled with ____, is what is most valued in today's competitive job market.

A)experience
B)technical skills
C)soft skills
D)customer service skills

Question 48

____ certifications include Customer Service Qualified, Certified Support Professional, and Certified Support Professional Supervisor and are geared to companies providing external customer support.

A)HDI
B)ITIL
C)TSIA
D)Project Management

Question 49

____ certifications include Foundation, Intermediate, Expert, and Master, and they enable individuals to contribute to efforts to improve the quality of IT services and IT service management processes.

A)HDI
B)ITIL
C)TSIA
D)Project Management

Question 50

The CompTIA A+ Essentials certification ensures that an individual ____.

A)has learned basic project management skills such as initiating, planning and executing projects
B)understands computer technology, networking and security, and has the communication skills and professionalism required of all entry-level IT professionals
C)has learned advanced project management skills such as identifying and mitigating project risks and preparing and maintaining a project budget
D)understands the service management processes and each of their roles in the service lifecycle

Question 51

All PMI certifications are based on ____.

A)ITIL
B)ISO/IEC 20000
C)PMBOK
D)CAPM

Question 52

Which type of experience is least likely to help you prepare for a service desk career?

A)experience stocking shelves
B)teaching experience
C)experience working as a store cashier
D)experience waiting tables

Question 53

When applying for a service desk position ____.

A)a computer science or MIS degree is a must
B)English or communications degrees or technical writing skills are valuable
C)one or more technical certifications are mandatory
D)a PMP certificate is preferred

Question 54

Which is true about the career paths available to service desk analysts?

A)The typical path is for service desk analysts to move into management after three to five years or after really strong employee reviews.
B)Moving from an analyst position to one of management is difficult, as one has to maintain technical skills while also focusing on management.
C)When service desk analysts move into management, one of the most difficult tasks they face is managing people who were previously their peers.
D)Most often service desk management positions are given to those with management experience in different areas of the company.

Question 55

Individuals in management must understand key project deliverables, such as the ____, which describes the work to be done in a project.

A)project scope
B)project plan
C)project goals
D)project mission

Question 56

Individuals in management must understand key project deliverables, such as the ____, which is a summary document that describes the project, its objectives, and how the objectives will be accomplished.

A)project scope
B)project plan
C)project goals
D)project mission

Question 57

Which would best be used to illustrate a project schedule?

A)Ishikawa diagram
B)control chart
C)Gantt chart
D)flowchart

Question 58

Which is true about managers?

A)Being a good manager means having answers available right away; staff will then learn to respect and trust the manager.
B)A good manager understands that they must motivate their staff to ensure that the staff performs to the best of their abilities.
C)Delegating is particularly difficult for people with strong technical skills, but delegating will enable managers to learn management skills.
D)Management must ensure that staff understands the specifics of their job, not necessarily why things are done the way they are

Question 59

An example of _______ would be posing a question or problem to a large group of people via Facebook or Twitter.

Question 60

A(n) _______ is a computer user's representation of himself or herself.

Question 61

With _______-based support, customers pay for support services on a per-use basis.

Question 62

Some companies are being challenged to provide _______ support, which means they support customers anywhere in the world.

Question 63

In the context of business, a(n) _______ is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that differentiates a company's goods or services from those of its competitors.

Question 64

Prior to approving a project, upper management may require a(n) _______ case, which describes the reasons that the project is being considered.

Question 65

Key events in a project, such as completing the design requirements or completing the hardware installation, are called _______.

Question 66

In follow the _______ support, companies establish two or more service desks, each on a different continent. As one service desk closes, another opens.

Question 67

_______ offers certifications for service desk professionals that are internationally recognized. They also offer a certification that recognizes a support center's commitment to excellence, efficiency, and service quality.