Deck 2: Service Desk Operations

Question 1

A blended call center is a call center that receives incoming calls and makes outgoing calls.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The term technical center is being used increasingly to refer to a call center that uses technologies such as e-mail and the Web in addition to the telephone to communicate with its customers.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A poorly run service desk can make even the most effective IT organization look bad.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Even a highly effective service desk cannot compensate for deficiencies, such as customer perception, elsewhere in the organization.

Question 5

In a multi-level support model, service desks require three levels of support to be efficient and effective.

Question 6

Technology such as knowledge management systems, network monitoring systems, and diagnostic systems enables the service desk to absorb many activities performed by other support groups. These other groups may then focus on tasks such as projects, operations activities, and maintenance activities.

Question 7

Service desks typically hand off more incidents to other groups than traditional help desks do.

Question 8

A best practice is for a company to only have one internal service desk to provide a single point of contact for customers.

Question 9

IT departments must now function as internal service providers and must supply competitively priced services that help the company's employees use technology to improve productivity and increase corporate profitability.

Question 10

Taking ownership of an incident means tracking the incident to ensure that the customer is kept informed about the status of the incident, that the incident is resolved within the expected time frame, and that the customer is satisfied with the final resolution.

Question 11

Since formal training for users and service desk staff is a significant expense, it is wise to try to do as much training as you can in an informal manner.

Question 12

Instead of rejecting out-of-scope requests, underfunded IT service desks often direct the customer to another source that can help.

Question 13

External service desks may perform pre- and post-sales support; typically internal service desks don't provide this type of service.

Question 14

The services that an external service desk provides are typically determined by a warranty or legally binding contract.

Question 15

External service desks typically face the same budget and staffing constraints that internal service desks do.

Question 16

Typically, small companies have small service desks, while large companies have large service desks.

Question 17

Some smaller companies act as one-stop-shops, which means that the service desk is fully responsible for resolving all incidents and service requests, even if they need to do extensive research or even programming changes.

Question 18

Medium service desks typically take on the characteristics of large service desks.

Question 19

Large service desks typically operate as one large team, as it is easier to manage incoming calls this way.

Question 20

Some companies have multiple decentralized service desks that support specific products or internal or external customer communities.

Question 21

Having 3 geographically dispersed service desks, providing 24-hour coverage, with analysts only working during the usual business hours for their location is an example of the follow the sun service desk approach.

Question 22

One drawback to the service desk as a profit center is that the staff must account for every activity they perform throughout the day.

Question 23

Profit center service desks are under increasing pressure to analyze and control their costs, market the value of their services, and without alienating customers, charge a premium for "customized" services; however, cost center service desks are not under these same pressures.

Question 24

The service desk model is requiring service desk analysts to have different skills in order to perform tasks such as system and network administration, remote diagnostics, network monitoring, and training.

Question 25

The service desk industry is growing and changing, but one size does NOT fit all. Due to the different types and sizes of service desks, there are a range of opportunities available to people wishing to enter this industry.

Question 26

A(n) ____ call center takes orders, responds to billing inquiries, and provides customer support.

A)blended
B)multi-purpose
C)outbound
D)inbound

Question 27

A(n) ____ call center primarily does telemarketing.

A)blended
B)multi-purpose
C)outbound
D)inbound

Question 28

What is primary difference between a help desk and a service desk?

A)A help desk services only internal customers; a service desk services both internal and external customers.
B)Service desks typically have more staff than help desks, as they have numerous responsibilities.
C)Help desks typically have a narrower scope of responsibility than service desks and handle only incidents.
D)Help desks typically handle service requests and communications with customers, while service desks do not handle service requests.

Question 29

In a ____ service desk model, service desk analysts refer incidents they cannot resolve to the appropriate group (internal or external).

A)multi-level
B)virtual
C)top-down
D)technical

Question 30

What does level zero refer to?

A)The time an incident first occurs.
B)The service desk using remote control to resolve incidents.
C)The first point of contact for customers.
D)Customers solving incidents on their own.

Question 31

In a multi-level support model, external vendors are typically ____.

A)level 0
B)level 1
C)level 2
D)level 3

Question 32

In a multi-level support model, application and network support analysts are typically ____.

A)level 0
B)level 1
C)level 2
D)level 3

Question 33

According to HDI's 2012 Report, ____ percent of incidents are resolved by the person who initially received the call.

A)59
B)69
C)79
D)89

Question 34

____ distribute digital media files over the Internet to personal computers and portable media players, are a form of training, and are used by students to deliver assignments.

A)Podcasts
B)Webcasts
C)Webinars
D)CBTs

Question 35

Which is the most active (i.e., allows for interaction) type of training?

A)Podcasts
B)Webcasts
C)Webinars
D)CBTs

Question 36

Moving equipment, installing and configuring new systems, and providing equipment to a new employee are examples of ____ changes.

A)service
B)normal
C)standard
D)routine

Question 37

Which is true?

A)Service Level Agreements are only used with external service desks; internal service desks do not need them.
B)Service Level Agreements outline the services that the service desk will provide to the customers; Customer Agreements outline the customer's responsibilities.
C)Service Level Agreements spell out the services the service desk will provide to the customer, the customer's responsibilities, and how the service performance will be measured.
D)Customers write Service Level Agreements to ensure that they include all services they want supported and the corresponding time frames for that support.

Question 38

____ is/are the most expensive component of a service desk.

A)People
B)Technology
C)Building and maintaining processes
D)Gathering and maintaining information

Question 39

Which is true about internal service desks?

A)They should strive to provide unlimited customer service.
B)They tend to be underfunded.
C)They tend to charge for their services.
D)They cost more to run than external service desks.

Question 40

Most hardware and software companies have ____ service desks to support their customers.

A)external
B)internal
C)inbound
D)blended

Question 41

Which is true about customer relationship management (CRM)?

A)Both internal and external service desks should engage in CRM initiatives to ensure optimal levels of customer service.
B)It focuses on performing customer satisfaction surveys and updating Service Level Agreements to reflect new service levels.
C)It involves using customer contact and relationship information to generate additional sales and increase levels of customer service and retention.
D)It assigns dedicated account specialists to accounts and enables organizations to ensure higher levels of customer service.

Question 42

A service desk with eight people is considered ____.

A)small
B)normal
C)medium
D)multi-level

Question 43

Which is true?

A)Efficient and effective one-person service desks are common and are considered a best practice.
B)Small service desks are effective if the service desk has a broad scope of responsibilities.
C)Small service desks cannot be world class even if they have satisfied customers.
D)Service desks may remain small because they have a low call volume and support stable products.

Question 44

Which is a challenge that small service desks face?

A)They tend to be informal and therefore very reactive.
B)They typically don't use technology to log and manage incidents.
C)They are process dependent, which makes it stressful for analysts.
D)Analysts don't have the opportunity to broaden their base of skills.

Question 45

Which is true about large service desks?

A)Unlike small service desks, they have trouble providing training for analysts, as analysts spend the majority of their time working with customers.
B)They tend to be people-dependent and are severely affected when someone leaves the company or is out because of illness or vacation.
C)Many grew from small service desks whose support needs increased or were consolidated from several smaller service desks.
D)They have more than 25 people but focus on analysts getting to know their customers, relating well to them, and fully understanding their needs.

Question 46

Which is statement best describes centralized service desks?

A)They cost more to operate than decentralized service desks.
B)All analysts are located in one location.
C)Analysts typically have higher skill levels and greater ability to resolve incidents.
D)The goal is to resolve all incidents at the service desk.

Question 47

____ service desks must communicate to customers what they should do and who they should contact when incident symptoms are unclear.

A)Follow the sun
B)Virtual
C)Decentralized
D)Remote

Question 48

A company with a single service desk who transfers calls, as necessary, to multiple, specialized service desks is said to be ____.

A)centralized
B)decentralized
C)centrally decentralized
D)local

Question 49

The process of determining a customer's need and routing the customer to the appropriate support group is known as ____.

A)escalation
B)triage
C)routing
D)transferring

Question 50

When a service desk is run as a(n) ____ center, management's main objective is to minimize and eliminate expenses so that profits will be as high as possible.

A)cost
B)profit
C)external
D)remote

Question 51

Which is true of service desks run as cost centers?

A)To be successful, they typically support a wide-range of services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
B)They place a heavy emphasis on successfully marketing their services and generating new customers.
C)They must consistently track, in great detail, all expenses and staff effort, including overtime.
D)In the past, when they charged for customer contacts, they incurred hidden costs in peer-to-peer support.

Question 52

Service desks run as ____ centers must cover their expenses and, perhaps, make money by charging a fee for support services.

A)cost
B)profit
C)decentralized cost
D)external support

Question 53

Which is true about outsourcing service desk services?

A)When companies initially began outsourcing in the 1980s, they were always able to show a reduction in costs.
B)53% of companies surveyed by the Help Desk Institute outsource at least part of their service desk activities.
C)In early outsourcing efforts, companies found success in being able to let the outsourcers handle all the service problems.
D)Some companies want to increase hours of service without increasing the number of staff; therefore, they outsource.

Question 54

Which is true about outsourcing service desk services?

A)Companies are now realizing that when they outsource certain services that they do not outsource their customers and must rigorously measure and manage their supplier's performance.
B)One of the important aspects of the HDI's 2012 Practices and Salary Survey Report is that outsourcing really is an "all or nothing" business strategy and can be considered a permanent strategy.
C)The main reason that companies outsource some or all services is because they are unwilling to make the capital investments required to deliver competitive service desk services.
D)According to HDI's 2012 Practices and Salary Survey Report, only 10 percent of companies do not outsource services at all and have no plans to outsource.

Question 55

Which is true about the consolidation of support services?

A)While the service desk model is popular, most companies prefer to use the help desk model and focus on delivering only computer-related services.
B)Having the service desk maintain user accounts and perform some security-related activities has reduced the time required to satisfy these requests, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
C)The sheer complexity of technology, the related security issues, and the need for extensive training are curtailing the consolidation of support services.
D)Most organizations find it difficult to rotate other analysts, such as application developers or customer representatives, into the service desk, resulting in a lack of shared knowledge and communication.

Question 56

A service desk analyst may need to _______ an incident to level two if it is beyond his/her scope or authority.

Question 57

The "S" in SME stands for _______.

Question 58

A service desk's _______ defines who the service desk supports, what it supports, and how it provides that support.

Question 59

A(n) _______ service desk responds to questions, distributes information, and handles incidents and service requests for its company's employees.

Question 60

A strong trend in the training industry is _______, which involves people learning by interacting with other people. Examples are observing others, and sharing expertise thru discussion forums, wikis, and blogs.

Question 61

A(n) _______ service desk gives the impression of a centralized service desk by using sophisticated telephone systems and the Internet; analysts may be located anywhere.

Question 62

A(n) _______ service desk is located close to its customers.

Question 63

Historically, internal service desks have been _______ centers, in which budget items required to run the service desk are considered an expense to the company.