9 Technical Support Fundamentals for IT Managers
As we introduce this new series, we want to send a huge THANK YOU to the readers who have followed our previous articles so far. Over the past couple of months, we have gone over a variety of topics relevant to IT Service Managers. In case you’re new to this blog, here is a quick recap of what we’ve covered:
“Hiring” -7 Discussions
“Aligning IT Service Managers focus with Company’s #1 goal,” - 6 discussions
“Managing Projects for IT Service Managers”- 5 discussions
“Resource Utilization” - 5 discussion
“Managing Your Manager" & “Managing Millennials” – one-offs
Did you miss any of these articles? Alternatively, just need a quick reference? Check out the blog page where they reside.
IT Service Managers, You Don’t Want to Miss This
Next up, we will be taking a look at 9 fundamental areas of IT support. We will be covering Priorities, Services, SLAs, Issues/Sub-Issues, and more. While the articles will be on the fundamentals of IT support, our intention is to take a deeper look at what is going on behind the scenes and to uncover why these areas are so important in what we do best. For example, priority or the prioritizing of service requests is pretty basic. However, I sometimes wonder if we stop to think about just how important prioritizing service requests are. For instance:
Driving both internal & external communications.
Leveraging the field to drive automation?
The legal implication of how we prioritize service requests?
Is Priority a rule - or a guideline?
As you can see, even something as simple as Priority can induce a rich discussion.
The 9 Fundamental Areas of IT Support
Here is the list of upcoming topics that fit within the 9 fundamental areas of IT Support. This blog is not limited to only those subjects and can change at any time at the discretion of the writer. The list of topics is not a legally binding commitment. Any reference to gender within my writing is neutral (OK, OK, enough with the disclaimers).
Priorities (now that we have whet your appetite)
Contracts and Services
Service Level Agreements
Issues, Sub-Issues, & Ticket Categories
Roles and Work Types
Work Flow Rules, Automation & Service Delivery Communications
Dashboards vs. Reports
On-Boarding, Off-Boarding & Project Hand-offs
Templates and Checklists
The list is not comprehensive nor prioritized in any specific way. It serves as ideas we’ve come up with over the past few months.
The Goal: Broaden Knowledge for IT Service Managers
Like I mentioned, the purpose of covering fundamental topics is to broaden both your understanding and appreciation for the basics. The information provided draws on my 34+ years of experience in coaching, training, managing, and advising Service Managers, with the last 8 years in the IT Managed Service Provider industry. In addition to that, my knowledge also comes from MSP-Ignite IT Service Manager Peer Groups, my affiliation and membership within the HDI community, as well as comments, responses, and relationships with IT Service Managers throughout the world. If after reading these blogs you find something is missing, please send us an email with the topic idea and other information/insights you may have on the subject. Stephen Buyze is a Resource Planning Analyst who is “Empowering Service Managers to increase profit.”
For more about Stephen Buyze
For more information about MSP-Ignite Service Manager Peer Groups
For more HDI “The Association for Technical Support Professionals.”