Chapter 1 Summary

As computing technology becomes more complex and essential, the demand for technical support has surged—making the service desk the vital first point of contact. Customer satisfaction hinges on how they're treated, and people remain the most important asset in delivering effective service. With rising expectations for faster, better, and more affordable support, trends like multichannel access, global availability, and professionalization are reshaping the industry. Meeting these demands requires a proactive “can do” attitude and a commitment to going the extra mile. Those with strong business, technical, soft, and self-management skills—especially the latter two—are well-positioned to thrive in this dynamic field.

 

Glossary

  • contact center
    A call center that uses technologies such as email and the web in addition to the telephone.
  • Information Technology Infrastructure Library© (ITIL©)
    A set of best practices for IT service management.
  • IT service management (ITSM)
    A discipline for managing IT services that focuses on the quality of those services and the relationship that the IT organization has with its customers.
  • crowdsourcing
    Outsourcing a task traditionally performed by a single individual to a large group of people or community (in other words, a crowd).
  • ISO/IEC 20000
    An international standard for IT service management.

Glosarry continued

  • ISO/IEC 20000
    An international standard for IT service management.
  • Service Level Agreement (SLA)
    A written document that spells out the services the service desk will provide the customer, the customer’s responsibilities, and how service performance is measured.
  • Service Level Agreement (SLA)
    A written document that spells out the services the service desk will provide the customer, the customer’s responsibilities, and how service performance is measured.
  • Web 2.0
    A concept that emphasizes enabling web users to interact, collaborate, and generate content via, for example, blogs, wikis, and social networking sites, rather than passively view content created by others.

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