The next time your computer spits out a cryptic error message instead of your 15-page history paper, it might be a little easier to go about finding what the problem is.
The Computing Help Desk will undergo an internal reorganization before the start of the next academic year, a change that Computing Services hopes will enable desk employees to field questions more efficiently.
The Help Desk will also move its location to Gerry Hall to accommodate the Berry library construction project.
As the Help Desk currently operates, inquiries are routed to a single location and answered by general operators. Under the new system, phone calls and BlitzMail messages will be received first by a general operator and then directed to specialized technicians.
"From the user's point of view, there are going to be very few changes that you're going to notice," Director of Computing Services Communications Bill Brawley said. "I think most of the changes are going to be behind the scenes."
The Help Desk staff will be rearranged to serve the specific needs of student, faculty, and administrator groups, who often have different software programs and, therefore, different types of inquiries.
"Students can still go to the Help Desk and have that one-on-one interaction, and have it over the phone," said Brawley.
He said the new plan makes it easier to connect clients with appropriate staff members.
"The motivation was to continually reexamine what we do and try to find better ways to do it. I think there's always room for us to do better at everything we do," Brawley said.
In related changes to Kiewit operations, the Sales and Services counter will acquire a demonstration area, and the Computer Resource Center will be replaced by a Student Development Center, which is intended to enhance access to advanced equipment.
