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| Helpdesks flooded with fibs from users Netviewer has announced the findings of a new survey into IT helpdesks. The survey from independent research firm Vanson Bourne, shows that one in five users admit that they don't always provide accurate information about the nature of a computer problem – the main reasons being a lack of insight (45 per cent), a lack of time (30 per cent), or a lack of appropriate vocabulary (25 per cent). 15 per cent said they felt too embarrassed. However, 31 per cent of internal IT helpdesk users are dissatisfied with the quality of support they receive. The figure rises to 48 per cent for users of external (third party) IT helpdesks. Rather than contacting a helpdesk, 40 per cent of respondents prefer to stop working and try to fix the problem themselves. It also appears that many people rely upon non-professional help from colleagues, friends or relations with 92 per cent of respondents saying that they have at some stage tried to assist someone at work with IT issues. This is a worrying finding given that 30 per cent describe themselves as less than moderately IT literate. Rachel Lane, managing director UK at Netviewer, said, "This is a self perpetuating problem. End users are frustrated because they can't successfully communicate the nature of the problems they face to the helpdesk. Helpdesk resolution times rise as a result. Users then try to speed up the process by sourcing amateur assistance but often end up exacerbating the problem instead. The whole cycle costs precious working hours." Lane continues, "Helpdesk operatives need to be able to remotely access user desktops at the click of a button regardless of whether or not access software has been pre-installed on their devices. Only then can they gain expert insight into the problem and quickly resolve it to the satisfaction of all parties." Without such a solution companies could find it hard to take advantage of new software. 48 per cent of respondents said that they had delayed the introduction of new software because they were worried about the time it would take to resolve consequent PC problems. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Computing News :: home page |