Your help desk career: Dead end or launching pad?
05/01/2008
Your help desk career: Dead end or launching pad
By Thomas Hoffman
A role on an IT help desk is what you make of it, tech pros say -- just don't get too comfy.
April 30, 2008 (Computerworld) When Anthony McCloud graduated from Graceland University in 2000, he didn't have a smidgen of business experience. He didn't know the first thing about business processes, customer service, or the quirks and habits of business workers.
Now he knows all that and much more. McCloud has spent the past seven years working in help desk-related roles at four companies, including stints for a high-tech equipment maker and a small restaurant chain.
The experience he has gained from learning about different businesses and "intermixing" with various types and levels of business workers has been priceless in terms of strengthening his communication and relationship skills, McCloud says.
To read the entire article and hear Pete's Perspective in ComputerWorld, please click here:
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Service Leadership - Dare to Care
04/20/2008
Service Leadership - Dare to Care
By Peter J. McGarahan, Founder and President, McGarahan & Associates
Effective leadership comes down to one thing – they will care when they know that you care! In recent Gallop Polls regarding the state of the US worker, it is shocking and disappointing to see how many people are truly disengaged in the workplace. In support organizations, the biggest differentiator between the organizations that excel at support, customer service and delivering business value versus the ones that consistently struggle is leadership. Leaders who wake up every day and approach their responsibility with energy, passion, caring and intelligence will make a difference in people’s lives.
Full Article...
HDI Member Download
03/21/2008
HDI Member Download (Click on Banner).
Pete's "A List" - A Roadmap for Continuous Improvement.
The HDI Forum Group Photo - CO Springs, OCT, 2007.
Escaping Groundhog Day
01/18/2008
Caricature by Michelle Murphy
Escaping Groundhog Day
By Peter J. McGarahan, Founder and President, McGarahan & Associates
There is nothing worse than spending valuable time and resources on delivering services not valued by your customers. There is also little value in delivering services that are not properly aligned with business goals and objectives or not focused on achieving any end ‘business value’ results. Many of us live the same day over and over, symbolically if not literally. The only way to escape our predicament is to change, if not ourselves, then at least our circumstances. This article discusses some of the most common Groundhog Day (a term that is emblematic of repetitive) situations faced by support organizations worldwide.
Full Article...
Infrastructure Insite Magazine
01/27/2008
Strategies, best practices, tools, and technologies are covered in each issue of the ITIM Association's exclusive magazine.
Click the magazine cover to view/download this editon of Infrastructure Insights and view Pete's Articles on:
Pete’s Perspective
-Measuring Success: Decide what’s important first–then measure
Business Alignment
-Strategy First
A Time for Reflection
12/27/2007
A Time for Reflection
By Peter J. McGarahan, Founder and President, McGarahan & Associates
It's December and most businesses, government agencies, Universities and Non-profits have a tendency to “slow down” during the end of the year. It’s up to you on how you choose to use this available time when your calendar is not packed with 8 hours of back-to-back meetings. It’s time to recharge those batteries! Maybe catch-up on your reporting? Get a head start on performance reviews? Finish your 2008 Goals and Objectives or just sit back, gazing into thin air and wonder how you are going to handle your existing demand for services plus all the NEW projects, technology rollouts and application development work scheduled for next year. For me, it’s time to reflect on all that happen in the past year; both the good and the bad - and find some learning and lessons in it all.
Full Article...
The Remote Agent Program – Worth the Investment!
11/23/2007
The Remote Agent Program – Worth the Investment!
By Peter J. McGarahan, Founder and President, McGarahan & Associates
The concept of deploying the Remote Agent has been on every support leader’s roadmap for the last few years. It might have sounded like a great idea, but there were always technical, cultural and management barriers preventing the Remote Agent from becoming a reality. The recent convergence of certain issues, trends and technologies have allowed the managers of call centers, service desks, product support vendors and managed service providers to successfully deploy pilot Remote Agent programs. Faced with numerous staffing, retention and costing issues, companies are looking to the Remote Agent program to help alleviate some of the pains and costs associated with the high turnover rate in the global service and support industry.
Full Article...
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