Knowledge Matters™

Yesterday I blogged about time and knowledge management, so I suppose it was fate that much of my time was wasted today dealing with a “Help Desk”. Quite frankly I felt like I was the character Yossarian in Catch-22 , as I was constantly directed through never ending pointless process that was self-defeating and at times circular. It all began harmlessly enough with a simple request to fix a problem accessing the corporate Intranet. The same problem is also causing e-mail formatting errors, but at least e-mails can get through after displaying four error messages, which is merely frustrating.

The first mistake I made was assuming the “Help Desk” would actually be helpful, and the second was trying to be helpful myself. Foolishly I spent ten minutes getting screen captures of the errors and compiling a PowerPoint complete with commentary. I then looked up the e-mail address for the “Help Desk”, but found six possibilities! Politely I compiled an e-mail, apologised for sending it to all six addresses, and four error messages later it was in the system. And then the comedy, or should I say farce, began!

The first reply required me to access part of the Intranet that I couldn’t access and submit an e-form. Four error messages later I successfully replied and pointed out that I couldn’t comply with the request. I never got a response to this e-mail. Presumably the job was closed, even though I still can’t access the Intranet.

Meantime I received a second e-mail thanking me for my support request and directing me to send it to one of the specified addresses in my original e-mail. The fascinating thing was the signature block indicated the sender belonged to the organisation I was required to send the request to! Despite this dutifully I complied, only to be met with a response that the PowerPoint was not attached and could I provide some more information. Four error messages later I pointed out that I could see the PowerPoint (it was half way down the page on the e-mail trail), and that it contained all the information, and more, that was required. At this point I was not inspired with confidence, so I also typed out the error messages and commentary so there could be no excuses. How wrong I was!

The next reply said I had to resend the e-mail to the generic “Help Desk” address because the individual it was addressed to couldn’t act on a request sent to his personal e-mail, even though his signature block indicated he belonged to the "Help Desk". Four error messages later I managed to get an e-mail through to the generic address, which had been included on every previous e-mail, and requested to know when a job number would be allocated and how long it would take to be fixed. The response from the “Help Desk” was to give me a job number, ask for more information which I had already supplied, and refer me to the corporate Intranet (which I can’t access) to fill in an e-mail form! Two hours to get this response and no solution - Catch-22! Clearly the “Help Desk” was following processes developed by the Basil Fawlty School of Helpfulness!

Unfortunately this scenario is all too common these days. Increasingly “Help Desks” are remote from the organisations they are supposed to help, and in some cases in other countries. They are staffed by nameless faceless automatons, who follow a script and never deviate from it. If the problem is incorrectly documented in the process, or is new there is no way forward. The sad thing is in this case I know what the problem is and could fix it in less than 10 minutes, but I don’t have the access rights and nobody will listen at the “Help Desk”.

Based on my experiences most “Help Desks” don’t contribute to organisation effectiveness, and don’t understand organisation priorities – they therefore don’t matter! Bring back physical “Help Desks” collocated with the organisation they are supposed to be helping. Let the knowledge workers interact with them on a daily basis and see the people staffing the “Help Desk” have faces, names, and personalities, but more importantly that they actually care. If we don’t do this then “Help Desk” will remain a knowledge workers oxymoron.

Regards, Graham