Meeting User Demand for Instant Software Help and Ongoing Training to Maximize Productivity
Like the private sector, most government agencies struggle to keep up with constant changes in technology. To keep users operating at peak productivity, there must be a way to answer a large volume of questions quickly and provide easy access to training tools. Software upgrades, application migration, new device deployment and mobility initiatives keep IT departments stretched to capacity, and even the most robust team—and their subcontractors—isn’t always staffed or trained to provide help with an adoption issue or application functionality question. Many agencies underestimate the ongoing call volume six-months or even one-year following a software migration, because as user productivity improves, so does the need for answers to sophisticated application questions. This case study explores how Vitalyst has helped the EPA meet user demand for instant software help 24×7 with full-time staff based in the U.S., and the innovative ways they provided ongoing training to help maximize productivity.
Challenge
During an impending key initiative, executive management was under pressure to find a new and innovative way to deliver training to its 20,000 users on both SharePoint and other Office 365 applications. The existing support desk lacked “how-to” expertise, and EPA users were resistant to traditional classroom training methods. An alternate solution needed to be identified and implemented successfully as there was no room for failure.
Solution
Vitalyst transformed the image of a help desk by setting up a “How-to Help Center” for users of Microsoft Office 365, SharePoint and Lync, OneDrive, Adobe, Dragon and other technologies. By providing phone-based, on-demand expertise, the Vitalyst solutions team was accessible via the existing Help Desk IVR system. To reinforce the answer to the user inquiry, Vitalyst sent a follow up email after each call that recapped the solution with a video on what they had just been taught. In addition, the email included links to training videos on three other—but related—topics, thereby turning one inbound inquiry into ongoing, self-initiated software training. When asked to recap their three key successes in 2013, the technology team at the EPA named Vitalyst Sharepoint migration and their “How-to Help Center” as two out of the three.
