Assignments for Class 5
Assignment 5.1: Interactive Voice Response
Make a call to a business or other organization that has an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) phone system.
This might be a movie theater to find out this week's movies and show times, a call to a chain store to find out the nearest location, or a call to a credit card company to determine your availble credit line, to name just a few possibilites. Take notes about your experience, including how many options you had to listen to, whether you had to use the phone keys or could use speech, and how long it took you to get the information you wanted. Briefly write an evaluation of your experience, including any ways in which the organization you called could improve its IVR system.
Assignment 5.2: Computer Telephony Integration
Search the World Wide Web for information about CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) systems. Then write a brief report listing three companies that produce CTI systems and comparing and contrasting the features of their products.
Posted 2006-02-06
Assignments for Class 4
Assignment 4.1:
Suppose you are the manager of a help desk, and you are interviewing candidates for first-level position - that is, someone to handle initial incident management. You must choose between a person with five years' experience in a PC repair business and someone with five years' experience answering customer service calls for a major retail catalog operation. Which person would you hire? Explain why.
Assignment 4.2:
Suppose you have been asked to develop a course that will teach listening skills for help desk personnel. Go to the Web and search for training courses and materials on listening skills. Review the sites, and make a list of the topics common to most courses. Create an outline listing the topics that you would cover in your course, and explain why these topics are important.
Posted 2006-01-30
Assignments for Class 3
Assignment 3.1: Compare Help Desk Software
Use the Internet to investigate any two integrated help desk software packages, and submit a written report by email to the instructor. Here are three companies to begin with:
- BMC Software
- HelpStar
- Magic Solutions
Compare their price, features, and usability in tabular form.
What would you recommend for different size organizations - small, medium, and large? Explain why.
Assignment 3.2: Explore Career Options
Use the Internet - especially on-line job sites - to explore help desk career options, and submit a written report by email to the instructor.
What is the starting salary range for help desk personnel in southeast Michigan?
Beyond the front desk, there are several career paths possible. Create a table listing skills required, certifications that might be helpful, and salary ranges for each of the following possible jobs, using current data from the Internet:
- Help desk management
- Network engineering
- Quality assurance
- Software engineering
- Database management
- Project management
- Web development
Given your current skills and what you enjoy doing, what do you think would be the best direction for you to take?
Posted 2006-01-23
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