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Videoconferencing users call
the IVN help desk for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, a simple explanation or
answer is all the caller is looking for while other issues are related to a
problem that requires technical intervention from someone at the help desk.
Because of the wide range of help desk questions, it is important to clarify
whether or not a call to the help desk will result in the opening of a trouble
ticket; who receives notification that a trouble ticket has been opened; and how
IVN communicates with users in resolving and closing trouble tickets.
In short, the following
information is intended to give users a better understanding of IVN’s trouble
ticketing procedures.
- What constitutes a
trouble ticket?
The IVN help desk will initiate a trouble ticket when an issue involves
technical intervention, in other words, a trouble ticket will be opened when
something needs to be fixed or something needs to be done in order to provide a
solution to a caller’s problem.
Examples that warrant a trouble ticket include:
- An IVN technician has to move a conference from one bridge to another because
of an MCU problem
- An IVN technician isolates a problem to a particular site and asks the user to
manipulate in-room hardware or software
- An IVN technician has to call ITD because the problem is associated with the
network
- An IVN technician has to call an equipment vendor to arrange equipment
replacement or on-site service call
Examples that would not warrant a trouble ticket include:
- A user calls the help desk with a particular problem, but the problem
rectifies itself before any diagnosis or intervention occurs (for instance, a
user is not connected to an event and in the midst of contacting the help desk,
the MCU establishes the connection)
- A user calls to inquire about how to do something, like mute a microphone or
turn on a monitor
- A user calls to find out if a particular conference or room is scheduled in
the system
- Who receives a
trouble ticket?
When a trouble ticket is opened, an email notification is automatically sent to
the designated contact person of the affected site and the contact person of the
host site for the event. For example, UND is hosting a 5-site conference that
includes Ellendale High School. If Ellendale has a problem and calls the help
desk, the contact person for Ellendale will receive the trouble ticket
notification as well as the contact person for UND.
A trouble ticket typically re-states the problem and provides troubleshooting
procedures that were used to isolate and identify the problem. Examples may be
as simple as: site X cannot connect to the conference and it appears like there
is a network problem; site Y is not able to pan the camera and we’re going to do
some more testing this afternoon; or site Z is not getting any audio and may
need to replace the microphone.
- How will IVN
communicate trouble ticket resolution and the closing of a trouble ticket?
Typically, trouble tickets are resolved within 24-48 hours. Once a solution has
been identified, IVN technicians will close the trouble ticket and an automatic
email update will be sent to the affected site and host site for the event that
experienced the problem. The update will provide a recap of the problem and the
action taken to resolve it.
- What information is
in the trouble ticket?
All trouble
tickets will contain the person’s name who is calling; call back phone number;
where they are calling from (school, agency, etc.); a description of the problem
and what steps were taken to resolve the problem. If the problem is remedied by
an IVN technician with the assistance of another department, agency or vendor,
this information will also be included in the ticket.
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