For Baruch Labunski and his IT teams, troubleshooting took on an entirely new meaning when the world transitioned into remote work.
“Before the pandemic, an employee could easily call an expert over to figure out a solution,” Labunski, CEO of Rank Secure, said in an email. “Infrastructure was all in-house, so troubleshooting was easy. But that changed when practically everyone went remote.”
While the world relied on technology to keep business operations going, IT teams needed to make sure that their tech was secure and effectively operating. Tools used in the office needed to adapt or be left behind.
Labunski’s team added new tools that allowed IT to support business employees from home. One of the tools scanned for problems stemming from customers’ internet service, allowing the tech support team more time to address serious issues.
Other changes included DIY fixes and implementing step-by-step guides that detailed update procedures and identified potential issues with equipment. This resulted in fewer repeat callers with problems.
“Some of the more complicated issues that we saw before the pandemic no longer exist because more of our employees are trained to fix the real problem causing the issue,” Labunski said.
As businesses transition to a permanent hybrid work model or employees return to the office, IT help desk workers remain the everyday heroes of business operations. And their work does not go unrecognized.
Stakeholders consistently rank the service desk as one of the top-five most important services that IT provides, according to research from Info-Tech Research Group’s CIO Business Vision program.
Providing gear for employees is an important role for IT teams and having employees work from home and in the office means rethinking workstations, according to Tom Hughes, director of service delivery at Electric AI.
Hughes said that his teams are taking into consideration budgeting for double the amount of equipment and lifecycle management.
“We've seen a serious cut down in the amount of remote end-user office setups that originally came in huge waves to now just being the norm for any user setup,” Hughes said in an email.
Many end users have learned how to operate systems and basic troubleshooting for hardware like wireless mice, cameras or extra monitors, as hybrid work moves from a pandemic-era novelty to an essential component of company culture.
