The Most Common Help Desk Requests

Computers & Technology

  • Author Brett Jacobs
  • Published June 1, 2010
  • Word count 372

The help desk is the first stop for those facing technology issues ranging from simple to complex. As a point of contact with a variety of clients, it’s important to be well versed in the most common questions asked by users.

  1. Password Resets

With the increase of technology in the workforce, more and more programs are being used for every spectrum of the corporate environment. With those programs, come passwords. While users often have a single sign on to access a network, various other computer programs come with password designations too. It’s a given that clients, from time to time, are going to forget these passwords. If someone has locked themselves out of their account or cannot access a program due to a password error, the help desk will be the first to hear about it. Luckily, this is typically a very easy problem to solve.

  1. Network Connectivity

Whether the server is down or there is a software malfunction, having an interrupted connection to the internet or network is another very common problem the help desk will face. Typically if it is a server outage, the solution will be to focus on the server issue. Smaller problems sometimes cause for more detailed troubleshooting on a specific machine.

  1. Lost Files/Overwritten Files

With the fast paced and high stressed deadlines facing users, a time will come when someone has saved the wrong copy (or worse, deleted the right copy) of a file. Lost, overwritten or deleted files are another common and often panicked request. Luckily, most business environments employ a network backup system for servers. These requests should hopefully be remedied by searching for the latest backup of a user’s computer and restoring the file to its original source.

  1. Slow PC

Internet connections, web meetings, large programs, and opening numerous programs at once can all contribute to a slower computer. Still, this remains a common grievance from computer users. By checking the server connectivity and pinpointing connection speeds, the actual speed on the network can be estimated. The solution to these types of problems can range from simple solutions such as defragmenting a hard drive or deleting old caches, to more costly solutions like upgrading a user’s virtual memory.

Brett Jacobs covers business technology topics, offering advice to IT decision makers. When it comes to help desk outsourcing, he recommends the services from Dataprise.

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Article comments

Ro
Ro · 12 years ago
Password resets and restorations seem to be less of an issue than they used to be. I see a lot more issues with failing to switch over backup drives, and network issues relating to DNS and DHCP. When you're dealing with lots of small clients, rather than one large one, the landscape changes quite a bit.

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