Exchange IT Service Desk’s New Chat Feature Is Now Live on the Self-Service Help Portal

Associates have another way to fix tech issues as the Exchange’s IT Service Desk new chat feature is now live on the IT Self-Service Help portal.

The chat feature connects users with a service desk agent in real time for the same full support they would receive with a phone call.

Users can find the chat feature by navigating to Quick Links from the home portal page and clicking “IT Help Desk” on the far right. When the webpage opens, click on the chat icon at the bottom right of the screen. Associates using Exchange-issued computers can also use the IT Self Service Help Portal app on their desktop to access the feature.

To get started, associates provide their phone number; select the applicable category from a drop-down list; enter a short description of the issue; answer whether they submitted a ticket previously; and provide a ticket number if they did. The chat feature also allows users to submit photos.

Byron Ciggs, IT install and maintenance manager, said the chat feature allows the help desk team to focus on more pandoraDoncomplex and time-consuming tasks, such as troubleshooting computer crashes and reimaging computers.

Development took four months to complete, Ciggs said.

Ciggs said the chat feature is expected to result in shorter waiting times for those who need to call for more urgent issues. Non-critical issues accounted for approximately 93% of calls the help desk received in 2023. Last year, the desk received approximately 10,500 calls a month. Since the chat sessions launched last fall, the help desk has completed more than 210 sessions.

Non-critical issues include being unable to open a PDF, Excel sheet or Word document from email on a mobile phone; password resets; or adding a signature to an email. The service desk categorizes critical issues by their impact on a system or their impact on an associate’s ability to work.

While the level of effort it takes for agents to assist users should not change as the steps to troubleshoot remain the same, the number of phone calls is expected to drop. Ciggs said agents will be able to handle more than one chat session at a time, something that cannot be done over the phone.

“We expect this combination of agents handling multiple chats, shorter hold time and the associate’s ability to continue working in some cases to improve our service levels and the customer experience,” Ciggs said.

Associates can also find a resolution using other features found on the IT Self-Service Help portal. Users can create their own help tickets; browse previously resolved issues in the knowledge base; and request new equipment.

“If an associate can resolve or log a ticket themselves, that is one less call we have coming into the service desk,” Ciggs said. “Agents will have more time to work on more complex calls and issues,” Ciggs said.