Service Level Expectations

This Service Level Expectation document is intended to define the following:

  • A high-level description of services provided by the Technology Help Desk.
  • The responsibilities of the Technology Help Desk
  • When and how to contact the Technology Help Desk.
  • The incident/case process and guidelines.

The content of this document is subject to modifications in response to changes in technology services/support needs and will remain in effect until revised or terminated.

Fully Supported Services

The University provides full support for University owned computers. "Fully supported" means that the Technology Help Desk will make every attempt to perform any steps they are responsible for, with the expectation that they will perform one of the following:

  • Resolve the issue
  • Completing the case/service request
  • Escalating it to the appropriate person or group for resolution or completion

Desktop Software

  • Browser troubleshooting
  • University-owned and licensed software
  • Application execution troubleshooting

OIT managed Enterprise Systems (e.g., W-Exchange, PeopleSoft, Banner INB, Banner Self Service, Kronos and Elearning)

  • Account (username and password) activation, maintenance and log in troubleshooting.
  • Basic navigation assistance, browser related issues although some issues may have to be escalated.
  • Outage reporting for IT maintained networks and enterprise systems.

Network Infrastructure

  • Network log in assistance (e.g. username and password) maintenance and login troubleshooting.
  • University wired/wireless connectivity troubleshooting
  • Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity troubleshooting

Services with Limited Support

The Technology Help Desk provides limited support for personal computers and devices. The support will be limited if the computer or device doesn't meet the minimum requirements. "Limited support" means that the Technology Help Desk will determine the level of support they can provide, which includes one or more of the following:

  • Attempting any necessary steps, without the expectation they can complete the case/service request.
  • Providing the customer with standard instructions or guides such as self-help documentation for solution.
  • Redirecting the customer to another resource for assistance with their case/service request. (see Referral services below for more information)

Services with limited support includes:

  • Network and enterprise systems account set up on personal devices
  • Troubleshooting of: Network and enterprise systems related connectivity issues
  • IT supported browsers.

Referral Services

"Referral" means the Technology Help Desk does not support the requested service; therefore, the customer will be referred to another resource (e.g., Lan Manager, vendor or another IT department) for assistance with the case/service request. Referral services include:

  • Departmental shared drives
  • Local printer/printer driver
  • Computer hardware
  • Creating, uploading and maintaining web pages
  • Installation, set up of software not licensed or owned by the University
  • Navigation assistance for any software or application not supported by the University or IT managed.
  • Account activation, maintenance or log in troubleshooting of software or applications not supported by the University or IT managed.
  • File backup, recovery or restoration
  • Computer re-imaging

Technology Help Desk Responsibilities

The Technology Help Desk is a central point of contact when providing assistance with supported services listed in this document. Responsibilities and requirements of the Technology Help Desk include:

  • Interact with the WMU community in a respectful and courteous manner.
  • When possible, resolve the problem or complete the service request on first contact
  • Work with the customer to accurately and thoroughly document the incident description, comments and resolution.
  • Make a reasonable effort to ensure the customer's data is not lost
  • When necessary, escalate, assign, or refer the case to the appropriate area.
  • Make every effort to respond to and resolve all cases assigned to the Technology Help Desk.
  • Communicate updates and resolutions to service requests and or cases via email, or through the goWMU case management system.

Departmental Services

Generally, the Technology Help Desk acts as a hub for reporting technical support incidents and service requests. If an area/department has a technical liaison (Lan Manager/IT Support) customers will be directed to contact that person for support. The Technology Help Desk acts as a back-up support when these liaisons are unavailable. Although the Technology Help Desk is unable to perform all the functions pertaining to specific departmental issues and we still have the same "referral" policy on software and applications that are not OIT managed. The following is a high level description of the services provided by the Technology Help Desk.

Technology Help Desk goWMU case management process

The Technology Help Desk is tier 1 support. When an incident or request for service is reported and needs a higher level of service our team will be responsible to create a case within goWMU and assign it to the appropriate party. The actual response time may vary depending on the volume of cases, the availability of resources, and the accuracy and completeness of the information provided. We strive to follow all guidelines and prioritize cases accordingly. Once a case is created the customer will be notified via email and as updates and resolutions take place on this case the customer will be notified.

  • Prioritization of the case will be done when creating the case (e.g., service or application is not working, network is down) these would be put on high priority.
  • Creation and assignment of the case will be done by the Technology Help Desk. We strive to create cases that include all pertinent information for the quickest resolution.
  • Escalation of cases will be addressed on a case by case basis.
  • Tracking and reporting cases

After-Hours Help Desk

An after-hours help desk provides support for Elearning issues when the on-campus help desk is closed. Please note that other types of issues will be escalated to the on-campus help desk for resolution during normal business hours. To reach the after-hours help desk, call (269) 387-4357. You can also email your issue directly to helpdesk@wmich.edu and you will receive a response the next business day.