Automating Residence Hall Internet Signups

As colleges and universities are moving into the realm of providing Internet connections to the residence dormitories (ResNet), the local help desk is becoming the focal point for registration and problem resolution. The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) was faced with an avalanche of 3000-4500 possible contacts for Resnet account setups in a very short time frame at the beginning of fall term. The problem was how best to automate this signup activity while providing the customer timely and reliable service. Another challenge was how to best provide the staff and students (and, if necessary, parents) with some type of reporting methods that would be accessible to all who needed the information. UNI has used a combination of web-based applications, email, and reporting software to solve these problems. The web-based applications automate submittal of a request via email to initiate entry into our HEAT (Help Expert Automated Tools from Goldmine Software) call tracking central database. ...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2000
• Where: SIGUCCS
• Authors: John R. Miller, Tom Peterson
• Keywords: Help Desk, Information Management, Resnet Account Setups, SIGUCCS 2000, Web-based Applications