Service Desk Analyst

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

4d•Onsite

About The Position

This position acts as the first single point of client contact to AITS and serves as a contact for problem reporting and resolution, system status and availability, and general information pertaining to procedures, facilities, and other AITS services. The Service Desk Analyst responds to inquiries and requests for assistance with computer systems and/or usage, identifying, analyzing, troubleshooting, and assisting in problem resolution with the aim of eliminating recurrences and reducing repeat calls. They coordinate with other IT areas to resolve problems as necessary.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Two (2) years (24 months) of college coursework in Information Technology (IT), IT Management, Programming, IT systems, or a closely related discipline, OR two (2) years of work experience in IT-related functions, such as hardware/software support, programming, network design, network engineering, IT systems integration, or closely related field.
Extensive customer service experience required.
Ability to interact with customers in a professional and courteous manner via telephone and email.
Respectful of customers and manages difficult or emotional customer situations appropriately; responds and follows up promptly to needs and requests for service and assistance.
Ability to identify and resolve problems quickly and effectively.
Conveys reliable and accurate information so it is easily understood and uses appropriate communication mechanism(s) to disseminate information.
Possess sensitivity to involvement of the appropriate decision-makers, as needed, and knows when to escalate; implements solutions, not fixes.
Excellent writing and communication skills.
Able to document technical solutions and create clear, high-quality knowledge documents for public use by customers and internal support staff.
Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification of requests; responds well to questions; ability to interact clearly with people over the telephone, often in stressful situations.
Must be flexible in work schedules while maintaining punctual, regular, and consistent attendance.
Must be available to work overtime or any shift (1st, 2nd, 3rd) as requested or required.
Excellent teamwork skills and a great team player.
Follows team expectations and guiding principles and holds teammates accountable for doing the same.
Able to work independently; willing and able to make decisions in a timely manner in difficult or ambiguous situations.
Ability to take initiative and make improvements; anticipate customer needs; look for ways to make things better for the customer; pays close attention to detail.
Understands concepts of desktop and client software (browsers, operating systems, etc).
Uses time efficiently; approaches others in a tactful manner; treats others with respect; accepts responsibility for own actions.
Contributes skills and capabilities to achieve team goals; encourages and gives credit to others for their contributions.
Performs a wide range of tasks, responding to changes in direction and priorities; accepts new challenges, responsibilities, and assignments.
Works outside of ordinary routine.
Ability to quickly learn and become self-sufficient on new technical skills.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with batch scheduling concepts and experience with service management software and ability to extract data, conduct analysis, and develop recommendations strongly preferred.
Web design experience and ability to read and edit HTML, CSS, and JS.
Knowledge of SQL and shell scripting.
HDI or ITIL certification.

Responsibilities

Provide direct customer support via phone, email, and other support channels.
Troubleshoot to understand and isolate the customer's root issue, utilizing the KnowledgeBase as the primary resource for finding solutions.
Think creatively to troubleshoot and solve unfamiliar issues, making connections between tickets to find common problems, and watching for trends that indicate potential problems.
Direct issues to higher support tiers and collaborate with external teams to resolve issues when needed.
Promote a professional Service Desk image and sell the value of the Service Desk.
Provide technical front-line and second tier support related to open systems batch processing (e.g., batch requests, migrations, parameter modification, etc.).
Search for and analyze potential operating and batch problems and initiate corrective measures within limits of authority.
Monitor system activity/performance for a large complex of servers, network interfaces, and peripheral devices, taking corrective action in a timely manner.
Ensure all monitoring alerts are acknowledged, resolved, and cleared from view.
Page on-call staff and post to the university status page to communicate urgent and high priority incidents in a timely manner.
Log all calls and email requests into the ticketing system.
Document solutions in the KnowledgeBase in a clean, presentable style that is simple for all customers to understand and follow.
Include in support tickets all pertinent facts on the customer and troubleshooting steps that have been attempted to solve issues, particularly for tickets that need to be transferred to higher support tiers.
Work to eliminate recurring problems.
Daily and routine management of knowledge articles to ensure accuracy and freshness.
Create new knowledge articles and update content in existing articles when needed.
Maintain content in the knowledge repository so that it is an effective tool for internal support staff and for customers alike.
Assist in developing and achieving unit goals to help improve Service Desk service, productivity, and efficiency.
Participate on project teams to test and implement new products and services, facilitate sharing of information within and across AITS groups, and assist in evaluating software tools to enhance monitoring capabilities.
Participate in customer service/process improvement initiatives.
Participate in and encourage a knowledge-sharing environment; develop and deliver cross-training activities to Service Desk staff.
Establish and nurture working relationships with clients and AITS departmental staff.
Keep peers and end users informed of trends, significant problems, unexpected delays, and anything new in the environment that will impact customers.
Keep customers informed of wide-reaching problems, scheduled downtime, etc.
Keep customers informed of progress on problems that cannot be resolved on first call.
Communicate and coordinate all software, hardware, system, and operational problems that arise during shift.
Possess a clear understanding of critical events when they happen (e.g., system interruptions, server crashes, failed backups, production job aborts) what to do, and with whom to make contact.
Proactively share information with Service Desk employees on all shifts to ensure smooth transition of process ownership and provide workflow direction on specific activities which will require attention beyond shift turnover.
Report atypical assistance requests and their resolution to all Service Desk staff.
Establish and achieve personal career goals.
Maintain and develop technical knowledge, analytical skills, leadership skills, and communication skills.
Stay abreast of current technology.
Attend training and conferences to stay abreast of current technology and to build and maintain a professional network.
Perform other duties and responsibilities appropriate for an IT Technical Associate.