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Value-Added Service Streamlines Processes for Distributors' IT Needs

YARDLEY, PA, June 4, 2007 -- Distributors with IT staffs can now benefit from the same technology Activant® uses when one of its customers has a question. IT Help Desk Functionality, available to Activant customers, enables distributors' employees to submit cases to their IT department online. Once submitted, the case enters a queue where it triggers automatic e-mail alerts to the IT staff, allowing them to respond appropriately.

"This is another example of how Activant delivers as a full-service technology provider," said Steve McLaughlin, senior vice president and general manager of Activant. "In the past, if a printer needs service or someone has a question, a distributor's IT person would get inundated with calls, notes left on their desk, and visits to their desks. IT Help Desk functionality allows distributors to streamline the request process and let the IT staff manage cases efficiently.

"The IT Help Desk acts as a funnel for all of a distributor's technology issues," said McLaughlin. "The solution affords every employee the ability to submit cases to the IT department, where they can be organized, resolved, archived, and, when necessary, forwarded to Activant."

Ease of Administration

Once a request for help is submitted, system administrators have the option to manually assign cases to IT members or to define rules, which will automatically alert IT employees based on specific criteria. For example, if a distributor has an employee that specializes in troubleshooting Microsoft Outlook, IT Help Desk can automatically assign Outlook-related cases to that employee.

Additionally, since the IT Help Desk categorizes cases by priority level, the system administrator can assign them based on the experience levels of the IT employees. That means a new IT staffer can start on low priority cases, while your 20-year veteran gets the mission critical ones.

A Direct Line

In addition to managing cases, a system administrator can use the IT Help Desk's home page to post emergency alerts (i.e., "Main printer is down - should be back up soon"), which can help prevent the submission of duplicate cases. The home page also includes space for other important IT information, such as staff names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, etc.

The IT Help Desk also archives all resolved cases, allowing individuals to seek out their own answers to repeat problems, as opposed to requesting help from the IT department and tying up valuable resources.

Occasionally, a system administrator will come across an issue that cannot be resolved internally because it directly involves the company's Activant solution. When this happens, the IT Help Desk provides the ability to transfer the case and its history directly to Activant for resolution.

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