Expanding IT Help Desk services to provide more flexible, personalized support

As Virginia Tech’s presence in the Greater Washington, D.C. area grows, so do the university’s IT support needs. The Division of IT has a strong and talented IT support team housed in the D.C. area; however, for years this team’s help desk services operated independently from those in Blacksburg. To provide more comprehensive and consistent support for users regardless of their campus location, the Division of IT merged its three regional IT help desks, plus D.C. area support queues into a unified system that is integrated with the division’s 24/7/365 system in ServiceNow. This ensures that users can receive help whenever, wherever, and also streamlines incident routing and escalation processes to help users resolve their incidents more quickly.

In Blacksburg, 4Help reopened its in-person help desk in Torgersen Bridge for the first time since March 2020. Open weekdays while classes are in session, the Help Desk provides an approachable, convenient, and 
user-friendly option for one-on-one support for basic issues such as password resets, 2-factor authentication set-up, student software needs, and security questions. The in-person help desk also gives our student 4Help agents the opportunity to develop their professional skills, while Virginia Tech students can get their tech support from a peer.

Advanced Research Computing also reorganized its help desk processes, strengthening the university’s research support ecosystem by ensuring faster, more efficient, and better-coordinated responses to the needs of those utilizing high-performance computing systems and services. A new ticket assignment and management structure enhances service quality, helping researchers stay focused on their work without unnecessary delays.