IT Support help

[AHarvey]

Hi all,

As part of our company we have people working from home in our chat rooms. A common issue is that they have time away from their shift due to technical issues such as hardware overheating, internet issues, software problems and issues connecting to our VPN and chat software.

It's become so bad we're having to track these issues now as some people are quite obviously taking the pee.

I've been asked to look at ways we can monitor and pull information on the issues. So, I'm thinking for a flow chart to discover where the issue lies exactly with the employee, and maybe software to monitor the PC/internet access.

But, to save me reinventing the wheel, do any of you guys already have stuff like this that you use to troubleshoot other people's technical problems via phone or online chat?

Or suggestions on software that track PC data while they are working (current hardware, software running, temps, internet connectivity etc)?

 

[AHarvey]

You've been asked to look at ways to fix a problem you don't know how to fix. Is that what this boils down to?

No, I can sit here and write flow diagrams for others to follow when talking to these people to track exactly what the issues are to weed out the valid IT issues from the fake ones. Then depending on the result offer advice on fixes or whether it needs passing to our IT/NOC/VPN teams, but it's time consuming and if other people have these systems in place then it makes sense to check those and build/modify them as needed.

How do these people access the company network? Is it via VPN?

More details needed.

Yes, they load a VPN and connect to our chat software, although it doesn't give them access to the actual internal network.

We can track issues with the VPN as we can check how many times they've tried to login, login times, logout times etc. The issue is with their connection to the VPN either via hardware issues or 'internet' issues which could cover everything from the phone network dying or the router needs resetting.

For the sake of clarity, is the problem that a number of people WFH are not actually doing the W bit, blaming it on hardware and/or software problems and you want to track the issues that are legit and weed out those who are just not working?

Pretty much yes, we're having to weed out the real issues from the fake issues where people just want to nip to the shop or answer a phone call etc. We put processes in place and trigger points in the hope that it stops the majority of the fake cases, and i've been lumbered with it

 

[AHarvey]

It's basically a customer support role. They get paid a very good wage to sit in various chat rooms interacting with members, advising on promotions, helping with issues and creating a friendly environment. I supervisor these people and deal with the management decisions from above.

Customer support is the office equivalent of a production line, and although our chat is supposed to be fun everything is monitored. For instance, if a host in our casino room disappears for 10 mins, a member might come in, ask a question, receive no response and decide they are going to leave the site. That member alone could be worth £100k to the company (yes, people do spend those kind of amounts on site) and we've just lost them.

It's all stat based and for good reason, although I do question the effectiveness of it all quite a lot. You know if someone is good at their job or not if you're a decent leader, you don't need the figures.

Saying that, a lot of the people that do work in this role are here because it's easy, good money and quite frankly a dossers job. A lot love it, they work hard, put in extra time prepping and learning but there are those that need baby sitting.

I would happily take a step down from my role to WFH,Ii'd actually be financially better off without the travel costs and love working in my own environment, proper home food and more time with my daughter. Some of this lot don't see the benefits though and really are taking the pee, and without making the entire WFH position redundant the only way we've got to manage them is via processes to weed out the lazy ones.

Hence why I've come for advice on software/flow charts that can be used to monitor issues and diagnose where the issue is

EDIT: They do make contact when it happens, but in the last 24 hours one employee has contacted us 5 times as her PC/monitors have overheated.

EDIT2: I've also suggested sending out IT equipment to them, and it would allow us to remote connect to them, but supposedly there's some issue if the equipment was to malfunction/burn their house down etc...not to sure on that excuse myself!

 

[AHarvey]

Guys, you're repeating all the stuff I pass on to the management here all the time.

I've argued for dedicated equipment for home staff, proper IT training to a decent level for all staff (hosts (chat room staff) are expected to help members out, I can't even get them touch typing training despite the fact it will increase productivity.

I'm getting there with something things but the company is dedicated towards new markets, expanding into the USA etc. Things like this are tiny issues in the company but still things which need sorting and I do seem to be the one that gets lumbered with getting things sorted.

The initial thing management want is to track the technical issues that stop home hosts from doing their job, and using flow diagrams etc to figure out what the main issues are. We can then look at genuine cases and how to solve them, as well as the HR route for the fake cases.

Ball ache of a job, not actually part of my job but as I said, anything slightly technical and I get stuck with it

EDIT:

We're always hiring for lots of jobs and in lots of countries : http://www.gamesyscorporate.com/careers

But if you apply, email me and i'll pass CV over. If you pass probation I get £500 and we'll split it 50/50

 

[AHarvey]

nope, if they aren't connected they don't get paid already, but they have contracted hours to work etc so when they are on shift, they are working.

As said, it's a glorified job that people make what they want to. You put the effort in, prep games, quizes, chat topics etc and you can do very well with bonuses etc. It does have potential for the right people, we've just got a few of the wrong people.