ITIL Based Service Operations
The IT industry is one of those industries that loves to use acronyms, levels, tiers and other nomenclature that can sometimes be confusing to navigate. This can be especially true when it comes to more client facing operations such as Support Levels or Tiers. At LogicCloud IT we us the industry standard and proven Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) practices and processes for many of our operations. ITIL is a set of practices for IT service management with a primary focus on aligning the needs of business with IT services. This translates to how we at LogicCloud IT organize our service roles and service operation to provide the best possible response times and service to our customers.
At LogicCloud IT we utilize the three (3) level service operation structure, with Level 1 being the lowest support tier, and Level 3 being the highest support tier. Sometimes in the industry you will hear of a Level 4, this will usually translate to meaning that the issue has been escalated outside of the organization to the actual manufacturer or vendor of the product. Below we have put together a chart to help explain the different tier functions and support methodology.
| Level 1 (Tier 1) | Basic service desk delivery and help desk resolution. | Support for basic issues such as solving usage issues and fulfilling service desk requests that need IT assistance. If no solution is achieved, tier 1 will escalate incidents to a higher tier, either 2 or 3 depending on the issue. |
| Level 2 (Tier 2) | In-depth technical support | Knowledgeable and more experienced technicians that assess issues and provide solutions for problems that cannot be handed by tier 1, or will require a longer engagement to complete. If no solution is found, tier 2 support will escalate the incident to a tier 3 technician or directly to the manufacturer or vendor. |
| Level 3 (Tier 3) | Expert product and service support | These are the highest technical resources available for problem resolution, and usually hold multiple industry certifications. Technicians attempt to duplicate problems and define root causes, using product designs, code, or specifications. When a root cause is identified, and the issue is resolved, Tier 3 technicians may also create fix documented for use by tier 1 and tier 2 personnel. |
At LogicCloud IT, like most IT Services Providers, all service tickets start at a Level 1 help desk level, regardless of severity. Level 1 Help Desk agents provide initial technical review and troubleshooting of the issue required to create the service ticket and document the issue at a technical level. They then provide support for basic customer issues such as solving usage issues and fulfilling service desk requests that need IT involvement.
If no basic solution is available, or after verifying adequate documentation of the issue exists, Level 1 personnel escalate incidents to a higher tier. While sometimes it can seem like a critical issue that will knowingly be escalated should be send straight to a higher tier, however, Level 1 support technicians are a critical part in troubleshooting even the most critical issues, as they are able to gather the basic troubleshooting information, such as event logs, ping and latency tests and dump files, that will allow a higher level technician to be able to perform their resolution of an issue faster.
Level 1 Support Scope
Sometimes there can be some confusion as to what exactly is in the scope or out of scope for Level 1 support; so we wanted to provide some examples of issues that would be in or out of the Level 1 Support Scope, this is not intended to be an all-inclusive list, but instead to give you some real examples.
Examples of issues that would be in the LogicCloud IT Level 1 Support Scope are:
-- Support devices running current Microsoft or Apple OS's
-- Open a ticket with 3rd party vendors of business line application(s) and ISP connectivity when applicable, and if third party support details are provided; by making the call for the client and then escalating the incident to a Tier 2 Technetium for further review and follow-up.
-- Workstation/Laptop/Hand Held Hardware Support. (Corporate only or Home use if required for Corporate access)
-- Mobile/Handheld devices (based on product support lifecycle)
-- Network connectivity Support
-- Wi-Fi Client setup (Internet Connectivity Only)
-- Best Effort Core Desktop Application support; examples include:
..... Adobe Acrobat
..... Adobe Reader
..... Citrix ICA Clients for Windows
..... Internet Explorer Browser
..... Chrome Browser
..... Firefox Browser
..... Mac Safari Browser
..... Desktop AntiVirus
..... Mac Mail
..... Microsoft Office 365
..... Microsoft Excel
..... Microsoft Outlook
..... Microsoft PowerPoint
..... Microsoft Word
..... Email Client
-- Office 365 and associated processes
-- Printer-related problems such as mapping, drivers and connectivity
-- Server based Password resets (Documentation, access, and approval process supplied Tier 3 technicians)
-- Spyware or virus cleaning from PCs (Single PC’s only as reported by an end user)
-- New user creation and password resets:
..... Tier 1 Helpdesk agents will only reset passwords for the user account of the user making the request or an authorized management contact.
..... Create User Account in Main database (Active Directory or other LDAP system) if applicable and documented.
..... Create corresponding email account with existing product or through a cloud-based offering (Hosted Exchange) if applicable and documented.
..... Create and configure SPAM filtering for the account if applicable and documented.
..... Requests past these steps will be escalated to a Level 2 technician for completion, or if the information required for these initial setups has not been provided.
-- Mobile Device Support:
..... Application Support (Best Effort)
..... Data Synchronization
..... Account Setup
..... Device Features and Settings
..... Active Sync/HotSync/Blackberry Enterprise Server
..... Software/App Installation
.....Hardware troubleshooting
Examples of issues that would be outside of the LogicCloud IT Level 1 Support Scope are:
-- Any installation, repair or virus scanning to more than 3 machines
-- OS reinstalls or re-imaging
-- Restoring backup files or configuring backup devices
-- Problems occurring in unsupported or outdated applications or devices not documented in the knowledge base.
-- Creation or modification of File Permissions or Group Policy
-- Setup of new devices. PCs (Including Laptops) or peripherals. (Printers or business machines)
-- New or existing Network or other infrastructure setups
-- Onsite desk side support
-- SharePoint administration including setup or modification of SharePoint website permissions or structure
-- Network device troubleshooting
-- Requests more than 60 minutes of effort
-- Phone Hardware or VoIP telephony of any kind
-- Data transfers/migrations
-- File restorations