IMPROVING THE RETURN ON YOUR HELP DESK INVESTMENT
Free Seminar Focuses on Help Desk Processes

White Plains, New York – January 21, 2002 – Corporate support centers, sometimes referred to as information technology, help desk or customer service departments, are increasingly being held accountable for the services they provide and the costs they incur.  Unquestionably, they provide invaluable services, whether responding to internal technical problems or serving the needs of the outside customer. Yet companies, ever more watchful of their bottom lines, cannot overlook the large overhead expenses that these departments incur.  

Today, help desk managers must be able to justify their support center resources and expenditures, show how they can enhance operations, and manage them effectively.  They must look carefully at their computer software and staffing models, the two key components of their operation.  

SMA Management Systems, a leading company specializing in help desk evaluations and solutions, is hosting a free seminar that will demonstrate the latest help desk technologies and how to enhance their return on investment.  The seminar, entitled “Improving the Return on Your Help Desk Investment,” will be held on Friday, February 22, 2002, at the Microsoft Customer Briefing Center in New York City from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.

“Fortunately, many of the latest help desk software innovations provide value and resolve issues less expensively. For example, customer self-service, Web and Email access, and knowledge management let the customer resolve many issues on their own, sometimes requiring no or minimal time from the support center staff,” explains SMA President Steve Dreyer.  “Another software strategy, asset management, tracks hardware and software assets and can save a company up to 30 percent of its IT budget.  A real benefit, eSupport lets support staff take remote control of the customer’s computer to directly fix the problem, without customer interaction.”

New help desk technologies save an organization time and money because they reduce call volume, shorten resolution times, and automate call routing and escalation processes.  They cut down on duplication of effort on repetitive issues and allow for 24/7/365 accessibility via the Web.  In addition, help desk decision makers often select these tools because they measurably improve staff productivity, are easy to train staff on, and enhance management reporting and control. 

Attendees will leave the seminar with a help desk ROI calculator, help desk best practices checklist, strategies to maximize their support center investment and specific ways to justify their resources and manage them effectively.

Companies and individuals interested in attending the free program should contact
SMA Management Systems at (888) 762-5989 Ext. 125, or register online at www.smasystems.com.

About SMA
For over 17 years, SMA Management Systems has provided help desk and support center solutions to Fortune 1000 corporations, small and medium-size businesses, educational institutions, government and not-for-profit organizations.  SMA consultants apply their hands-on experience in building, evaluating, and managing help desk operations to every project.  Today, SMA is one of the leading HEAT solution providers in the U.S.  SMA’s focus is to enhance business processes and productivity with best-in-class software products and implementation services. 

Industry publications, including Beyond Computing, CIO/Webmaster and Public Relations Tactics have published articles written by SMA consultants.  Through invitation, they have presented programs to help desk user groups in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. SMA has also been recognized by the Gartner Group for its technology consulting, staffing and organizational methodologies.  More information on SMA is available at www.smasystems.com.