NIH Help Desk Phone Menu -- a brief guide

In order to assist you with our new phone menu, we offer the following information for making the most appropriate selection.

When calling the Help Desk at 301-496-4357 or 866-319-4357, you will first hear the...

Help Desk Welcome Message

This message is used to communicate:

· Significant or widespread IT outages or other events.

· Additional temporary menu options for dealing with significant or widespread outages or events.

· Alerts to changes in the menu options regardless of whether there is an emergency or not.

After the Welcome message, you are given numeric options from which to choose. The following section details these options and provides guidance in their use.

Please press Two (2) for Password and Account-related help

Select this option if:

· You need help with accessing an application or service that has an associated set of assigned credentials (e.g., username/password).

· You have questions or requests related to the actual credentials that are used. We refer to these credentials as Accounts.

The submenus allow you to select assistance for the following:

· Password resets or lockouts (#1)

· Account creates, additions, moves, deletes, etc. (#2)

Select this option if:

· You can't log into any IT interface -- a computer, ITAS, NBS, email, NIH website, etc.

· You don't know how to log into an IT application, service, or computer.

· You need help with adding or deleting accounts or changing account information.

Please press Three (3) for help with ITAS, NBS, and other NIH Applications

Select this option if:

· You need help with using or troubleshooting an NIH Application. An NIH Application is one that is used at the NIH for NIH business-related functions and is generally not commercially available outside of NIH (e.g., MS Office, or Outlook). The key word here is using. If it is a login-related issue, then selecting Accounts is the better bet.

The submenus allow you to select assistance for the following:

· NBS (#1)

· ITAS (#2)

· Other (#3).

Select this option if:

· You need help using an NIH Enterprise application like ITAS, NBS, NEES, NIH Portal, ADB, etc.

· You need help with Mainframe/Titan issues or services

· You need help with an application specifically developed and used in your IC. (Note: Although we may not have the specific knowledge to assist in every case, we are able to route these requests to the proper support personnel, as quickly as possible.)

Please press Four (4) for email, Blackberry, VPN or other connectivity, and communications help

Select this option if you need help with such issues as:

· Using or troubleshooting email

· Blackberry handheld devices

· NIH Virtual Private Network (VPN)

· Network and Internet connectivity

To sum it up, it is for computing that involves messaging or networking.

The submenus allow you to select assistance for the following:

· Email, Blackberry, etc (#1)

· VPN as well as network and other connectivity support (#2).

Please press Five (5) for PC, Mac, and General IT Support

Select this option if:

· You need help with anything else related to computing. This can be used as a catchall for the other options that are more specific in nature.

The submenus allow you to select assistance based on:

· PC (Windows) Operating System (#1)

· Macintosh Operating System (#2)

· Other (#3)

Select this option if:

· You need help with using Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) software like Microsoft Word or Excel, Adobe, RealPlayer, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Anti-virus, etc. Typically, these applications/software can be purchased from any software reseller or computer store.

· You have a question about IT Policy.

· You need to report computing equipment as lost or stolen.

· You need to borrow, move, or set up computer equipment.

Please press Six (6) for Phone, Pager, and Radio support

Select this option for help with the following:

· Usability

· Acquisition

· Repair

· Moves or other service of telephones

· Pagers or two-way radios

There are no submenus for this option.

Note: Most telephone services can be requested through the online request Web site for telephone services at http://tsr.cit.nih.gov.

Please press Seven (7) for help selecting the correct option

Select this option if:

· You are unable to determine which of the stated options apply to your request and you need assistance.

When the Help Desk agent answers the phone, the agent will ask you for a brief description of your problem to help route you to the proper help queue, as quickly as possible. The agent should also explain which option they are routing you through in the event you call again with the same request.

FAQs -- Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Why is there no option #1?

A: We find that option #1 is often selected when people do not take the time to listen to the menu. The routing of calls to the right group is important because menu options can change at any time; we want our customers to make it a practice to listen to the menu. If the number 1 or * is selected, the menu repeats.

Q: What if I am unable to determine whether my problem is a login issue, NIH application issue, or network connectivity issue? Will I be transferred from person to person?

A: Not likely. We ask that you do your best to select the most appropriate option, but we understand that some issues may not be that clear. The agent who answers your call is able to get the troubleshooting process started.

Q: When should I call? Is it really just for emergencies and urgent matters?

A: We ask that routine requests be submitted through our online request site (http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/support). This allows Help Desk agents to provide more efficient response times for callers. In the event your computer does not work and submitting an online request is impossible, then contact by phone is considered the most appropriate method. The important thing to know is that an agent can provide assistance for your request even if the request is not considered urgent or an emergency.