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.