Assessing Your Helpdesk

As a sophisticated helpdesk solution, ABShelp™ allows users to communicate with support professionals through various channels — voice, online chat, email, or fax — and to track their issue status through resolution. ABShelp™ is a web-based knowledge center that offers optimal support services through three key components: people, process, and technology providing a fully hosted solution.

People: The support professionals at ABS are well-trained, from both a technical and customer service perspective. Our agents handling helpdesk support hold certifications from numerous firms including Microsoft, HDI, and IBM; additionally, they attend soft skills training throughout the year. Annual voluntary turnover is less than 1%. All of ABS' project managers hold certifications from the Project Management Institute, and our Service Desk Director is ITIL certified with over 20 years experience in IT support. Together, the people at ABS provide a highly qualified team for your helpdesk needs.

Process: By following documented procedures throughout the implementation phase, ABS' project managers collect the right information about your unique business requirements. ABS is actively involved with leading helpdesk organizations, such as the Help Desk Institute, not only to stay abreast of industry best practices but also to help set the standards for helpdesk support. ABShelp™ follows processes that allow us to both meet and monitor the service levels for each client's needs. Most importantly, ABShelp™ is a true knowledge center that captures and reports data to help you make strategic IT decisions.

Technology: ABShelp™ is a VoIP, server-based solution, allowing the helpdesk to deliver the right information to the right person at the right time. Because the telephony system is tightly integrated with the web-based call tracking system, users can access support anytime, anywhere. The technology behind ABShelp™ can be seamlessly integrated with your current IT structure. Implementation time typically ranges between 6 to 8 weeks.

Fully Hosted Solution

Infrastructure: The ABShelp™ managed service offering provides all hardware and software required for our web-based total solution. The infrastructure is provided by ABS and housed in our data center which is managed, monitored and maintained around the clock by our engineers. The SAS70-verified infrastructure provides several layers of redundancy and security, including disk arrays, server-class hardware, UPS, multi-grid power, generators, isolated fire suppression systems, disaster-resistant structures, and advanced biometric security. Our 100Mbps uplink to the Internet, with backbone connectivity to four major service providers, ensures bandwidth for all clients to access ABShelp™ from any location in the world.

Daily backups are done on-line (without tapes) and stored in two separate remote vaults. With stringent regulatory requirements for security and confidentiality, protecting client data is an important part of ABS' focus. All backup data is encrypted using 256-bit keys that only ABS can access.

Applications: ABShelp™ is a hosted solution that takes advantage of our "best in class" business processing tools. We have made the investment so our clients don't have to. It is currently supporting tens of thousands of users in hundreds of customer environments. As such, it has proven its versatility and flexibility. Because it is flexible, ABS can customize workflows, escalation procedures, problem classes, and management reports. Users and management can access ABShelp™ anywhere they have a broadband connection to the Internet.

In addition to problem and process management tools, ABShelp™ provides a single point of contact via Multimedia: VoIP, Email, Web Form, and On-line Chat. All media is routed through a full-featured Automated Call Director (ACD). ACD features included Computer Telephony Integration (CTI, screen pops), and Interactive Voice and Video Response (IVR, IVVR). Other features include real time and historic reporting as well as supervisory monitoring.

These are the essential ingredients for a class A service desk; all require a significant investment of time as well as experience. The result is a more effective partnership that cannot only handle each transaction efficiently but also provide information of tactical and strategic benefits to our customers.

ABShelp™ highlights ABS' ability to provide top-of-the-line, innovative IT support to our clients offering them:

"Hardware infrastructure consisting of database, operating systems, email and applications servers with 100Mbit VPN access to the Internet
ABShelp™ "best in class" business processing tools including customized graphical workflows, automated escalation procedures and management reports
Full featured, multimedia Automated Call Director (ACD) and with toll-free numbers as well as priority and VIP designation and routing
Staff to administer, manage, maintain and monitor the applications and systems
Systems Architecture engineers to maintain design consistency, reliability and consistency
Redundancy of power and storage for disaster prevention and/or recovery
Firewall security to prevent unauthorized tampering with Customer data
Daily on-line encrypted backup of data to remote vaults
Upgrades to the latest technology and application enhancements
7 x 24 monitoring of entire system by certified engineers
Increased productivity of end-users and support personnel
Economies of scale that reduce IT support costs
Sophisticated call-tracking capabilities to monitor and report on support activity
Access to IT services anywhere in the world
Phone analysts that are experienced, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to!