The RU Help Desk is an integrated package of services offering to members of the RU community a variety of ways to request technical assistance and to keep track of requests that have already been submitted. This document provides a quick introduction to the use of each of these services. We recommend that you read through the entire document in order to identify the approach that best meets your needs.

Here are a few tips on using this service:

• Before submitting a request, check the knowledge base to see if you can find your answer.
• If it's not an emergency, consider submitting a written request using the form on the support site.
• In case of emergency, if you need to talk to someone about your problem, call the help desk at 312-341-4357 (HELP). Agents are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• To track the progress of your request, watch your email for updates or log into the support site to view all your tickets.

Consult the Knowledge Base

In many cases the information you need has already been recorded in the online knowledge base, a collection of brief articles on a variety of issues that is part of the help desk support site. Follow these steps to access the knowledge base:

1. When the support site home page displays, look for the links to the knowledge base in the left column. Click the Online Self Service tab to display a more detailed view of the knowledge base.

2. You can browse through the articles by following the subject headings. If a heading has a plus sign next to it, click the term to expand the category to reveal additional subcategories.

3. If you don't immediately see what you need you can search the knowledge base using the built-in search engine. Enter a key word in the field at the top of the page and click Search. A list of relevant articles and download documents will appear. An Advanced Search option is also available for creating more precise queries.

4. Most knowledge base articles are brief and convenient for online viewing. A few more lengthy help documents have been posted as PDF documents for downloading, viewing, and (if necessary) printing. To access the download document collection, click the Online Self Service tab followed by the Downloads link located on the line directly below the tab display.

Log into the Support Site

Some of the resources on the support site, such as the knowledge base articles, are publicly available without a login. However, to complete any actions that require personal information (for example, submitting a help request or viewing your ticket history) you will need to log into the support site. You will be prompted for authentication information at such time as it becomes required. If you wish, you can log in on your own initiative at any time by clicking the Sign in link near the upper right hand corner of the screen. Here's what you need to know about the login process:

1. RU faculty, staff and students should already have a help desk account. Your user ID is your official RU email address, including the domain as well as the name (for example, staff@roosevelt.edu or student@mymail.roosevelt.edu). Initially your password is your last name with the first letter capitalized. Upon first login you should click the My Support tab and then the My Profile link to change your password to something more secure.

2. If you have forgotten your password, click the Forgot your password? link to request that your password be sent to your email address.

3. If you are a member of the RU community but for some reason do not have a help desk account, click the Create a New Account button to request one. You can also request an account by telephone by calling the help desk at 312-341-4357 (HELP). Do not request an account unless you are sure you don't already have one.

4. To log off the support site but remain connected, click the Sign out link in the upper right hand corner of the screen. To log out and end the session, click Exit.

Submit a Written Request Online

If you don't find what you need in the knowledge base, you can submit a written request using the form provided on the support site (email requests are not supported by this system). This is often faster than phoning the help desk and is the best option if you have a clear idea of what your problem might be or if you know that your problem will require a visit from an IT technician. It is also best suited for requests that are not urgent -- for example, when next-day service is good enough. Here's how to submit a written request:

1. Using any browser, access help desk support site at http://www.roosevelt.edu/helpdesk.

2. Click the Request Help link (or click the Request Support tab followed by the Submit a Ticket link).

3. If you have not yet logged in you will be required to do so now (see above for instructions).

4. On the Submit a Ticket page, fill out the fields in the form as indicated. The round question mark buttons next to certain fields are pop-up help buttons. Hover over the button with your mouse to temporarily display the information box, or click the button to cause it to remain on display as you move the mouse.

5. The Current Location and Current Phone field, both of which are required fields, are included to gather information about where the problem has occurred. Please include sufficient information (building number, room number, cell phone number, offsite location, etc.) so that an agent can contact you or a technician can be dispatched to your location if that becomes necessary.

6. Be sure to include as much detail as possible in the Additional Details field so that technicians can respond appropriately. Examples of information you might want to include here are the exact wording of any error messages you've seen on your screen, a description of what you were attempting to do when you encountered the problem, and anything that you've already tried to resolve the problem. Please be as specific as possible.

7. If you would like to submit an external document as part of your request, click the Attach a File button under Options at the bottom of the form. This is similar to adding an attachment to an email message. In order to attach a document it must of course be available to you on your local computer.

8. When the form is complete, click Finish.

Request Help by Phone

Help Desk agents are available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. This is the best method for urgent requests, when you have no access to your computer, or if you're not sure exactly how to describe your problem and need to talk to somebody about it. A formal ticket is always created by the agent during a phone call based on your report of the problem. The agent will ask you a series of questions to confirm the nature of your problem. These steps are part of submitting a telephone request to the help desk:

1. Call the help desk. The main number is 312-341-4357 (HELP). If you are calling from an off-campus location you can also use the toll-free number 866-276-3906.

2. After a few rings you will receive a recorded greeting with a few simple menu choices, after which you will be placed in an automated queue. Soon, usually within a minute or less, you will be connected to a live help desk agent.

3. The agent will ask you a few questions in order to identify you and record the details of your problem. If possible the agent will answer your question immediately over the phone. If that is not possible, your request will be referred to a Roosevelt technician for resolution. This process is immediate, and during regular working hours your request will be available to local RU technical staff within minutes.

4. You will receive an email confirmation of your request, using the email address on file for you in the help desk system (usually your official Roosevelt email address). This message will contain a link to the full text of your request ticket (see below for information on viewing your tickets).

Use the Chat Service

An alternative to placing a telephone call is to initiate a real-time online chat with a help desk agent. Chat service is available from any standard web browser - no special software is required.

1. From the main page, click the Live Chat link (or click the Request Support tab and click the Live Chat link).

2. An agent will respond to your request online and will stay with you as long as necessary to either resolve your problem or record the details of your request so that it can be forwarded to a technician.

View Your Tickets and Other Personal Information

The online help desk service provides tools for looking at both current and resolved help requests.

1. From the main page click the My Support tab.

2. If you have not yet logged in you will be required to do so now (see below for instructions).

3. Ticket and chat summaries are displayed on the My History, which appears by default. More ticket details are available on the My Tickets page. Click any ticket number to bring up a full display of the ticket along with any associated comments added to the ticket by you or the technicians.

4. To submit additional information for any ticket that is not yet resolved, click the the Provide Info button at the bottom of the ticket display. In the subsequent form, fill in any necessary details and click Submit. Your comment will become part of the ticket and the technician responsible for this ticket will receive an email alert.

5. You can close any open ticket if for any reason you are no longer in need of help: click the Close button and indicate your reasons for closing the ticket in the form provided.

6. If a ticket has been resolved or marked closed but the problem persists or has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you can re-open the ticket at any time by clicking the Reopen button at the bottom of the ticket display and indicate your reasons for doing so in the provided form. The technician will be alerted that you have reopened the ticket.

7. From your My Support page you can also change your password. Click the My Profile link to bring up an editable display of your customer record.