Help Desk for parents

[kevin_lane]

Any advice for channeling help desk request for parents, our inbox is getting somewhat messy

 

Thanks

[Edu-IT]

A helpdesk system with a dedicated email address going to a specific queue?

[kevin_lane]

We use spiceworks for our internal stuff just wondering if we setup a different dash using the same product

[DrBeaker]

We setup a mailbox for this and any needing IT action are forwarded to us. I reset the password, test it and let the pastoral/SLT member know by sending it back. Anything to do with their home system/network is outside of our remit and advised as such. Due to safeguarding and liabilty concerns etc.

[localzuk]

We have a dedicated email address for this, which feeds into our helpdesk (Zoho Desk) and gets tagged as a parent request.

[hardtailstar]

Ours is an email and it goes to our Spiceworks help desk.

 

Staff, students and parents email the same email. When I reply via the help desk to a student/parent I always try to include form tutor or teacher depending on request. Everything is then in the help desk and staff copied in.

 

If they reply to me direct then I forward it to the helpdesk and change the email from mine to theirs.

 

Everything is then recorded.

[kevin_lane]

We do use the same email address it’s just keeping track, think I might have to have a play with the spice works settings just want something easy either email or a public form base submission type of thing thanks for the input

[dmartin1018]

Parents don't raise requests generally here. If the student is having an issue then they should speak to their class teacher in the first instance. That way it filters out all the basic stuff straight away and if the issue requires technical support then the teacher can raise the request on the students behalf to the relevant team/person (IT Team, Data manager etc). Doesn't work all the time but generally it works well

 

This process was defined in some of the letters sent out to parents early on in the crisis so you will need SLT support to implement it.

Edited June 13, 2020 by dmartin1018

[localzuk]

Parents don't raise requests generally here. If the student is having an issue then they should speak to their class teacher in the first instance. That way it filters out all the basic stuff straight away and if the issue requires technical support then the teacher can raise the request on the students behalf to the relevant team/person (IT Team, Data manager etc). Doesn't work all the time but generally it works well

 

This process was defined in some of the letters sent out to parents early on in the crisis so you will need SLT support to implement it.

 

Thing is, with so many children being at home, using a middle man makes things a lot more difficult - it becomes a game of Chinese whispers and things take considerably longer to fix. At least that is our experience.

[dmartin1018]

Thing is, with so many children being at home, using a middle man makes things a lot more difficult - it becomes a game of Chinese whispers and things take considerably longer to fix. At least that is our experience.

Yeah I get that and it was a concern for me at first. Luckily we've been OK on the whole and haven't been overwhelmed as much as first feared. The reason I don't like parents emailing helpdesk is that when you reply to them to tell them it's fixed you get all the "ohh whilst you're on, granny smiths apple mac is running slow, can you have a look" follow up emails.

 

There's certain parents, as I'm sure there is in most schools, that love to complain and probably would do when they're told no. I didn't want to open up any of those sticky situations

[rob_coles]

We use the same address for all IT related requests.

[DrBeaker]

We use the same address for all IT related requests.

I didn't want ours to become public/open to all because after the crisis is over, it could open the floodgates to all and sundry sorts of people and requests.

[dmartin1018]

I didn't want ours to become public/open to all because after the crisis is over, it could open the floodgates to all and sundry sorts of people and requests.

Agreed, that was another reason we didn't

[Zammo]

We have a separate email address for student and parent queries that go to our technical champions (from the teaching staff) who field 90% of them successfully.

 

Genuine technical questions go to IT Support to investigate on a best effort basis. When needed we ship out a chromebook/MiFi device.

 

Whilst students are expected to access a device at home to work we have an obligation to support them as best as possible.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

I didn't want ours to become public/open to all because after the crisis is over, it could open the floodgates to all and sundry sorts of people and requests.

 

Separate email address for the duration?

 

[email protected]

[TechMonkey]

We have had a parent helpdesk for a while, from when reports went electronic and parents may having issues or had forgotten their login details, which happened every term. Just gets fed into our helpdesk but automatically tagged as a Parent Request and then gets dealt with as any other ticket. Means we can report on it and if a parent complains we have the paper trail. I can't remember it ever being abused by a parent but we are very clear and firm on our responsibilities and boundaries. If a completely out there request came in we would either close it if no response was needed or guide them to the correct person and explain that isn't our area.

From our last quick analysis parent tickets weren't a massive drain.

[jthompson]

We use the same helpdesk address for staff, students and parents.

 

If you just have a mailbox set up and don't have a helpdesk system, you could maybe just add a suitable alias to it for parents to use, and then some rules in the mailbox to label or organise messages accordingly.

[paulkerton]

The only thing we've done for a helpdesk for parents is create a catch-all email address that feeds into the existing helpdesk, purely for password change requests only, to allow for a middle man (they can't call us, and obviously if the kid can't remember their password they can't request one) We check that the email address is the one on the MIS, and if it is will make the change. That is all we are supporting, else when little Timmy gets a new RTX to play Fortnite, we'd expect questions, which isn't in our remit.