9 Things You May Be Surprised to Know About VNSNY’s IT Service Desk Team

Is your PC loading slowly or not at all? Is an application rejecting your credentials? Did the dog eat your tablet’s charging cord? (We’re not kidding—see #6 below.) For these problems and countless more, you know where to go for help: VNSNY’s IT Service Desk, reachable through their phone hotline at 212-290-3555—where you can talk to a live human being 24/7, 365 days a year—or through the Self Service Request Portal.

While there’s a good chance you’ve contacted them at least once, here are nine things you may not know about the Service Desk:

1) The IT Service Desk gets about 4,000 calls a month, with Monday and Tuesday the busiest days and 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. the busiest times. Last year, 85% of calls made to the IT Service Desk were answered within 60 seconds.

2) The IT Service Desk is able to resolve 88% of callers’ issues on their own, while 12% are referred to other departments.

3) New IT Service Desk agents receive eight weeks of training, including HIPAA/Compliance training. VNSNY looks for agents who have technical or clinical experience or both: There are two agents who are not only nurses but also sisters. Several agents have been on the IT Service Desk for between three and six years.

4) Everyone on the IT Service Desk uses their real names, all agents are based in the U.S., and all calls are recorded. Unlike most consumer help lines, IT Service Desk agents will call you back if your call is dropped or if the agent needs to research your issue. (The IT Service Desk is also working to add a callback function so callers don’t have to wait on hold during busy periods.)

5) Many calls deal with simple issues that even the most tech-savvy folks sometimes encounter, like “My tablet won’t turn on.” The agent’s first question will be, “Is it plugged in or charged?” And that often resolves the problem!

6) Some calls to the IT Service Desk are, well, less technical than others. While agents never had a call about a dog eating a team member’s homework, they have had calls about a puppy eating a power cord and a toddler chomping on a headset. (The puppy and toddler were both fine. The power cord and headset were not.)

7) The IT Service Desk is ready to help with any problem you have—but they have a few tips for dealing with common Web-based application issues that can save you a call—and time. Those tips include:

• If an application isn’t working properly, clearing your “cache” and “cookies” often does the trick: If you’re using Chrome (VNSNY’s preferred browser) or Edge, press the CTRL+SHIFT+DELETE keys, select “All Time,” and click “Clear/Clear now.” Then quit the browser, reopen it, and try your application again.
• If your PC, tablet, or mobile device has been on for an extended period of time, try restarting it. This will refresh your applications and can also help your device run more smoothly overall.
• Check your PC, tablet, or mobile device for the latest updates, especially for any applications you need to have.

8) IT Service Desk agents need to be up on all the latest applications. For the recent PointCare migration, for instance, the IT Service Desk agents attended launch trainings, pushed out the new application to VNSNY devices, and walked team members through the installation process. The IT Service Desk continues to provide clinical support for HomeCare HomeBase (HCHB) and PointCare users. To access that support, use this contact information:

• For HCHB Back Office (R2 or Analytics): Call 212-290-3555 > Option 3 > Option 2
• For PointCare: Call 212-290-3555 > Option 3 > Option 1

9) In addition to handling questions by phone and through the Self Service Request Portal, the IT Service Desk also fulfills many of the requests submitted through Service-Now, including onboarding and access to applications. When you submit requests, note the standard delivery time for each request. If something is urgent, be sure to let the IT Service Desk know and they’ll do their best to accommodate you.

To read similar articles in the series on other teams in the organization, click here.