The Evolution of the Customer-Centric Helpdesk: Two Case Studies

Rezaeian, Maryam and Wynn, Martin G ORCID: 0000-0001-7619-6079 (2018) The Evolution of the Customer-Centric Helpdesk: Two Case Studies. CENTRIC 2018: The Eleventh International Conference on Advances in Human-oriented and Personalized Mechanisms, Technologies, and Services. pp. 7-13.

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Abstract

This article examines how the helpdesk function has changed over the past three decades through examination of two case studies. In 1985, the European shipment of PC workstations overtook shipments of simple terminals (i.e., video display units and keyboards, with very little processing power), instigating a revolution in end-user computing, with computer users taking advantage of new word-processor, spreadsheet, graphics, email and database applications. This article looks at two snapshots of end-user computing and helpdesk operations separated by a 30 year period – one at Glaxo Pharmaceuticals in 1988, and the other at the University of Gloucestershire in 2018. This case study research finds that whilst the range of technologies requiring support has increased markedly, this has been counter-balanced somewhat by the emergence of standards and dominant products in many technology categories. It also finds that the concept of support and the role of the end-user have evolved significantly in a rapidly changing technology landscape.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Helpdesk function
Subjects:	T Technology > T Technology (General)
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences
Research Priority Areas:	Applied Business & Technology
Depositing User:	Martin Wynn
Date Deposited:	11 Sep 2018 15:22
Last Modified:	04 Feb 2022 13:02
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/5951

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