USER SUPPORT

The term user support covers a broad range of duties. They include answering inquiries from users, providing logistical support, and processing trouble reports.

User Inquiries

Normal inquiries from users include system status, job status, and reporting trouble. It is the job of the technician to answer these questions promptly and accurately. A user might ask: l Why is the system slow?

l What is the status of a particular job?

l What step is it in?

l Has it printed out yet?

l Do I have a problem with my terminal?

Logistical Support

The most common user support you will deal with is logistical support. This will include the need for new or different equipment to meet the command's mission or current equipment that needs corrective maintenance, or scheduling preventive maintenance. Forward this type of user support to the division chief or the division officer, since it requires the relocation or the acquisition of equipment.

Trouble Calls

As the technician, you will be receiving and responding to trouble calls. When the user calls to submit a trouble call, remember to get all the required information: * User's name; l Type of trouble encountered; . Date and time; and l Job being done when the trouble started.

The preceding is only an example of what might be included on the trouble report at your command. Your command will have the reporting procedures for submitting trouble reports, with an example of a trouble report. Each command has a specific trouble call format and a tracking procedure.

CUSTOMER LIAISON

When involved with or communicating with the user (customer), you must use tact and diplomacy. You must be able to understand and resolve the requests of the customer. You will also have to deal with discrepancies and explain problems to customers. You must be able to independently recognize and resolve discrepancies and be knowledgeable enough to know when you can resolve a discrepancy and when to refer complex problems to your supervisor or leading chief.

MANAGING PRODUCTION

Once you become a shift supervisor, you will be responsible for managing the scheduling and operation of all production activities associated with computer processing within your shift. You will monitor the workflow and make adjustments to meet changing requirements. During your work shift, one of your many jobs will be to monitor job/production status on a regular basis to determine if there is any actual or potential slippage in the schedule. It will be your job to balance operations resources and optimize workflow. There will be times when you must make adjustments in the sequence of work (within the constraints of the overall schedule) to optimize productivity. In computer operations, you must be able to examine problems that have occurred during production and initiate corrective action within operations or with the users.

THE SCHEDULING ENVIRONMENT AND REQUIREMENTS

Schedulers and production control coordinators are responsible for coordinating the work efforts of many people. They prepare, distribute, and maintain production schedules for their AIS facility or data center. They analyze job requirements (old and new) to determine the impact each job has on production resources. They also inform the LPO or division chief when scheduling requirements will exceed computer system resources. In short, schedulers act as coordinators from the time a request is received until a job is successfully completed. The scheduler is responsible for keeping the AIS facility's assembly line running as smoothly and efflciently as possible. Schedulers ensure that jobs are scheduled and entered into the production job stream at the proper time. They also ensure that all necessary resources are available to maintain a constant workflow throughout the AIS facility.

PEOPLE, PLACES, and THINGS are the important factors of a scheduler's job. The first factor is PEOPLE. You must learn to deal with various personalities. The second factor is PLACES. You have to learn what goes on in other fictional work areas. The third factor is THINGS. You have to cope with run times, deadlines, computer hardware and software malfunctions, problems with production programs, and TIME itself (that 24-hour period in which you are to schedule as much production work as possible).