AV Technology - March 2008 - (Page 28)

AV AFTER HOURS study students are dispatched to the classroom with walkie-talkies, if necessary. Hours for the hotline are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for most days. If there are special circumstances or it is over the weekend, Flores is on call via cell phone. In the event the problem cannot be solved quickly during school hours, there are backup multimedia carts just in case. “Either way, the class must be taught and it is our primary responsibility to assure that the tools are readily available for the instructor,” Flores says. THE CORPORATE PERSPECTIVE Just as there are all shapes and sizes of business enterprises, so too are the many ways of dealing with after-hours help desk calls. “Our global clients usually have first-level support. The help desk is a phone number that rolls over into the active time zone,” says Christopher Maione, president of CMS Innovative Consultants, an AV consulting firm who has designed help desk management tools for global corporations. At a large financial services firm in Boston, MA, their AV help desk is organized by region and serviced by a group of individuals who are subject matter experts. “All AV support is remotely managed, so the expert can be doing something else like supporting an event while handling support calls,” says John MacNeil, manager for global audiovisual services for the firm. The firm has 70 offices in 25 countries and has one central point of contact for both AV and IT help desk calls. Per MacNeil, the system uses skills-based routing to reach the appropriate destination. Last year, his team fielded 15,000 requests, an average of 1,250 per month. Support hours are generally 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, five days per week. “However, specific support Dechert currently has 47 videoconferencing systems in use, mostly Tandberg and some older Polycom systems. problems. Upper-level PC support is directed to a special technician, or if it is multimedia equipment such as a projector, then I handle the situation personally.” Prior to each semester, Flores and his team of three full-time technicians will take his workstudy students through a full weekend of training called “technology boot camp.” Although he looks for some type of knowledge in AV or IT in his new hires, the boot camp covers the basics. Faculty members reach the AV help desk by calling the multimedia help desk hotline. Work- IT, IS or Computer technology based 51% Small Business/organization not departmentalized 2% Other 16% WHO SUPPORTS AV? An online survey conducted by InfoComm International in 2006 revealed that over half of the respondents who support AV technologies in meeting and conference rooms report to an IT-related department (left). The survey also found that the most common way for users to report AV problems was via a centralized help desk or hotline at the facility (right). Source: InfoComm Technology Managers Council Room Support Survey, 2006. The person who supports that particular room 11% A centralized help desk or hotline at your facility 70% Web/email based problem notification system 8% Troubleshoot on their own 0% Audio Visual, production or related 31% 28 | AVTECHNOLOGY | march 2008 Other 11% www.avtechnologyonline.com http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - March 2008

AV Technology - March 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: Whose Job Is It Anyway? Education: There’s No Business Like Show Business Government: Technology and the New World Order Buying a Videoconference System They Will Actually Use AV After Hours The Sound of HD Conferencing Assembling the Design Team Concert Hall Acoustics on a High School Budget Audio Architecture Keeping a Watchful Eye Product Spotlight Tech Horizons Product Review New Products AV MO

AV Technology - March 2008

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