One question every 90 seconds of every hour of every workday-that's the average number of telephone calls the Information Technologies (IT) Help Center consultants handled during the month of September.
          The consultants answered over 8,400 calls that month.
           
          "Typically, September is our peak period," Kathy Spako, IT/Help Center, said.

          "As everyone comes back to campus, we see double or triple our usual volume of questions," she said.

          During the Labor Day weekend, over 500 students called the Help Center, many of whom were directed to printed directions already distributed to their residence hall rooms or to IT staff on duty in University computing sites.

          Over 100 students received help installing network cards in their PCs that weekend, and thousands of students streamed through campus computing sites setting up their e-mail accounts.

          "The Help Center is the first point of contact with staff in IT," Spako said. "And, it's our job to help them find answers to their questions or connect them with someone who can help."

          The Help Center is one of the more visible parts of the safety net available to computer users across campus. This issue of TechTalk explains how the Help Center operates and, more importantly, guides you in becoming a more self-sufficient user of technology.

         
        December 1997
        University of Delaware