Ursula or ariel?: is your help desk application evil or good in the eyes of your support staff

Abstract

This is for a panel discussion on the pursuit, selection, and evaluation of a help desk software application. We are well into the process of selecting a new help desk incident and call tracking application to replace our much-despised one. This is a familiar and well-traveled path for many help desks at colleges and each seem to approach the process anew. We will share what we have learned, including the application selection process, using an RFP, overcoming organizational hurdles, and tackling other obstacles in the hopes that others can build upon our foundation. We expect the audience will by and large have some level of experience with this and will lead a discussion in order to share knowledge and learn from each other's successes and failures. Together we can share our experiences in order to get to a happy ending.