Full-time staff boldly go where no part-time student has gone before

American University provides a centralized Help Desk call center as the front line of support for more than twelve thousand students, faculty, and staff. Over the past three to five years, the Help Desk has evolved from a staff of part-time students and one full-time manager who could provide only general information and troubleshooting assistance to a committed staff of five full-time professional analysts and one manager all with full administrative rights and specialized training on all university systems.Customer Service surveys have shown an increase in favorable responses since the move to a full-time Help Desk, and many customers comment on how much the service has improved. Most of this success is due to the fact that our customers can get almost any problem resolved with one e-mail or phone call. The Help Desk resolves approximately 70% of all calls without routing them, thanks to experienced staff with supervisor rights to all systems. Employee turnover is also less frequent with the full-time staff, because they enjoy benefits and responsibilities that keep the work more rewarding.