A small Service Desk incident, but a great reminder that IT Support is more than just fixing systems.
Recently, I handled an incident ticket where the user reported that the internet was not working on their system. Since it was an incident ticket with a 2-hour SLA, timely communication and structured troubleshooting were just as important as the technical fix.
Here’s how I approached it:
Step 1: Establish communication
– The contact number available in the ticket was unreachable.
– Instead of waiting, I immediately emailed the user requesting an alternate contact number and shared the IT Service Desk details.
– While waiting for the response, I placed the ticket on User Dependency to ensure the SLA was managed correctly and no unnecessary breach occurred.
Step 2: Prepare before visiting
– I carried a spare LAN cable and a LAN tester to rule out any physical connectivity issues before starting software troubleshooting.
Step 3: System diagnosis
– After reaching the user’s desk, I logged in using the administrator account.
– I verified network connectivity and confirmed the system was successfully connected to the domain.
– Hardware and network connectivity were working as expected, indicating the issue was likely profile-specific.
Step 4: Root cause analysis
– While investigating the user’s profile, I found that a required network-related service had been disabled.
– The service should normally remain enabled to provide internet access for the user’s profile.
Step 5: Resolution
– I restarted the system, during which pending Windows updates were installed.
– After the restart, I logged in as an administrator, restarted the required network services, and asked the user to sign back into their profile.
– Internet connectivity was restored successfully, and the user confirmed everything was working normally.
Key takeaway: Technical knowledge solves the problem, but communication, SLA management, preparation, and keeping the user informed are what create a great support experience.
Every incident is an opportunity to improve troubleshooting skills, customer communication, and confidence under time-sensitive situations.
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