CIT HelpDesk

CSI LogoGetting emails from <CSISurveyMailer@thinkhdi-csi.com>? Yes, they are legitimate and not spam. Please visit this page for more information about what they are and why you are receiving them.

The CIT HelpDesk is the place to start for all of your computer, printer, telephone, and cable television problems or questions. To report a problem with any of the items listed below or to get help using supported software please call the HelpDesk at x6-8555 or send email to helpdesk@calvin.edu.

  • Accounts: Access/Passwords
  • Cable televisions
  • Calvin-owned computers and printers
  • ResNet
  • Telephone

Mission Statement: The mission of the Calvin Information Technology HelpDesk is to serve as the primary point of contact for all Information Technology services and to provide consistent communication and support for these services in a professional, competent, and timely manner.

Location

The HelpDesk is part of the main Calvin Information Technology offices. We are located on the 1st Floor of the Hekman Library (HL 106). The receptionist at the CIT front desk will direct you to the HelpDesk area.

Hours

During the school year, the HelpDesk phones, voicemail, and email are monitored from 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM Monday through Friday.

During the summer, the HelpDesk phones, voicemail, and email are monitored from 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Monday through Friday.

After-hours support is not available.
* Hours are subject to change during campus breaks.

Reporting problems and requesting new services or products

The CIT HelpDesk is the primary point of contact for reporting all telecommunication, computer and network problems and when requesting a new CIT service or product on Calvin-owned computers. Customers will not be told to call somewhere else unless the call is for unsupported products or services.

When you contact the HelpDesk:

  • Please identify yourself (first and last name) and your department so we may log your call.
  • Please be as specific as possible about your problem.  Please write down and let us know of any error messages you may encounter.

Not sure where to go for help?

You may contact the HelpDesk and we will direct you to the correct on or off-campus resource.

Problem Resolution

  • The HelpDesk specialists strive to resolve as many problems as possible before involving other areas of CIT. When necessary the HelpDesk assigns work orders to other CIT staff.
  • The end goal in resolving a hardware and/or software issue is to return your computer back to a standard functioning level in the most time efficient manner possible. In some cases the most time efficient manner is to reimage your hard drive. A reimage is the process of erasing everything from your harddrive then reinstalling the standard CIT image along with any additional CIT provided software. A reimage is necessary if your operating system becomes damaged or corrupted, or if a problem will take more than four hours to troubleshoot and repair. Before we perform a reimage we will backup some of your documents and files and will consult with you on what you might want to backup.

If a problem takes over four hours to troubleshoot and repair (between a student technician and at least one full-time HelpDesk person) we will contact you and offer to reimage your computer. You have the right to refuse the offer to reimage your computer and can continue using it in the current state.

Customer Responsibilities

Work Orders
Each time a customer contacts the HelpDesk a work order is entered in our work management system, HEAT. The customer is sent a confirmation of the work order via email with the appropriate work order information.

Work Order Information - If the information found in the work order confirmation is not correct, the customer should contact the HelpDesk with the accurate information.

Work Order Number - The customer should retain the work order number in case a return call to the HelpDesk is required to resolve the problem.

HelpDesk Recommendations - Customers have the responsibility to operate their telecommunication and computer equipment and use their computer software in a competent manner. In some cases we will recommend that a customer either take a class when offered or refer to documentation commonly available. We encourage our customers to follow through on our recommendations.

Specific HelpDesk services for students

* denotes a fee is required

Customer Feedback

Comment on our quality of service - Let us know how we can serve you better.

Customer Satisfaction Survey - Periodically, the HelpDesk asks our customers to complete a customer satisfaction survey. We do this because we want to hear from you. If aspects of our services are not working for you, we want to hear about it so we can improve our services to the Calvin community. We also offer a survey at the completion of each work order for you to comment on our service.

Service Problems - If you experience a problem with our services please let us know immediately. If our services are working well for you, we want to hear that too. Problem resolution should follow the following path:

Step 1 - Contact any of the full-time HelpDesk specialists:
Bill Vriesema
Lucas Moore
Lies Rosema
Nate Wallace
helpdesk@calvin.edu, x6-8555

Step 2 - Contact the Team Leader:
Bill Vriesema
bvriesem@calvin.edu, x6-6762

Step 3 - Contact the Calvin Information Technology Director in charge of HelpDesk:
Dawn Bush
dcbush@calvin.edu, x6-6758

Step 4 - Contact the Vice-President of Information Services:
Henry DeVries
hdevries@calvin.edu, x6-6149

Meet the HelpDesk Team

HelpDesk Survey

Each time you call, email, or leave the HelpDesk a voicemail, a work order is created using HEAT our call ticket tracking software. When the issue has been resolved, you receive an email saying your work order has been closed. In that email is a link to an online form that allows you to give feedback on the quality of service provided by the HelpDesk staff. The names of those who complete surveys are entered into a monthly drawing for a $10 gift certificate at the Calvin Campus Store.