Nobody wants to have issues with their technology. Unfortunately, the reality is that if you use a computer you are bound to run into problems eventually. Luckily, the university provides help in the form of the many help desks available to students and faculty. 

Find a Help Desk

To reach the Technology Services Help Desk, you can either submit a ticket at the Technology Services website or visit one of the in-person locations at the Illini Union and the Digital Computer Lab. You can also use one of the many department-specific help desks that focus on helping students and faculty within their college or department. To see the contact information for your department’s Help Desk, see the list on the Illinois Help website. 

Filling out a Help Desk ticket

When filling out a help desk ticket, it is important to include the correct information to make sure you can be helped as soon as possible. If the ticket doesn’t have the information needed, it could delay the help you need and make the process longer or more difficult. 

In order to make the experience as smooth and efficient as possible, there are some things that should and should not be on your help desk ticket.  

Do:

1. Be as specific as possible 

• Information such as the brand, operating system or even if your device is a laptop or desktop will be very useful in figuring out the problem. 
• It is important for help desk workers to know exactly what is happening, when it started and what you’ve already done to try to remedy the problem.
• The more details, the faster the help desk is likely to solve the problem.

2. Include as much relevant information as you can

• Make sure that the details you provide have to do with the problems you’re experiencing.
• Include things like damage to your device, the information of anyone else experiencing the same issue and the location where the issue first happened.
• Including information not relevant to your tech issue may cause confusion or make it harder to figure out a solution.

3. Fill out all sections of the ticket

• Every part of the ticket is important, that’s why it is there! 
• Make sure to include your name and contact information, so the workers can keep in touch with you about the solutions for your tech issues. 
• It is also very important to write information in the subject line; this helps the system sort your ticket faster and ensures your ticket is seen sooner. 

Don’t:

1. Include private information

• You should never include sensitive information such as social security numbers, passwords or other protected information.
• Never include HIPPA protected information or FERPA protected information such as medical information or grades.

2. Hold back information

• It is important to give as much information as you can and not hold back information that could explain the issue. 
• This could result in a longer wait as help desk workers may have to reach out for the information they need.

3. Be vague 

• It can be hard for the help desk workers to know how to help if they don’t know the exact area of the issue, so it is important to be descriptive. 
• Saying “my screen doesn’t work” may not be as helpful as saying “half of my screen only shows colored stripes, and the touch screen doesn’t register anything”.
• It is also important to share any error messages or other alerts; sometimes your device tries to tell you the problem!