Press Release

Source: HelpSTAR

McGraw-Hill Selects HelpSTAR Help Desk Software For Inclusion in New How-To Book for Help Desk Support Specialists
Tuesday September 23, 12:00 pm ET

Supplies Real-World Exercises for Learning Help Desk Skills TORONTO, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Help Desk Technology Corporation announced today that a special edition of its HelpSTAR help desk software is being included in McGraw-Hill Technology Education's Introduction to Help Desk Concepts and Skills, a new book designed to train help desk support specialists. McGraw-Hill is packaging a HelpSTAR CD-ROM with the book to give readers hands-on experience in performing common help desk tasks.
 

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HelpSTAR is meeting McGraw-Hill's need to strike a balance between a feature-rich, customizable and robust help desk package, and one that can used to illustrate real-world concepts and processes within the span of a one- semester college course for which the text is aimed.

"McGraw-Hill chose HelpSTAR for teaching help desk best practices because of its out-of-the box power, simplicity and comprehensive functionality," said Brandon Nordin, Publisher of McGraw-Hill Technology Education, a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP - News).

The 384-page book was written by Susan Sanderson, a member of the Help Desk Institute and author of several other books on computer-related topics. The new book covers the technical and interpersonal communication skills required for a successful help desk career, addresses specific challenges such as dealing with angry and abusive callers, and provides step-by-step instruction in areas ranging from documenting and resolving customer problems to tracking and measuring help desk performance.

At appropriate points in the text, readers are referred to the HelpSTAR CD-ROM to practice common help desk tasks such as logging service requests, using a knowledge base to find answers to customer problems, and escalating complex requests. The CD-ROM contains a fully functional version of the HelpSTAR Learning Edition that can be used for 150 days after activation.

"McGraw-Hill could have chosen virtually any help desk package on the market for this project, and the fact that they chose HelpSTAR speaks volumes about the competitive strengths of our software," said Gemma Young, Product Manager of Help Desk Technology. "HelpSTAR's ease of use and robust functionality are helping deliver top-quality customer service for thousands of organizations today, so it is an ideal tool for teaching the help desk professionals of tomorrow."

Introduction to Help Desk Concepts and Skills ($62.50) is available directly from McGraw-Hill at http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/ or at 877-833-5524.

About HelpSTAR
HelpSTAR help desk software is a comprehensive problem management solution that is engineered to provide rapid problem resolution out of the box without the need for lengthy deployment and staff training. The software expedites problem handling through features such as intelligent queuing, a database of preferred solutions, automatic conversion of emailed problems into service requests, and tools such as alarms, follow-up reminders, and automatic priority escalation to ensure efficient handling of all requests. The package also enables organizations to dramatically reduce call volume into the help desk by including a self-service web interface at no extra charge.

HelpSTAR is available in both client/server and web-based versions running on Microsoft Access, Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) or Microsoft SQL.

About Help Desk Technology Corporation
Help Desk Technology Corporation develops and markets help desk software for organizations in all industries. Its flagship product is HelpSTAR, a comprehensive problem management solution for both internal and external help desks that combines best practices with fast deployment, ease of use and low cost. HelpSTAR is used by thousands of organizations worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, financial institutions, and all branches of the armed forces. For more information, visit http://www.helpstar.com/ or call 1-800-563-4357.

About McGraw-Hill Technology Education
McGraw-Hill Technology Education is a unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP - News), a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's and BusinessWeek. The corporation has more than 350 offices in 33 countries. Sales in 2002 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/ .

Source: HelpSTAR