Help Desk Support Exam 2

A hardware component that has its jumper pins set incorrectly is an example of a hardware ____.

configuration problem

malfunction

design problem

compatibility problem

configuration problem

Support staff can reduce the likelihood of hardware configuration problems today by purchasing ____.

hardware from a single vendor

hardware with a 30-day return guarantee

Plug and Play–compatible hardware

pre-assembled systems

Plug and Play–compatible hardware

A 48- to 72-hour period during which a system or component is operated nonstop before installation at a user site is ____.

likely to overheat the system

a system burn-in test

unnecessary if components are tested during manufacture

required only for electromechanical devices

a system burn-in test

A situation where two software packages use system resources in incompatible ways is called a(n) ____.

conflict

IRQ problem

performance problem

inconsistency

conflict

A mismatch between the type of printer connected to a system and the software printer driver installed is an example of a ____.

conflict

configuration problem

bug

design problem

configuration problem

A software package feature that periodically checks the vendor’s Web site for software updates is called ____.

intelliware

Plug and Play

auto patch

automatic update

automatic update

A replacement for one or a few modules in a software package that fixes one or more known bugs is called a(n) ____.

new version

new release

update

patch

patch

A software company that discovers a bug in an infrequently used feature of a software package is likely to fix the problem by issuing a(n) ____.

new version of the package

upgrade to the package

new release

patch

patch

A substantially rewritten software package that contains major new features is called a(n) ____.

new version

new release

update

patch

new version

A user who presses the wrong sequence of keys in a software program is a victim of ____.

a software design problem

a software bug

a user mistake

poor training

a user mistake

A user who expects a software product to be able to perform a task for which it was not intended is a victim of a ____.

software design problem

software bug

user mistake

user misunderstanding

user misunderstanding

A user who purchases an image scanner that is incompatible with the computer system to which he or she wants to connect it is a victim of ____.

a user mistake

a user misunderstanding

a wrong product purchase

poor training

a wrong product purchase

A user who bypasses the documentation to get a new hardware or software package operational as rapidly as possible is a victim of ____.

quick start behavior

poor documentation

a user misunderstanding

misrepresentation of a vendor’s product

quick start behavior

A common source of user misunderstanding and subsequent calls to help desks is poorly designed ____.

hardware

software

user documentation

networks

user documentation

Software with harmful or malicious intent to disrupt the business operation of a computer or network or to steal information or money is called ____.

vaporware

phishing

shareware

malware

malware

Plug and Play hardware automatically adjusts software settings to take maximum advantage of the hardware’s capabilities.

False

Most hardware components that malfunction are replaced rather than repaired.

True

Electronic components are much more likely to fail than electromechanical computer components.

False

Installation software utilities have automated many of the manual tasks required to install and correctly configure software packages.

True

Installation software utilities are capable of examining the hardware configuration to determine whether the software and hardware are compatible and adjust software settings to match hardware.

True

All shareware software is written to conform to industry-wide program development standards and is compatible with other software on the systems for which it was developed.

False

The Windows Registry can be edited with most word processors that can work with text files.

False

A patch is a replacement for one or a few modules of a software package intended to fix known bugs.

True

The difference between end users and computer professionals is that the latter rarely make mistakes while using a computer.

False

Users who forget passwords and PINs are a common source of support problems.

True

One way to organize user support services in a way that provides a single point of contact for an organization’s workers or customers is to use ____.

an automated call distributor

artificial intelligence

a queue

a help desk

a help desk

A help desk structured into levels or tiers of support uses a ____.

multilevel support model

customer feedback model

computer telephony support model

stratified model

multilevel support model

The ____ position is unlikely to exist in a help desk that is organized in a multilevel support model.

product specialist

incident screener

needs analyst

technical support

needs analyst

The principal concept in the multilevel support help desk model is ____.

lower level help desk staff can refer difficult problems to higher levels

lower level help desk staff can handle difficult problems when experienced staff are not available

lower level staff can, with training and experience, become higher level staff

none of the above

lower level help desk staff can refer difficult problems to higher levels

Which letter sequence is the order of the steps below in the incident management process?

A) Authenticate the user. 

B) Archive the incident. 

C) Log the incident. 

D) Prioritize the problem.

D, C, A, B

C, A, B, D

A, C, D, B

A, B, C, D

A, C, D, B

Which category of help desk incident is “My computer runs slowly when I access the Internet with a modem in the evenings”?

A question

A problem

A complaint

A work order

A problem

The incident management step in which an incident is transferred to a support staff member who has greater experience or resources to handle difficult questions is incident ____.

priorities

screening

resolution

escalation

escalation

The incident management step in which a closed incident is stored for later use in a knowledge base of solved problems is called ____.

archive the incident

log the incident

close the incident

track the incident

archive the incident

____ is not a common source of job stress among user support workers.

Inadequate training

Abusive users

Inadequate resources

All of these are common sources.

All of these are common sources.

A help desk software package that includes asset management can help a support staff control ____.

an organization’s equipment inventory

the support staff budget

software bug reports

the help desk’s personnel functions

an organization’s equipment inventory

In a HelpSTAR dashboard, Throughput measures ____.

the volume of incidents in various categories

categories with the largest number of unresolved incidents

how effectively agents responded to incidents

how effectively agents resolved incidents

the volume of incidents in various categories

A telephone system that can answer calls, greet callers, provide menus, and route calls is a(n) ____.

incident dispatcher

computer telephony system

hotline

automated call distributor

automated call distributor

In help desk jargon, ACD stands for ____.

Association of Computer Dealers

accelerated CD-ROM

automated call distributor

Association for Computer Documentation

automated call distributor

Which of the following forms of communication between a user and an agent is asynchronous?

Online chat

Telephone call

Email

All are asynchronous.

Email

Which of these technology trends may permit a support agent to answer questions about multiple operating systems from a single PC?

Telecommuting

Interactive voice response

Remote access

Virtualization

Virtualization

A user support center provides a wide variety of user services, but a help desk is limited to answering user questions.

False

Call management is another term for incident management.

False

Prescreening is an incident management step where incidents that a help desk cannot handle are rejected.

False

Authentication is an incident management step to determine whether it is appropriate for a help desk to handle a user’s incident.

True

The goal of incident logging in the incident management process is to begin to document the incident and the problem.

True

An incident’s priority code is based on the number of incidents in a queue ahead of it.

False

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a collection of best practices in the user support industry based on experiences of successful help desk operations.

True

The purpose of client feedback features in a help desk software package is to terminate support agents with poor customer service skills.

False

Help desk software packages often prepare statistical reports to provide support management with the information they need to operate the help desk.

True

An interactive voice response (IVR) system permits a caller to interact with a database of stored information by pressing keys on a telephone pad or speaking words into the phone.

True

Which of these aspects of help desk operation would not normally be covered in a user support mission statement?

Operational efficiency of users

Help desk fees for services

Customer satisfaction

Effectiveness of help desk services

Help desk fees for services

User support managers often use which of these strategies to determine how many staff members to hire to handle the volume of support incidents received?

Use an Erlang calculation to estimate staffing needs.

Hire fewer staff than needed to reduce support costs.

Hire more staff than needed to make sure all incidents are handled quickly.

Use industry-standard staffing formulas for help desks.

Use an Erlang calculation to estimate staffing needs.

Which of these proficiencies (KSAs) would a user support manager usually not specify in a position description for a user support position?

Hardware, operating system, and application software experience

Internet and Web skills

Marketing ability

Communications and interpersonal skills

Marketing ability

A help desk manager would probably emphasize which of these skills in a job search for an advanced technical support staff member?

Technical knowledge and skills

Telephone skills

Ability to work on a project team

Communication and listening skills

Technical knowledge and skills

Which of these knowledge, skills, and abilities would a help desk manager probably not seek in an applicant for a help desk position?

Technical skills

Communications skills

Programming skills

Troubleshooting skills

Programming skills

Which of the following kinds of questions is designed to determine whether a help desk job applicant has specific educational and work experience required for a position?

Directed question

Behavioral question

Non-directed question

Scenario question

Directed question

Which of the following kinds of questions gives an applicant for a help desk position a specific problem to solve that is representative of situations that help desk agents actually encounter?

Directed question

Behavioral question

Non-directed question

Scenario question

Scenario question

Objective measures of the user support or help desk operation are called ____.

performance statistics

abandonment rate

Erlang measures

adaptive tests

performance statistics

The average time it takes a help desk to respond to incidents is ____.

call time

wait time

abandonment rate

response rate

wait time

The primary purpose of help desk performance statistics is to ____.

respond to computer auditors’ information requirements

justify the value and expense of support services

report to company stockholders

respond to complaints from angry users

justify the value and expense of support services

Which of these ways of organizing a support center has both an expense budget and an income budget?

Profit center

Cost center

Income center

Expense center

Profit center

The Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+ exam is an example of a ____.

vendor-neutral exam

vendor-specific exam

help desk agent exam

vendor-sponsored exam

vendor-neutral exam

CBT and WBT for those preparing for certification exams are ____ courses.

crash

boot camp

online tutorial

adaptive

online tutorial

Which of these testing methods is often used in industry certification exams?

Computer adaptive test

Paper-and-pencil test

Traditional, fixed-length test

SAT exam format

Computer adaptive test

A computer adaptive test may be able to determine a test taker’s proficiency level by asking as few as ____ questions.

5

15

64

100

15

User support budgets are often divided into two large categories: revenue and expenses.

True

During an interview for a help desk position, a directed question is often used to find out whether an applicant has specific educational or work experience.

True

Unlike a question in a knowledge and skills test, there is only one correct answer to a scenario question in a job interview.

False

During an interview for a help desk position, an illegal question is one that does not give an applicant sufficient time to answer fully.

False

Performance statistics collected and analyzed for a support group are not useful to evaluate individual support employees.

False

The percentage of incidents where a user hung up or gave up before a support agent responded is called the abandonment rate.

True

While a single performance measure may be useful, trends in performance measures over time are a more useful indicator of help desk performance.

True

A paper CNE is someone who has passed the CNE certification exam, but has little practical, hands-on experience with computer networks.

True

A professional association is a labor union that represents the interests of a group of agents who work for an organization.

False

Because user support is a new field, there are not yet any professional associations for user support professionals.

False

An electronic magazine organized like a print publication, but distributed via a Web site, that may contain product reviews and comparisons is called ____.

an ezine

a blog

an online magazine

a review periodical

an ezine

When a support staff selects general office productivity software such as word processors or spreadsheets, they often use which decision strategy?

Weighted point evaluations

Industry standard products

Requests for proposals

Benchmarks

Industry standard products

Benchmark tests on competing products can be used to select ____.

primarily hardware products

primarily software products

both hardware and software products

neither hardware nor software products

both hardware and software products

The purpose of benchmarks and weighted point evaluation methods is to make the product selection process as ____ as possible.

objective

subjective

biased

quick

objective

Another name for the weighted point evaluation method is the ____ method.

product standard

RFP

Kepner-Tregoe

WPPE

Kepner-Tregoe

In the weighted point evaluation method, if more than one support person evaluates competing products, the score a product receives is usually ____.

the lowest score the product received from any evaluator

the highest score the product received from any evaluator

the average score of all evaluators

not calculated when there is disagreement among evaluators

the average score of all evaluators

In the weighted point evaluation method, the product that is usually selected is the one with ____.

the lowest overall score

the highest overall score

the score closest to the benchmark

the score with the lowest cost

the highest overall score

In the weighted point evaluation method, if a product receives a vendor support score of 80 and the weight of the vendor support criterion is 10%, the product gets a weighted score of ____ points for vendor support.

8

10

80

800

8

RFP stands for ____.

required federal pricelist

regular floating-point processor

relational forms procedure

request for proposal

request for proposal

Which letter sequence represents the order of the following steps in the request for proposal process?

A) Send the RFP to vendors.

B) Develop product specifications.

C) Evaluate RFP responses against the criteria.

D) Define the selection criteria.

A, B, C, D

B, D, A, C

D, A, C, B

A, D, B, C

B, D, A, C

A computer product vendor’s response to an RFP usually includes all but which of these?

A description of problems with the competitor’s products

A description of how the vendor’s products meet or exceed requirements

A bid price at which the vendor can supply the products

All of these are included.

A description of problems with the competitor’s products

Which of the following are more likely to use subjective selection criteria to choose among competing computer products?

Large organizations

Government agencies

Small organizations

None of these

Small organizations

Which of these statements is true of Honolulu Community College’s computer support policies described in the chapter?

The college offers a choice of PC and Macintosh computer platforms.

The recommended computers for faculty are different from those for students.

The college will support any hardware or software products a user purchases.

The support policies are designed to favor one vendor over others.

The college offers a choice of PC and Macintosh computer platforms.

Which of these would you expect to find as members of a product standards committee?

End users

Managers

User support specialists

All of these

All of these

Which of these would you least expect to find in an organization’s acceptable use guidelines?

Permitted computer uses

A list of approved vendors

Unauthorized uses

Illegal uses

A list of approved vendors

During the 1980s, the lack of standard operating systems and standard productivity software meant that workers had difficulty filling in for each other during illnesses and vacations.

True

During the 1980s, support costs were kept to a minimum because support staff could easily answer questions about competing hardware and software products.

False

A software evaluation copy is a trial version of a program that will automatically delete itself from a PC after 30 days.

False

As a general rule, dominance in the software industry does not change over time; the bestselling products in the early 1980s are still the bestselling products today.

False

In a search for useful computer products, support specialists generally do not consider products used by an organization’s competitors because competitive differences between organizations are large.

False

A benchmark test of competing products is designed to use objective evaluation criteria instead of an evaluator’s personal opinions.

True

A niche or vertical market for computer products is one that is highly specialized, such as video rental stores or real estate offices.

True

Objective evaluation criteria are those where a neutral evaluator should be able to reach the same or a similar conclusion as another evaluator.

True

One factor that can be evaluated using the weighted point evaluation method is availability of product support.

True

Most computer industry product standards have evolved over time but are now in place, and future changes are unlikely.

False