Putting the ‘Help’ in Helpdesk
It’s all about making employees’ jobs easier and to be helpful. “We do it all. There are four of us and we support all the iPads, all the PCs, we do the cabling at the desk if you want it, we’ll install the applications and we’ll research what applications you might want,” said IT Helpdesk Manager Anthony Judd. “We’re very lucky to work at MPW and have the ability to do so much.”
Judd said he really enjoys his job’s diversity because there’s never a chance to become bored. “If you don’t like what you’re doing right now, just wait 30 seconds and you’ll be doing something different,” he said. Judd said many jobs in IT are very specific and an IT tech may spend most of the time only working with applications, Windows machines or installing PCs at desks.
“The help desk gets calls to fix things like a PC being broken, software not loading, providing admin rights or loading different programs, stuff like that. I’m lucky enough to also test out new software, like if we’re going to move to Foxit from Adobe,” Judd said. “We also do all the active directory.”
It isn’t only the equipment Judd enjoys working with; it’s also the people who operate it. “All the executive team is super-duper easy to work with and they’re fun,” he said. “They always come up with really good questions and requests. It keeps you guessing, and I like that.”
Judd’s worked at MPW since December of 2016. He said he joined the Air Force back in 1996, when he wanted to be an electrical engineer. Judd said the Air Force directed him toward more of a data networking role. “I just kind of stuck with it,” he said.
Judd had never worked as a help desk manager or worked on PCs until about three years ago as an MPW employee. “The helpdesk position came up and Brian (Johnson), my manager, suggested I give it a shot. So that’s what I did. It’s been fun. It was a welcome change from what I had been doing for 20 years,” Judd said.
Anyone with ambition to be a helpdesk manager can never say no to anyone and must always be open to taking on new challenges. “Realize there’s always more than one way to fix a problem. Everybody’s idea is valid and a good idea,” Judd said.
“The thing that’s important for us to remember is that we are serving customer service people. Everybody here, the whole MPW philosophy is customer service,” Judd said. “So, we have to be even better and remember what our employees are doing out in the field and remember that our role is to help them and provide good service.”
Judd credits his wide range of IT experience with success as a helpdesk manager. It takes versatility, he said, to be able tackle all the different IT issues he sees from day to day. “You don’t have to know it all, but you have to know some. You have to be familiar enough and if you’re not, you have to have the drive to go home and read.” He said when he takes his kids to sports practices he takes his phone so he can research things and broaden his knowledge while he’s waiting.
“The help desk is here as a partner and a resource,” Judd said. “Give us a call and let us know when there’s a problem so we can fix it. Please don’t be afraid to tell us an issue.”