How to Get Technology Help

Got stuck with a word processing problem? Or suddenly your computer mouse is not working?

Don't panic! The Information Technology department is here to help you with your PC problem. But before you call us, try to do the following...

Quick and easy things to try

• Look for an "obvious" solution first. If the problem is one of your PC's peripherals (mouse, keyboard), it could only be a loose connection. Power down, secure cables firmly and make sure they are not loose, power up, and see if the problem has disappeared.
• If the problem is within a program (like Microsoft Word), try using its built-in Help function. You can click on the Help menu on the menu bar, or just press the F1 key.

Check the web

We have collected a few useful documents in the Help section of our website (http://www.sunyrockland.edu/help). Topics include Datatel, Web, Email, Internet and Desktop.

If you don't see what you need there, try Googling (http://www.google.com/). The more you specify, the more specific your answer will be. Adding "office 2007" or "plone" or even "sunyrockland" to your search can be very useful.

Create a ticket

For non emergency situations we now have RequestTracker, a request ticket management system. For ALL requests, a ticket should be created. We monitor the request queues continually throughout the day. This is the best way to request something which requires many steps, many people, or other significant allocations of resources. When a request for something big comes in via phone, we make a ticket anyway; you can now skip a step and make the ticket yourself.

You can submit a new request here: http://www.sunyrockland.edu/about/departments/information-technology/IT-request-form/online-request-form

Be sure to type in your full RCC email address properly. Also, choose a Task Title which summarizes your request, like "jchua needs a bigger monitor", not just "help me!" The more specific you are with your request, the easier it is for us to quickly identify the solution to the problem, and assign the task to the right person.

Once the system has accepted your request, it will be assigned a Ticket Number, and you'll get further status updates via email. If you need to do so subsequently, you can call the Help Desk for a status report (please have the ticket number handy).

Call the Help Desk

Once you've tried the self-help approach, or if the problem just isn't a self-help kind of problem, and after submitting a request ticket, call the Help Desk.

If no one answers, please leave a message. Even when no one is sitting at the desk, there are several people who will check for new messages, and make sure your request is as clear as possible. Once you've let us know that you need help, we can try to help you over the phone, or set up a time for a visit.

Please do not...

• Please do not send your requests to "allrcc"; this is the electronic equivalent of standing on your desk and yelling through a megaphone. Yes, we'll hear you, but there are other, more subtle ways to get our attention. We will NOT consider your request as "official" unless you submit a request ticket.
• Please do not leave time-critical requests in the voicemail of someone other than the Help Desk, since you never know who may be away (off, sick, etc.) or for how long. The FASTEST way to have your request heard is by submitting a ticket.
  
• Please do not call everyone in the department looking for a live human. We aren't all interchangeable, we all have our own tasks to complete, and Request Tracker System is generally the best way to get through to the right person without creating needless confusion.