Life Sciences Institute at University of Michigan - Case Study

The following case study is based on an interview conducted with Jim Zajkowski of The Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan.

The Life Science Institute's core requirement in a help desk solution was very clear: "We need a reliable ticket system that has a minimum of extraneous fluff and that runs efficiently". Allowing Jim and his staff to distribute the work of answering inquires in a way that was clear and efficient.

"We've used a few ticket (tracking) tools in the past, including Req, Webreq, RT, PerlDesk, and Footprints". Yet all seemed to, in some way, fall short of expectations. As Jim recounts: "Others were (either) missing some essential features, were incredibly slow, or had too much going on for (our) simple requirements."

HelpSpot was a welcomed change from the other offerings because of its easy to use interface which makes it a "breeze to use" for Jim and his staff. HelpSpot's customization and configurability is presented in a way that doesn't overwhelm or complicate the interface.

For example, HelpSpot's filters feature-specifically the My Queue filter-"isolates (each staffers) requests into one area," allowing them to focus on addressing/closing those issues assigned to them. However, Jim and his team also have the flexibility to create custom filters should they wish to view requests based on additional, and perhaps a more complex set of, parameters.

All the while, the system default filters (Inbox and My Queue) are presented in a way that allows users to hit the ground running with HelpSpot right out of the box, however the ability to create more customized views of the requests is just a couple of clicks away.

Given its simplicity and power, Jim could not be more pleased with his decision to move his team to HelpSpot as well as recommend it to the facilities department, which is in the process of rolling out. As Jim states in support of HelpSpot: "It's been fantastic, support is very fast, we've had very few problems, and upgrades are a breeze."

About the Organization:
The Life Science Institute is a hub for collaboration among outstanding scientists from a variety of life science disciplines focusing on the biological problems of human health. Through its core resources and initiatives, the Institute creates crossroads for all UM faculty and students to engage across fields and other academic boundaries.

To learn more, visit them at www.lsi.umich.edu..