2.4 Other Forms of Communication

You should know the following terms:

• Etiquette
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
• Help Desk Ticketing System

Help Desk Ticket Use and Etiquette

It is important to note that most help desk ticketing systems build in the use of email as part of the ticketing process.  However, the communications - or notes - within a help ticket are available for multiple audiences: the person you are helping, the entire support team with access to the ticketing system, and possibly even all district administrators.  This is important to remember when using your help desk system.  

Some key differences from email:

• Help desk tickets should maintain clear and concise documentation notes, including solutions tried.  This creates a history that can be referenced if the problem happens again in the future. 
• While directly addressing an individual's need, help desk tickets may contain more technical terms or references for your support team in case they are dealing with the same issue or you need to hand the ticket off to another person.
• The system should be used to document updated timelines so everyone is aware of the progress of solving the problem.

Even with these differences, it is important to keep your communications professional.  Especially remember the following:

• Because these are more public, personal references should not be included in help ticket communications.
• Keep repeated requests for needed information friendly and positive.
• Be specific in any requests you are making; consider including a bulleted list if it is multiple items.

A key reason for using a help desk ticketing system is that it allows for the creation of documentation over time.  Being professional, clear and concise will help your organization build a useful knowledge-base for years to come.

Phone Use and Etiquette

In most school districts, Level 1 Technicians will mostly use phones as part of the support team. You will utilize the same concepts as you would with in-person communication, but without the advantage of physical nonverbal cues. This means your tone and volume of voice are even more impactful to the conversation.

Some tips on being professional on the phone:

• Use a professional greeting like "Good morning, this is Joe."
• Don't multitask to help you focus on the call and eliminate noises such as keyboard activity.
• Keep the conversation positive.
• Keep the person informed; for instance, if their problem calls for you to take notes let them know you are going to be typing up the notes from your call in the background.
• Try to provide a clear solution or next step to their problem.

Sometimes when the call clearly should be a help ticket, offering to walk them through the steps of creating the help ticket during the call might be the best approach. Not only does it support and encourage the use of the system, but you explaining that this both ensures the correct person gets assigned the ticket and it will help accurately document what is going on keeps the solution a positive one. 

Text Message Use and Etiquette

The convenience of texting has made it one of the fastest growing communication methods. Texts are usually short messages, calls to action, or a means for immediate engagement. They are also more likely to be looked at than email: 

While the average person receives dozens of emails, only 17% of people have 0 unread emails whereas 74% of people have 0 unread text messages https://snapdesk.app/text-messaging-statistics-facts-stats-insights/

There are several implications for school employees that do not pertain to personal texting.  Here are a few:

• State and federal privacy laws: as a school employee you are subject to state and federal laws about maintaining the privacy of student information and record.  Texting could lead to inadvertently violating those laws.
• Violation of test regulations:  most state and national testing ban cellphones from the testing environment.  Using a cell phone for any reason within a designated testing site could result in negative consequences for your school district. 
• Interruption of instruction/learning: using texts can disrupt the classroom environment, impacting a student's ability to learn and teacher's ability to teach. 
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): school related electronic communications are considered public record, even if it is on a private device.

For these reasons, among others, if you are considering using text messaging for your job the first step is to find out your school district's policy or guidance on employee texting. If texting is allowed, next determine the circumstances when it should be used:

• Which groups can be texted (eg. only tech team; administrators; teachers; students)
• What times of the day is texting allowed (eg. 24/7; only working hours; only between set times)
• How can texts be used (eg. only when phones are down; during emergencies; when working on a help ticket)

You should maintain professional writing with your texts, as you would other written communication. The difference is that texts should:

• be kept short and to the point
• begin with who you are to ensure the receiver knows it is a school employee
• NOT use abbreviations and emojis
• NEVER include sensitive information (ie. a password)
• be treated as public record

Here are additional resources you may find useful:

• Writing help desk tickets (article by the end user)
• 6 types of support tickets (article)
• 4 Tricks for Improving Help Desk Tickets (article)
• Texting in the Workplace (article)
• Texting Guidelines  (article)
• Email Versus Text?  (article)

Complete the following task or self-assessment:

• Find the cell phone guidelines for your district and compare them to your use of cell phones and texting in your work. Are there places you can improve?
• Compare how you communicate personally with how you plan to (or should) communicate while at work.  What habits do you need to change for your work environment?  What new habits will you try to put in place?