With the implementation of PeopleSoft 8.9, a program designed to have students, faculty and staff function on the same level, the Information Technology Support Center has suffered a high volume of calls and walk-ins stemmed from problems regarding password resets.
The walk-in support is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday for students who are in need of technical support.
"This summer has been much different than any other, with the new introduction of PeopleSoft," IT Support Center Manager James McGee said. "On a good day, our calls have exceeded any volume before by nearly three times."
The walk-in wait time, however, is not as long as the time spent on hold when calling the IT’s 24-hour phone support service.
On a typical shift, there are five employees answering phones, returning calls and replying to e-mails, excluding the individuals at the walk-in desk.
"Ideally, I strive for no longer than a three-minute hold time for callers when working the phone support line," said User Support specialist Brian Thomas.
"When the wait time has exceeded three minutes for calls, we try to bring extra hands to answer phones, additional staff," McGee said.
Most students have problems trying to log in and retrieving the password to their account. According to McGee, some data from the old program wasn’t transfered over, causing minor problems for students.
"I expect the fall (will) bring more calls, but not nearly as much as we have had in the past few days," McGee said. "All the kinks have been worked out (of PeopleSoft)."
The earlier deadline for tuition payment tuition has created an overwhelming amount of calls.
The IT Support Center has attempted to lessen the amount of new students who traditionally walk through their doors the first week of school by attending new student orientations, setting students up with CougarNet accounts and resolving any issues at that time.
After calling the phone support line or waiting, McGee’s best advice to students is to e-mail the Support Center at [email protected], where each request is dealt with on a first-come, first-serve basis.
"You may have to wait for a response, but it is probably the quickest way to get your question answered, without staying on the phone or standing in the line, " McGee said.
