Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 832 Computer Service and Repair Companies save thousands of dollars in the workforce by posting answers to the most commonly asked customer questions. Th ey also satisfy customer needs all around the globe by providing customer support 24 hours a day. It is interesting to note that many companies provide the very same information that could be found on the Microsoft Support website. However, some companies have personalized in- formation for their customers. Documentation Best Practices Before providing customer support, a company or organization must defi ne how that support will be off ered. Th en, employees must be trained to adhere to those policies. Th is is known as following best practices. Best practices often include anticipating the needs or concerns of employees and customers and posting solutions. Th is ensures someone looking for answers will be able to fi nd them in one centralized location with- out having to call for support. Examples of such documentation, aside from the pre- viously mentioned FAQ web pages, include knowledge base information and articles. Knowledge Base and Articles A knowledge base is a good way to capture counterproductive events, machine failures, and software issues. In some companies, these situations will be documented with a format called the Service Failure Mode and Eff ects Analysis. Other companies may use a custom-designed, browser-based tool or buy an already existing tool from a vendor. Articles are another way to document known issues for all sizes of companies. However, the search capability present in a knowledge base is unavail- able for articles, so this approach may be less convenient. Incident Documentation Incident documentation is a means for recording undesirable events, actions taken, and the results of those actions. As a computer problem-solver, you may ask to see any incident documentation related to the problem for which you were hired. If you are lucky, you will fi nd descriptions and steps taken regarding the problem. Often, it is best not to expect detailed documentation, but to be receptive to it whenever you receive it. Regulatory and Compliance Policy Part of the regulatory and compliance policy for any mid-level to large business is covered by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which has stringent requirements primarily for accounting but also for other business functions. Also, the company itself may have requirements for hardware refreshes as well as a document retention policy, which permits the destruction of specifi c classes of documents after a well-defi ned time has passed. Acceptable Use Policy An acceptable use policy (AUP), sometimes called a usage agreement, is a set of guidelines used and defi ned most often by the administrator of a network or service. Th is type of policy controls how the network or service may be used. It also sets directions regarding usage within the limits of the documented policy. 1002: 4.1 1002: 4.1 1002: 4.1 1002: 4.1