Champlain College Help Desk Implementation with Zendesk

Senior Team Leader

Age: 29
Experience: 6 years

 

Contract Details

  • Client: Champlain College (mid-size, 3,000 students, 500 staff, Burlington, VT).
  • Outsourcing Provider: Master1Tech, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Contract Value: $400K over 12 months (April 2025–March 2026).
  • Start Date: April 2025.
  • End Date: March 2026, with option for 1-year extension.
  • Scope: Provide 24/7 help desk and end-user support for Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP and Salesforce CRM, including helpdesk, training, and troubleshooting for academic and administrative systems.
  • Service Level Agreements (SLAs):
    • 90% helpdesk ticket resolution within 8 hours.
    • Training for 400 staff and student leaders within 2 months.
    • 98% system availability for supported applications.
  • Compliance: FERPA, SOC 2
  • Governance: Weekly reviews via Microsoft Teams, using Jira for project tracking
  • Budget Allocation:
    • Helpdesk: $160K (40%)
    • Training: $120K (30%)
    • Troubleshooting: $80K (20%)
    • Infrastructure (portals, ticketing): $40K (10%)

Project Description
Champlain College outsourced 24/7 user support to Master1Tech to enhance help desk services for their academic and administrative operations, focusing on Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP for financial and student record management and Salesforce CRM for student engagement. The project included deploying Zendesk for helpdesk ticketing, training 400 staff and student leaders on system usage, and troubleshooting issues like login errors and data access, aligning with mid-size educational institutions’ needs for efficient IT support and system integration.

Tasks Involved

  • Helpdesk:
    • Managed user queries (e.g., Dynamics 365 data access, Salesforce login issues) via Zendesk, handling 500 monthly tickets with a 90% resolution rate within 8-hour SLA.
    • Utilized Jira for ticket tracking and ServiceNow for incident management, ensuring efficient query resolution.
  • Training:
    • Delivered e-learning and workshops for 400 staff and student leaders on Dynamics 365 and Salesforce using Articulate 360 for custom modules and Docebo for course delivery, completed in 1.5 months.
    • Incorporated Microsoft Learn for Dynamics 365 training, focusing on student record management and CRM functionalities.
  • Troubleshooting:
    • Addressed login failures, API errors, and application glitches using JavaScript scripts and Node.js APIs for custom fixes.
    • Resolved PostgreSQL database query issues and Microsoft Teams connectivity problems, reducing ticket escalations by 20%.

IT Skills Required

  • Ticketing Systems: Zendesk, Jira, ServiceNow for issue tracking and management
  • Programming: JavaScript, Node.js for custom scripts and API fixes
  • Troubleshooting: Diagnosing software, access, and connectivity issues
  • Communication: Using Microsoft Teams for team collaboration
  • Training Delivery: Creating content with Articulate 360, delivering via Docebo
  • Database Management: SQL (PostgreSQL) for ticketing data queries
  • Front-End Development: React for custom helpdesk portal enhancements

Contract Outcomes

  • Cost Savings: Achieved a 12% reduction in IT support costs through outsourcing.
  • Efficiency: Handled 500 monthly tickets, with 90% resolution within SLA.
  • Compliance: Met FERPA and SOC 2 compliance requirements.
  • User Adoption: Trained 400 staff and student leaders, achieving 85% proficiency in ERP and CRM tools.
  • Reliability: Maintained 98% system availability for supported applications.

Tasks Involved

  1. Migration:

    • Migrated 2TB of data from Microsoft Dynamics NAV to NetSuite ERP (Azure-hosted) and a custom CRM to Salesforce CRM (AWS-hosted) using NetSuite SuiteCloud and Talend for ETL processes, similar to Centene’s Dynamics 365 migration [memory: 30 Additional Corporate Examples].

    • Completed migration in 7 months with 99.8% data integrity.

  2. API Integration:

    • Developed REST APIs using Node.js to connect NetSuite and Salesforce with ShipStation, ensuring real-time tracking updates, akin to Zimmer Biomet’s NetSuite/Epicor integration [memory: 30 Additional Corporate Examples].

    • Used Talend for data orchestration, integrating 500 daily transactions.

  3. Troubleshooting:

    • Resolved data errors (e.g., duplicate records, missing fields) using Python scripts and pgAdmin for PostgreSQL, similar to resolving data errors in enterprise projects [memory: top 20 enterprise projects].

    • Fixed API latency issues, reducing integration errors by 20%.

IT Skills Required

  • ETL Development: Azure Data Factory, Talend, NetSuite SuiteCloud for data migration

  • Programming: Python, Node.js for ETL scripts and APIs

  • Database Management: SQL (Azure SQL Database), NoSQL (MongoDB) for data mapping

  • API Development: Node.js for REST API design

  • Troubleshooting: Resolving data integrity issues with pgAdmin and Splunk

  • Training Delivery: Delivering workshops with Pluralsight and Udemy

  • Front-End Development: React for dashboard creation

Contract Outcomes

  • Cost Savings: 15% reduction in IT costs via efficient migration .

  • Data Integrity: Achieved 99.8% accuracy for 2TB migrated data.

  • Compliance: Met SOC 2 standards

  • User Adoption: Trained 150 employees, with 85% proficiency in data tools.

  • Reliability: Supported 500 daily integrated transactions with 90% issue resolution within SLA.