UCS online knowledge base has everything you might need to know -- and then some

In your neighborhood and at your desk, UCS online knowledge base has everything you might need to know -- and then some

By Jody Zink

The Indiana University UCS Help Online Knowledge Base has become well known among computer users; Harvard University students -- and many others around the country -- are accessing the site via the World Wide Web.

In fact, many universities have direct links to IU's Online Knowledge Base, a component of University Computing Services Help Online that contains answers to the 5,000 most commonly asked computer questions at IU.

It seems the Knowledge Base (KB) is a secret to some Hoosiers, even IU employees, since 40-50 percent of its users are from outside the state.

"We have one of the best knowledge bases in the country," said Dawn E. Hewitt, coordinator of Online Services at the UCS Support Center in Bloomington. "It's like a hidden treasure...and we want to share the wealth."

Originally created as a tool for support center consultants, the Knowledge Base took more than 100,000 hours to create. "It is based on the questions people have asked us here -- so it's designed for the students, faculty and staff at IU."

Questions ranging from basic to advanced can be answered by the Knowledge Base by simply clicking on the specific topic or typing in the question. And this database searches for all related texts.

A typed question about E-mail, for example, could be spelled "email," "e-mail," or "e mail."

The UCS Knowledge Base empowers users to help themselves. "We know that sometimes when you call 812-855-6789, you get a busy signal. But you can get the answers yourself if you're using the Web -- and sometimes you can get the answer faster. And you certainly can get it when we're closed."

UCS Help Online is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The UCS Support Center hopes the Knowledge Base would be the first place people look for answers to standard questions since it's up-to-date and easy to use. Using UCS Online allows consultants to use their resources more efficiently because it saves tough questions for one-on-one consulting.

"What we're trying to do is change some behaviors so that we can better serve the populations we have to serve," said Sue Workman, manager of the UCS Support Center."It would be impossible to hire enough staff to answer all the questions face to face, even though that's the preferred method of support.

"Not everyone knows what a resource we have here. It really puts us in the forefront of how we serve our customers," Workman said. "The KB puts a consultant on everyone's desk."

(Editor's note: In upcoming issues, IU Home Pages will feature a column on the "virtual support center," detailed above, and the computer user support opportunities available there. These columns will focus on the UCS commitment to providing a "consultant" at every IU employee's desk.