The Joint Base Lewis-McChord Network Enterprise Center's primary help line for computer
problems is no longer accepting calls at 966-JBLM. Effective today, anyone requiring information technology support will need to call 866-335-ARMY (2769),
which connects customers to the Army Enterprise Service Desk.
The service is a step toward standardizing services in the Army. The new hotline is hardly a surprise, which Dennis Jesse said others have been using for years. Jesse is Chief of Business and Plans Division, JBLM NEC.
"The Reserves actually went to this in 2005, and the Corps of Engineers went to this system for all of their sites in 2008. So it's not the first iteration of this thing," Jesse said.
Upon calling, customers will be asked a series of questions about the issues they are having, after which callers are connected to AESD agents trained to assist with the issues. If for any reason agents cannot resolve issues over the phone, they will create remedy tickets.
"They'll forward the ticket down here, and then it's business as usual," Jesse said.
The hotline is toll-free and open 24/7, 365 days a year. Jesse said there are many advantages to
the new hotline, including a
faster, more accurate ticketing process. Personnel traveling while on duty also benefit from the
hotline. In the past, those traveling had to call the JBLM hotline,
and were often not able to receive help beyond the phone call. With the new hotline, help is sometimes dispatched and sent to your location.
"Lets say you're in a hotel in Vegas, and your computer stops working," Jesse said. "They're only going to be able to go so far, then they're going to be able to dispatch somebody local to you if it's high enough priority."
The hotline will also allow the AESD to track recurring issues and determine if they are occurring locally or widespread.
"If all of the sudden they're getting a lot of calls saying people are getting this anti-virus or something, then they can determine
this is a geographically dispersed event that's affecting all of us," Jesse said.
The hotline's consistent staffing levels and ability to deal with issues on a worldwide basis add to the reasons Jesse thinks customers will be satisfied with their experiences using it.
"I believe it's a great initiative that's going to bring a better response, and bring a faster response to a much wider geographical footprint," he said. "Now you've got coverage anywhere in the world, and they're going to be able to link you up with support technicians no matter where you're at."
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