The antiquated “spreadsheet for everything” model that is still pervasive in many educational institutions needs to go the way of the school bully. Sure, spreadsheets provided lots of ways to improve the world of education, but they are the “bad guys” of the IT department. It’s time, however, for administrators and support organizations to embark on an “anti-spreadsheet campaign” just like they initiated the anti-bullying campaigns of the past few years.

Unfortunately, most of the spreadsheets now in use were developed many years ago and the people who created them have moved onto greener pastures. There are far fewer people who really understand how to make spreadsheets work beyond the basics and therefore users spend more time trying to figure out how the spreadsheet with pivot tables and other advanced concepts work.

There is a New Sheriff in Town

Just like law enforcement has recognized the dangers associated with school bullying, many IT vendors are seeing that spreadsheets are no longer the answer to all the technology challenges facing educational institutions.

One excellent example of a “new sheriff,” is the IT Help Desk Solutions Set created by GroupLink. GroupLink is on a mission to displace spreadsheets as the primary way of tracking support tickets. everything HelpDesk® provides a complete arsenal of advanced tools to streamline the IT support function.

With these advanced tools, IT professionals can spend their time addressing support issues rather than tracking down and managing tickets using spreadsheets and similar tools.

Advanced Tools from Group Link

The tools from GroupLink that can displace the spreadsheet include:

• Email to Ticket Conversion – emails sent into support automatically convert into support tickets and enter the que for the next qualified technician.
• Email and Calendar Integration – tickets are integrated with all the popular email and calendar systems. Technicians are notified when a new ticket arrives and users can receive updates on the status of their issue.
• Auto Assigning of Tickets – Tickets can be automatically assigned to the most qualified support person available based on location, complexity of the issue and more.

Can Your Spreadsheet do that?

Unfortunately, it is easy to become attached to tools that may have outlived their usefulness. Next time you pull up your spreadsheet to track IT support tickets, ask yourself if it allows for mass updating, automatic reporting, workflow tracking, asset discovery and integration with other support software.

Can everyone in the organization access the same information and is it updated automatically across all departments and locations. We think not! Send this bully a message and make it loud and clear. We will no longer toleration ineffective spreadsheets that take far too much to manage while delivering inaccurate and out of date information.

If you want antiquated spreadsheets to go the way of the school bully, contact GroupLink today and watch how the new sheriff in town streamlines your IT Support Desk. Get your IT support professionals back to work on real issues rather than chasing bad guys!