The Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic Enterprise Service Desk (ESD) in New Orleans recently renewed its Help Desk Institute (HDI) certification, which improves and streamlines processes and procedures and enables the ESD to be more efficient.
The ESD provides service and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to more than one million warfighters stationed across the world. As the Navy’s largest help desk, it serves as a “one stop shop” for quickly finding resolutions in an effort to minimize the impact to the Navy fleet and Department of Defense (DOD) warfighter. The ESD supports a wide array of Navy, Marine Corps and other DOD customers including Global Combat Support System-Marines, Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System and Navy Reserve Order Writing System.
Due to the high impact of ESD on naval operations, NIWC Atlantic recognized the importance of completing the demanding HDI certification process to ensure the highest level of customer service. HDI is the industry leader in technical support and the service management industry, and preparing for the certification is arduous.
“It took two years of hard work to prepare for the HDI certification,” said Kerwin LeFrere, Integrated Service Center operations manager at the NIWC Atlantic. “We had to conduct a self-assessment to see where we measured on HDI scale and from there we set targets, we tracked them and, when we had sufficient evidence that we would become certified, we decided to go for it. Now that we have it and know the process, we are always preparing for the next audit.”
At the end of the audit, HDI provides a graded report that notes what areas need to be improved and what ESD is doing well.
“I am proud to say we received a 3.1 out of 4 from the audit that was recently conducted,” said LeFrere. “We have to pass all eight areas. If we fail one area, we fail the entire certification, which is why this is such a big deal. The results are well worth the effort.”
Aside from prestige, the HDI Certification demonstrates to industry partners, customers and sponsors that the ESD is dedicated to providing the highest quality service.
“In 2018, OPNAV issued an order for all help desks to be consolidated and only two Department of the Navy (DON) agencies were selected for the other help desks to consolidate to -- Naval Air Systems Command and us,” said LeFrere. “We were chosen because of our HDI designation, which shows that we follow a high standard of processes and procedures and ultimately results in a high level of customer satisfaction.”
While being selected as a target service organization for the DON’s consolidation was a major triumph for the ESD, there are other positives from the certification including high employee morale and retention, improved customer communication and overall a more efficient help desk.
“The process to become HDI Certified is rigorous and on-going, but being certified brings creditability and respect to NIWC and the ESD as leaders in the industry,” said Patrick Fitzgerald, senior scientific technical manager and enterprise systems department head. “I am impressed and proud of how efficiently the ESD is managed and the dedicated employees that ensure the ESD continues to be a world class service desk.”
While the recertification was recently completed, the ESD will spend the next two years improving processes and procedures in preparation for the next audit.
As a part of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, NIWC Atlantic provides systems engineering and acquisition to deliver information warfare capabilities to the naval, joint and national warfighter through the acquisition, development, integration, production, test, deployment, and sustainment of interoperable command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, cyber and information technology capabilities.