Your users will likely need general IT support for Google Apps and the other programs and systems you use in your organization. This page will help you set up a help desk to optimize your support operations.

Setting up

You’ll want to keep your help desk accessible by setting up multiple channels of support, including:

• Phone
• Email
• Chat/Video Chat
• VOIP
• Website
• Internal wiki, like a Google Site, to house all troubleshooting information (not just for Google Apps)
• Walk-in (clearly post your hours of operation)

Most help desks use Remedy or some other internal ticket system to keep track of requests. Use metrics to track support volumes, time to resolution, etc.

Another approach is to create a Google Form where users can submit their support requests. This can be posted to a Google Site or circulated via email. You can also create a Google Group for help desk support questions to respond to issues and share best practices.

Training your staff

Once you’ve determined your help desk setup, you’ll need to train the staff on Google Apps and how to answer questions from your users. We’ve provided these resources to help:

• Visit Resources for your users to find app-specific User guides, training videos and more.
• Introduce go-to Google Apps experts in your organization with the Google Guides Program (and spread the word with Google Guide signs!).

Providing support

Processing support requests

Depending on the type of issue you're facing, consult one of our help centers for troubleshooting and app support.

• For end-user issues, use the Apps Help Center to find the app in question and start troubleshooting.
• For admin issues, look under Troubleshoot Google Apps to fix the problem. You’ll find the full range of support options in Technical support for Google Apps admins.

Contacting Google for support

Still can’t resolve the issue after searching the Help Centers and troubleshooting? The next step would be to open a support case with Google.

Support resources

Use these links as your one-stop resource for running your help desk.

• Check out service status with the Apps status dashboard.
• Receive email notifications for new features with Apps updates.

• As an administrator, use the Admin Help Center to get app-specific help with Fix an issue > Service issues. You can also search common issues for admins or check known issues.
• For end-user questions, use the Apps Help Center. Select the app you need help with, e.g. Mail, Calendar, or Drive. If you don't see the icon you're looking for, just click Show all products in the upper left. Once you’ve found your product, click Help Center. From here, look under Fix an issue and you'll see Known issues and General troubleshooting for common issues.