UniPress Software, Inc. announced that the Devereux Foundation, the largest private healthcare carrier in the United States, has selected its FootPrints 100% web-based service desk software to centralize and manage IT support operations for employees located at 53 centers across 13 states. The non-profit organization is using FootPrints to automate its internal help desk, which logs an average of 1,800 issues a month from its 6,000 employees. Additionally, Devereux expanded its use of the FootPrints system to track and manage human resources, HIPAA compliance, and its property maintenance activities.

Devereux's mission is to provide the highest quality services to children, adults, and families with special needs, stemming from behavioral, psychological, intellectual, or neurological impairments. The organization serves 15,000 people on an annual basis.

With a large, distributed workforce, Devereux needed a web-based support automation system to deliver timely service and support to its employees. Prior to selecting FootPrints, it utilized a Microsoft(R) Access database to track and manage PC and network support requests. As support volume grew, the system was too slow and only allowed access to a handful of concurrent users. Through its web-based design, FootPrints allows Devereux to centralize its help desk and enable agents and employees to access the system via the Internet.

"Scalability is what we were looking for," explained Mark Eckert, Manager of Help Desk Operations at the Devereux Foundation. "When it came down to it, we needed a web-based solution that provided all the functionality that our previous system lacked. The fact that FootPrints was web-based was one of the biggest determining factors for us. Also, as a non-profit organization, cost is always a factor. With FootPrints, we were able to receive the functionality we needed at a price point well within our range."

FootPrints provides a 100% web-based service desk system that includes centralized, multi-channel issue tracking as well as a broad range of built-in features including self-service online, knowledge management, two-way email management, service level management, and comprehensive reporting capabilities. The system offers the capability to centrally track and manage all incoming requests received via phone, email, the Internet, chat, and wireless PDAs. FootPrints offers customers its signature ease-of-use and a powerful workflow engine, along with the ability to easily customize without requiring any programming, consulting, or training. FootPrints' flexible design offers the ability to create multiple partitioned projects which can each be customized without any programming.

Through FootPrints, Devereux employees can submit IT support issues by phone, email, and the web, and then track them using the system's self-service online features. The non-profit organization configured FootPrints' auto-routing and escalation capabilities to ensure all issues are resolved in a timely manner by the appropriate agent.

The Devereux Foundation has also implemented the FootPrints Dynamic Address Book Link, an add-on tool which enables dynamic access in synchronizing its help desk with employee information located in its Novell NDS(R) directory. When an agent enters a user ID or an email address within FootPrints, the system auto-populates the ticket with data pulled dynamically from the corporate address book. With this capability, agents save time addressing employee support calls and are able to diagnose and resolve problems faster.

In addition to IT support automation, Devereux leveraged the multi-project capabilities of FootPrints to track and mange other request-oriented business processes. The organization created separate projects within FootPrints for its human resources special issue tracking center, its HIPAA security center, and its property maintenance department.