vESD comes to Vance desktops Published Nov. 24, 2014 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- On Nov. 17 Team Vance members probably noticed a new blue icon on their desktop monitors with the letters vESD. The icon brings up the Virtual Enterprise Service Desk (vESD), which is a client-based application that allows the user to solve common issues and self-initiate trouble tickets for email, desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. The application allows for status checks of any current trouble ticket, feedback submission and provides further contact information for more help. By the end of December, the vESD will be able to resolve issues involving hardware, software and networks problems, said Jeffery Simon the 71st Communications Flight director. Users who experienced account or network problems over the last few years have called a central customer service center. With a customer base of over 650,000 people, the ESD's automated phone system had been significantly overburdened, which led to a cascade of inefficiencies. Not immune to the fiscal challenges so familiar across the Air Force, the 67th Cyber Wing advanced on a new approach to customer service, necessary to solve this complex problem. "Before the vESD people would have to wait about an hour to submit a trouble ticket," said Simon. "After that it would take a week for the issue to be resolved. This application can fix most problems within minutes without having to pick up the phone." With vESD, the user simply clicks an icon on their desktop, answers some simple questions, and the software attempts repair. They effectively reach a virtual ESD technician immediately. Similar to the human technician, vESD will attempt repair based on the user's response to questions and will perform its own "health check" of the user's computer. If it can't resolve the problem, vESD will automatically initiate a trouble ticket and route it immediately to the appropriate office at one of the Network Operations Squadrons or the local Communications Focal Point, depending on the problem identified. The ESD is transforming to more efficiently empower users to find solutions to their technical challenges as well as leverage new automated programs to eliminate the need for a call center. It is important to note the ESD is not closing. It will still exist. It is simply transforming its business processes on more proactive tasks. "Historically, about 70% of all tickets are minor issues that could be resolved through this type of automation," said Lt. Col. Mark Reith, the 690th Network Support Squadron commander at Joint Base Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Kelly Field Annex, Texas. "The remaining tickets are generally forwarded to other offices for resolution because it is beyond the expertise of the first line technician. vESD is great because it either resolves the minor issue or routes the ticket to the right office. Instead of waiting for someone to answer the phone, the tough tickets are created and routed to the right specialist faster." If you experience any problems with the vESD or have an issue that needs further assistance, please call your local communications focal point at 213-5785. Editor's note: Information for this story was provided by Air Force Space Command Public Affairs.