HELP DESK INSTITUTE TO COLLABORATE WITH MICROSOFT TO PROMOTE COMPLEMENTARY APPROACH TO SOFT SKILL CERTIFICATION FOR SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS (email this article)

New Orleans, LA - October 28, 2003 - Help Desk Institute (HDI) (Company Profile, Past Stories, Case Studies), the global leader for the support industry, and the world's largest membership association for service and support professionals, today announced that it will collaborate with Microsoft® (Nasdaq "MSFT"), the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing, to promote a complementary approach to soft skill certification for support professionals. The announcement was made by Ron Muns, founder and CEO of HDI at the IT Infrastructure Management Conference & Expo (ITIM 2003), which is being co-hosted by HDI and Pink Elephant this week in New Orleans, LA. Following the launch of Microsoft's newest certification program for help desk and technical support professionals, Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), Microsoft and HDI will co-market their complementary certification programs as a part of a holistic approach to ensuring that help desk and support professionals are certified with technical and professional skills to be more efficient in their job.

HDI Certification is based on internationally recognized open standards developed by a committee of worldwide industry leaders, help desk and support center experts, consultants, and practitioners for the benefit of the support industry. HDI currently certifies at three levels: HDI Customer Support Specialist (CSS) Certification, for customer service and support staff dedicated to providing outstanding levels of service and support; HDI Help Desk Analyst (HDA) Certification, for front-line tech support analysts with a foundational knowledge of help desk and support center operations; and HDI Help Desk Manager (HDM) Certification, for experienced help desk and support center supervisors, managers, and project managers responsible for day-to-day operations.

The Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) credential is designed for help desk technicians, customer support representatives, PC support specialists, and technical support representatives. These certified professionals will solve operating system and application problems on the desktop, as well as apply their customer service skills and hardware knowledge to educate users. Because help desk support professionals' job functions include troubleshooting, providing facilitation and customer service, performing hardware and software installation, supporting new configurations and upgrades, and performing system maintenance, certification for these functional areas helps to validate their skills and ensure that they are knowledgeable and up to date on the latest technology.

"We are delighted that Microsoft has created this new certification program and that the world's recognized leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing shares the values that HDI holds - i.e. that soft skills are an important component of a successful help desk or support professional," stated Ron Muns, founder and CEO, HDI, during the announcement. "We are very excited about the prospect of joining forces to promote our certification programs to the industry."

"At Microsoft, we believe certifications are a great tool for career enablement and accelerating an individual's knowledge and experience when performing on the job. Microsoft certifications like the MCDST are designed to enhance technical application of software and HDI has one of the industry's leading soft skills certifications," stated Dan Truax, director of business and product strategy for Microsoft Learning. "Our combined efforts are going to help technical support professionals be more successful in managing escalations and servicing customers."

ABOUT HELP DESK INSTITUTE
Help Desk Institute (HDI) is the global leader for the support industry and the world's largest membership association for service and support professionals. Founded in 1989, HDI's mission is to lead and promote the customer service and technical support industry by empowering its members through access to timely and valuable industry information, including reports and publications; encouraging member collaboration through events and online forums; and establishing internationally recognized, standards- based industry certification and training programs. In addition to membership, certification, and training, HDI produces the highest-rated industry event, the HDI Annual Conference and Expo, for customer service and technical support professionals. HDI is member-focused, and remains vendor-neutral in its efforts to facilitate open, independent networking and information sharing within the association network. HDI has more than 7,500 members worldwide, (including 90% of the Fortune 500), and more than 50 active U.S. chapters. For more information, visit, http://www.thinkhdi.com. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.