Consulting without consultants: expert systems applications in user services

One major challenge to User Services personnel is keeping current with new developments in the area they support. Computer technology is in a state of constant change. Staff must not only provide consulting on current products; they must also provide advice on future trends for users eager to remain on the cutting edge of technology. The pace is quickening rather than slowing. Frand et al., in a 1987 survey of university business schools, found that microcomputers, since their introduction in the late 1970s, have reached the same usage levels at universities that minicomputers and mainframes took over 25 years to reach [p. 899]. With the advent of microcomputers, User Services staff found themselves supporting not only new hardware, but also a whole new array of software that continues to expand. The proliferation of microcomputers leads to another challenge to User Services - decentralization of computing resources. There is no longer the traditional “Computer Center” that existed even 10 years ago. With the introduction of the microcomputer, the seat of computing power switched from the computer center to each person's desktop. According to the same survey mentioned above, the number of desktop microcomputers used in the schools surveyed has nearly doubled since 1985 [p. 909]. At University of Wisconsin -La Crosse, the number of microcomputers on campus reflects this trend, jumping from 245 in 1985 to 511 in 1988. While most campuses still support some mainframe usage, computing is usually accomplished at the user's office or home. Even those who use the mainframe are more likely to communicate via network or modem than by a terminal in the computer center. This decentralization means that users are no longer satisfied with traveling to a central site for consulting or restricting their questions to regular office hours. Instead they demand immediate answers to their questions without leaving their office. The nature of these questions is also changing. Many of the support questions addressed are not consulting on the use of the packages themselves, but rather involve identification of the best software for a particular purpose. While the development of “user-friendly” software means more people are inclined to try computing, many potential users find themselves overwhelmed by the myriad of hardware and software choices available. Whether novice or expert, users need help in identifying hardware and software that will meet their particular needs. As the availability of technology increases, so does the demand for consulting services. At the same time that more people are demanding more widely available services for more technology, time and money remain a problem for User Services groups. Service branches of the university have been traditionally understaffed and underbudgeted. Because of this shortage, most User Services groups are forced to rely on students in providing consulting to users. While this provides excellent experience for student workers, lack of training and poor communication with part-time workers too often result in inaccurate and inconsistent advice being given to users. This problem occurs most often in the area of hardware and software recommendations. Students tend to provide subjective opinions based on their own limited experience because they lack the broader knowledge required to give more objective advice. Better training would improve this situation somewhat, but knowledge acquisition and dissemination remain a problem because of the turnover rates inherent in use of student help.