Common Workplace Procedures – CWPs

 

Arrival to Your Shift

 

Your first few minutes on your shift help set you up for the rest of the time you’re there that day. Below are several actions you should always take when first arriving at any     shift.

 

1. Attend to any patron by following the section on Front Desk Assistance.
2. Answer any phone calls that come in by following the section on Answering the Phone.
3. Turn on the computer you intend to use If it is off.
4. Login to the computer with username “media” and the latest iteration of the password.
5. Open a web browser and navigate your way to “Kace” and “WebCheckout” in separate tabs.
6. Open the Outlook application, usually located on the task bar (doc for MacOS).
7. Check Kace for any new tickets and handle them according to the section on Kace.
8. Look for new emails in Outlook and handle them according to the section on Webmail/Outlook.
9. If you find that everything above has been attended to, take a look in the office and follow this procedure:
10. Reimage any laptops that aren’t completed unless noted otherwise (See: Reimaging).
11. Check to see that all recently checked in camcorders are wiped and charged.
12. Check to see if there are any media projects you can accomplish (See: Media Projects).
13. If there are pieces of equipment unlabeled and disorganized, put them back into their proper location.

 

If you have completed all these tasks or others are seeing to them, only then should you start doing your homework at work. Even when doing your homework, keep a lookout          for patrons you can help. Remember, constant vigilance!

 

Front Desk Assistance

 

While arriving at the front desk or while on shift, a patron may approach with a                problem. People we officially support are students, staff, faculty, and alumni, but if it’s        not too busy and you’re feeling generous, you may attempt to assist anyone that comes     in. Follow the steps below when assisting someone at the desk.

 

1. Start by saying “Hello, how may I help you?”
2. Proceed to listen to their problem without interrupting.
3. Help them if you can.
4. If you cannot assist them, ask a coworker from media or student support.
5. If the student staff (including yourself) cannot assist them, ask a supervisor or manager for assistance with the problem, and they will teach you how to solve it.
6. If at any point you realize they need a different department’s help, direct them to that department or give them department contact information, but not extensions of specific people.

 

Depending on the issue they are having, reference other CWPs in order to handle the

requests quickly and correctly.

 

 

Answering the Phone

 

When answering the phone, start by saying “Media Services, this is (Your Name), how may I help you?” Listen to the patron’s answer and try not to interrupt. If it sounds like a spam caller, it probably is, but do your best to remove any grey area by following the procedure below:

 

1. If asked to speak to a specific person, ask what business they have with that person, and ask said person if they are expecting a call by putting the patron on hold and asking a supervisor or calling directly. In the event that you are asked by a patron for an extension of a higher-up, do not to give it out at all. However, if the higher-up can confirm that they have business with the caller, then transfer them rather than handing out university extensions.

 

If it is not a spam caller, write down all information you can gather on a sheet of paper    nearby or a sticky note. The call may be about a Classroom/Bookable Space issue, equipment reservation or checkout, event support, or an issue we can’t/don’t cover.

 

1. For Classroom/Bookable Space issues, include the name of the caller, the problem in detail, the room and building if applicable, and contact information for the patron. Attempt to solve the problem over the phone while remaining calm, suggesting actions such as turning the system off then on again. If it seems to be an issue that can only be solved in person, you may inform the patron that someone will be sent to the issue as soon as possible. In such a case, you may go yourself, ask someone else to go, or go with someone with more experience (if you feel underexperienced) or less experience (if you want to provide a learning experience for someone with less time on the job). See: Classroom Calls.
2. If the call is about equipment reservation or checkout, you may open WebCheckout (see: WebCheckout) if time provides, and ask all necessary information, including their name, equipment to be checked out, and the length of the reservation/checkout. The maximum checkout on a laptop is 5 days per student per month and other equipment can be checked out/reserved for a maximum of one week. For professors it is case by case, but if any patron asks for an adapter for more than a week, inform them that most adapters may be purchased at the school bookstore.
3. When concerning yourself with event support, ask for the name of the organizer, the date(s) of the event, the start and end time of the event, any equipment needed, any setup needed, and try to answer any questions they may have about the space they are working in. For entering this information into the media calendar see “Calendar Entries” under Webmail/Outlook.
4. In the event that we cannot solve the issue and need to transfer the patron to another department or person, let them know that you will put them on hold and have them transferred.

• To do a warm transfer, press the “Transfer” button and enter the number of the person you are trying to transfer to. If/when they answer, ask if you can transfer the patron to them. If they agree, you may hit the “DirTrfr” button and then hang-up. A warm transfer is polite for both parties and is preferred for getting the patron the help they need.
• For a cold transfer, simply press the “Transfer” button after putting the patron on hold, enter the number, and then press “DirTrfr” immediately afterward. A cold transfer is not preferred as it’s hard to know if the person will pick up, but it’s helpful if the patron is okay with leaving a voice mail and we cannot help them.

 

 

Classroom Calls

 

When receiving a phone call, it may be necessary to go to the classroom or bookable space in order resolve the issue. Since there are thousands of different devices on campus, it is difficult to group them together for one type of troubleshooting. Therefore, below is a set of basic troubleshooting thoughts you should have for most situations, and below that are specific scenarios.

 

Helpful thoughts for yourself when answering a classroom call:

“Are all necessary devices turned on?”

“Have said devices been power cycled?”

“Are all cables plugged into the correct inputs and outputs?”

“Is everything plugged in securely?”

“Do all devices that need network connectivity have it?”

“Is the desired input selected on the interface?”

“Is the volume turned up?”

Put all above questions to the test before consulting a supervisor.

 

Common Scenarios (Listed common to rare from top to bottom)

 

1. Image not displaying

• Check that all devices are powered on and awake.
• Check that the correct input is selected.
• Check for a flashing “Display Mute” button and turn it off if need be.
• Check display cables by nudging them and testing to see they are secure.
• Assure display cables are plugged into the correct inputs and outputs (both inside and outside the podium!).

 

2. Sound not coming from in-room speakers

• Check that all devices are powered on and awake.
• Check that the correct input is selected.
• Adjust the volume with the knob or remote.
• Check for a flashing “Audio Mute” button and turn it off if need be.
• Check audio cables by nudging them and testing to see if they are secure.
• Assure audio cables are plugged into the correct inputs and outputs (both inside and outside the podium!).

 

3. Discoloration of displayed image

• Check if display cables are secure by nudging or wiggling them. This applies especially to rooms with VGA wall plates as they often get knocked off or bent.
• Replace display cables if necessary.

 

With any situation that comes up, remember that you do not have to do anything alone if you are uncomfortable doing it. Ask for help and you shall receive it. This does not, however, mean that you should hand the task off to someone else. Instead, take each situation as an opportunity to learn something new!

 

 

Media Projects

 

Media Projects are completed throughout the year and requests remain relatively constant. A media project can be Digitization, Duplication/Transfer, Editing, or Streaming and is typically completed by a student within 1-5 days. The main reason we do media projects is for educational purposes, so most requests come from professors that are currently teaching here. Since an extraction project is rarer than the other two, I will briefly describe it after detailing conversions and uploads.

 

All media projects MUST have a project form, and each one has an area for you to attach a new project number sticker next to the contact’s phone number. The form is relatively self-explanatory, but it’s important to note that all sections on it are required to ensure proper organization.

 

Streaming

Specifically uploading to the “MEDIAL” server, the files can be movies, tv shows, or sound files (movies are most common). However, before uploading them to the server, files must be copied from their originals. For CDs and DVDs this means using our ripping software to duplicate the files. However, BEFORE ripping or uploading, check the Medial server (login with media credentials) and Kanopy to see if the files already exist on the server. Below are step by step instructions on how to rip a DVD and upload it to the Medial server.

 

1. First, insert the disc into one of the designated media project machines. Currently, the two older mac pros have the software we need, so use one of those.

 

2. Keep the name of the movie for the title name, and create a new subfolder to the “In Progress Projects” folder on the media share drive, with the project number as the title (“Project ####”). Store the file(s) in said folder for organizational purposes.

 

3. Once the DVD is loaded up, open the ripping software and click “Burn” which is most often a disc shaped button. If it is a foreign language film, include the subtitles if asked by selecting the subtitles option before ripping.

 

4. When the files are done ripping, open up a new tab in a browser and navigate to Medial. Here you must login with the media credentials in order to proceed. Once logged in, check again to see that the files you are uploading aren’t duplicates. Afterwards scroll down and click on the “ADD MEDIA” button.

 

5. Upload the file, and then proceed to details, where you will need to provide the title, category, and tags. The title remains the same, the category is the first letter of the film, and the tags should at least be the title, class number, and professor name.

 

6. After that it will prompt you to add a thumbnail, and it provides screenshots to do so. Select a screenshot that has relatively good lighting and as little blur as possible. It doesn’t necessarily need the title or even a character in it.

 

7. Next it brings you to the attachment page which gives you room to upload separate subtitle files and more, but this step is most often` skipped.

 

8. Finally, it takes you to the confirmation page, and you should click “finish”. It will bring you back to the files page and show the new files with a loading bar on the side.

 

9. Once the bar is complete, the upload is finished, and you will need to create a ticket for EdTech detailing the name of the film, length of the film, name of professor, contact information for the professor, and the class they want it posted to. In addition, if the video was requested to have subtitles, please include that in the ticket as well.

 

Editing

Editing usually happens when a patron brings in a movie that they want changed in some way. For instance, they could want the audio extracted from the video or vice versa. Another common editing request we get is cutting down films and movies down to a specified length. While cutting down movies in length can be quite simple, approach Adam for more information about extraction.

 

Duplication/Transfer

This type of media project is mostly self-explanatory as most often it is simply duplicating a specific file. For movies you will need to go through the same process of ripping that was covered in the Streaming section, but instead of uploading to Medial, you burn the DVD to an empty one in order to copy it to another disc. For CDs you can use VLC to copy the audio from one CD to another. File duplication is even more simple than that as there is no ripping involved, just simply make a copy and give it to the patron on a storage device.

 

Digitization

Digitization is a similar initial process to streaming and duplication. Using the DVD ripping software or VLC,  you can choose to make DVD files into .mp4 and CD files into .mp3. From there you can transfer the files onto a USB flash drive or an external hard drive, either provided by the patron or checked out from the media center. (VHS CONVERSION?)

 

Webmail/Outlook

 

When you login to a computer at the front desk, you will notice that Outlook is in the taskbar or doc. Outlook is connected to the media@pugetsound.edu Webmail address created by the school for Media Services use. While you can login on webmail.pugetsound.edu, its typically faster and easier to open up Outlook, as it is already logged in. New emails will come through here from patrons, and whenever you respond to a patron it should also be through the Media Services email. Since the application has many functions I will detail some of the more common ones below.

 

Replying to/Composing an Email

Composing and replying to an email is quite straight-forward. Start with “Hello” or “Hello (Name)” to keep it professional, and be polite. Try to explain everything to the best of your knowledge (or ask someone else) when answering a question, and ask specific questions so you get enough information to support the patron. End with the media services signature, found by clicking on the “Signatures” drop down menu and selecting “Media Services Signature”.

 

Calendar Entries

The calendar in Outlook is what we use for all event scheduling. From this calendar you   can view, edit, and create events that are one time or recurring. You may find yourself        scheduling an event such as a PA system setup at the Yellow House, or recording an educational talk, for example.

 

Entering an event into the calendar is as easy as clicking the “New Appointment” button or double clicking on any empty cell. From there you can choose the start and end of the     event, as well as the title, location, and any associated details. For continuity use the “Event Template” signature in the “Signatures” dropdown menu, located under the “Insert” tab on Windows and the “Format Text” tab on MacOS. If it is an event we need            to setup and strike for, please make a separate event for striking the equipment so we             avoid appointments of more than a few hours.

 

 

Calling in Late/Calling Out

 

Calling in late or calling out is acceptable and expected given the busy schedules and numerous viral infections that travel around the school. Try your best to give notice at least a day in advance, and always send earlier notification if possible. Remember that people are counting on you to show up to your shift, so no news is not good news. When considering calling out or whether you’re running late, you should email Media Services Manager directly at dchilders@pugetsound.edu. Texting is acceptable in restricted circumstances, but email is the preferred way you should communicate with your supervisor, due to the necessity of keeping records.