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VIRTUAL HELPDESK LTD

Virtual Helpdesk

An advanced helpdesk allowing fast deployment, cost management and control, asset management, supplier management and integrates with barclaycard

Features

  • Cost control
  • Job management
  • PPM Compliance
  • Visitor Log
  • Precisionpay Integration
  • Procurement management
  • Asset management
  • Contractor compliance

Benefits

  • Reduce Costs
  • Improve Compliance
  • Manage Contractors
  • Visibility on Jobs
  • Fast implementation

Pricing

£150 a unit a year

  • Free trial available

Service documents

Request an accessible format
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at rob.nicoll@virtual-helpdesk.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

3 4 3 5 3 4 5 7 0 8 1 1 5 7 0

Contact

VIRTUAL HELPDESK LTD Rob Nicoll
Telephone: 07931542310
Email: rob.nicoll@virtual-helpdesk.com

Service scope

Software add-on or extension
No
Cloud deployment model
Public cloud
Service constraints
No
System requirements
  • A HTML5 browser Modern Edge / Chrome will be fine
  • Some functions require an email address

User support

Email or online ticketing support
Email or online ticketing
Support response times
Our support response times are determined by the criticality of the request, with target ranges spanning from 30 minutes to 24 hours. These targets apply to standard office hours
User can manage status and priority of support tickets
No
Phone support
No
Web chat support
No
Onsite support
Yes, at extra cost
Support levels
Virtual Helpdesk offers a standard email support service that encompasses all customers at no additional charge. Additional support and onsite training are available as optional add-ons.
Support available to third parties
Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

Getting started
Onboarding will differ and is customised based upon customer needs and requirements. We offer a broad range of options from onsite training and implementation sessions to fully remote setup.

Typically, we would go through the Helpdesk functions with the core team online, and follow up with specific training if required. The system is build to be very user friendly and intuitive.

End user rollout does not require training - the "report issue" form is very simple and clear. Typically the intranet URL for reporting jobs is changes, and users just start using the new system. Reporting users do not need a login to the system making rollout of the system very efficient
Service documentation
No
End-of-contract data extraction
Excel data export reports are available which would allow clients to download their data as required whilst their contract is in place.
End-of-contract process
Data export tools are available to the customer at any time during their contract period. Documents are also available to download by the customer at ay time during their contract period. A data dump of all documents in a single folder would incur additional cost which would be determined based on the number of documents.

Using the service

Web browser interface
Yes
Supported browsers
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
Application to install
No
Designed for use on mobile devices
Yes
Differences between the mobile and desktop service
When mobiles access the system the UI changes to accommodate the size of the device. The PPM configuration page is specifically designed to work on a desktop and as such would not be optimised for a mobile device
Service interface
No
User support accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
API
Yes
What users can and can't do using the API
A modern RESTful JSON API is available should remote systems wish to integrate. API functions allow systems to:
Get Job List
Accept Job
Add Planned Date
Add Visit Date
Add Message to Job
Add Cost / Close Job
Get Planner List
Add PPM Visit

The API functionality is fully documented with examples. Contractors who wish to use their own job management system can do so as they can interact with the API, allowing the client to manage and control the Jobs centrally within Virtual Helpdesk.
API documentation
Yes
API documentation formats
HTML
API sandbox or test environment
Yes
Customisation available
Yes
Description of customisation
Some level of customisation is available in Virtual Helpdesk products. Welcome message on the Helpdesk can be customised by an online editor within Virtual Helpdesk.
Visitor Booking emails sent to new visitors are customisable from within the system. Custom reports can also be developed and applied to a custom reports area

Scaling

Independence of resources
Virtual Helpdesk deploy a SaaS model within Azure. The micro-services are managed by Azure and will scale should they come under load.

Analytics

Service usage metrics
Yes
Metrics types
Metrics are provided via dashboards within the software.
Reporting types
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports
  • Reports on request

Resellers

Supplier type
Not a reseller

Staff security

Staff security clearance
Staff screening not performed
Government security clearance
Up to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Asset protection

Knowledge of data storage and processing locations
Yes
Data storage and processing locations
United Kingdom
User control over data storage and processing locations
No
Datacentre security standards
Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 3.0)
Penetration testing frequency
At least once a year
Penetration testing approach
Another external penetration testing organisation
Protecting data at rest
Encryption of all physical media
Data sanitisation process
Yes
Data sanitisation type
Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
Equipment disposal approach
Complying with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v.30, CAS (Sanitisation) or ISO/IEC 27001

Data importing and exporting

Data export approach
Excel Reports
Data export formats
Other
Other data export formats
Pdf
Data import formats
CSV

Data-in-transit protection

Data protection between buyer and supplier networks
  • Private network or public sector network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
Data protection within supplier network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway

Availability and resilience

Guaranteed availability
Virtual Helpdesk host on Azure and aim for a 99.9% uptime. SLA can be provided upon request.
Approach to resilience
Virtual Helpdesk is built from micro-services which are hosted within Azure.
Several instances of each micro-service are running in Azure services specifically designed to run these micro-services. Azure have redundancy built into their "micro-service hosting service" as well as the fact that we have several instances running
Outage reporting
Users would be contacted by email should an outage occur

Identity and authentication

User authentication needed
Yes
User authentication
Username or password
Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels
User roles restrict functionality for each user. In addition, users can be limited on what they can see based upon location(s) or discipline(s)
Access restriction testing frequency
At least every 6 months
Management access authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

Access to user activity audit information
Users have access to real-time audit information
How long user audit data is stored for
At least 12 months
Access to supplier activity audit information
Users have access to real-time audit information
How long supplier audit data is stored for
At least 12 months
How long system logs are stored for
At least 12 months

Standards and certifications

ISO/IEC 27001 certification
No
ISO 28000:2007 certification
No
CSA STAR certification
No
PCI certification
No
Cyber essentials
Yes
Cyber essentials plus
No
Other security certifications
No

Security governance

Named board-level person responsible for service security
Yes
Security governance certified
No
Security governance approach
Virtual Helpdesk is setup to follow ISO 27001 standards, and we are working towards certification for ISO 27001
Information security policies and processes
Virtual Helpdesk has an induction procedure which ensures all new employees are aware of the policies they are expected to follow. An Information Security Management System ensures all policies are being adhered to.

Operational security

Configuration and change management standard
Supplier-defined controls
Configuration and change management approach
Virtual Helpdesk use industry leading software systems which ensure all changes can be traced to a ticket and developer. A full ticket management system ensures each ticket has undergone testing and sign-off before a release can take place.
Vulnerability management type
Undisclosed
Vulnerability management approach
Software scans code repositories for potential threats. These threats are converted to tickets which are managed through the Sprint development process. Urgent threats are prioritised. Patches can be released at any time during the development process should they need to be.
Protective monitoring type
Supplier-defined controls
Protective monitoring approach
Endpoints are monitored by third party apps which report issues as they are identified. Significant issues, or downtime are acted upon as soon as possible.
Incident management type
Supplier-defined controls
Incident management approach
Currently incident management is managed by email. Virtual Helpdesk is rolling out an online system where users will be able to self-serve their incident management updates

Secure development

Approach to secure software development best practice
Supplier-defined process

Public sector networks

Connection to public sector networks
No

Social Value

Social Value

Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

Fighting climate change

Virtual Helpdesk is committed to minimising our impact on the natural world. We engage in remote sales and setup where we can, use public transport wherever possible, recycle, keep paper usage to a minimum and use energy efficient devices.

Covid-19 recovery

Covid has transformed workplace usage and the workforce place of work. Virtual Helpdesk systems support a hybrid workforce by being accessible from within the workplace, or at users homes. The Virtual Helpdesk system itself facilities jobs to contractors and communication about those jobs through the software, reducing interaction required between clients and contractors. Our QR code technology used for self sign-in in our visitor log system allows visitors to sign in using their own device, removing the need for a common device for sign-in and reducing the interaction with the receptionist.

Tackling economic inequality

Virtual Helpdesk recognises economic inequality. All our used technology such as laptops and phones are recycled into the community through Virtual Helpdesk schemes ensuring that it reaches those in need. Wherever possible we offer paid workplace placements for local young adults hoping to start a career in technology but lack experience. We have also provided software and services FOC to charities working to tackle economic inequality.

Equal opportunity

Virtual Helpdesk is committed for being an equal opportunities employer. We do not discriminate. We take reasonable actions to facilitate employees religion, cultural and domestic responsibilities with regard to the workplace.

Wellbeing

Staff have regular 1 to 1 meetings with their managers, and a clear escalation procedure is in place. Employees are treated with care and respect.

Pricing

Price
£150 a unit a year
Discount for educational organisations
No
Free trial available
Yes
Description of free trial
A demo platform can be used for a free trial. Typically we will load on a sub-set of locations and disciplines for the trial, although users can add to this through the software. All features are included in any trial

Service documents

Request an accessible format
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at rob.nicoll@virtual-helpdesk.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.