Service Desk teamwork makes the dream work

Today’s #PEOEISTeammateTuesday is the Service Desk team that supports the PEO EIS workforce’s information technology, server and telecommunications requirements. In March, the Service Desk rapidly configured desktop workstations and mobile devices, deployed new conferencing bridge numbers and provided teleworking tips to enable telework required in response to COVID-19 social-distancing restrictions. The Service Desk’s on-site support, remote troubleshooting and on-going coordination with Fort Belvoir’s regional network enterprise center enabled the PEO EIS workforce to perform at peak effectiveness during a challenging time.

Debbie Taylor, an 18-year Army veteran, leads the 10-person Service Desk team. She answered eight questions.

Why does your team work so well together?
Our people are technically proficient and perform to high standards. They enjoy working together and supporting one another. They tap into one another’s expertise.

Everyone on the team has unique strengths. For example, Jason Deperalta wants to be a developer. I rely on him to create process improvements and automate some of our procedures. We have other team members who are not interested in writing code and are happy to talk to customers and take care of their problems.

What is the key to your career success?
When I served in the Army, I had to move every two to three years. I learned to adapt to the environment because the environment didn’t adapt to me.

How do you describe the PEO EIS culture?
The PEO EIS workforce is cooperative, positive and calm. Nothing riles people. PEO EIS is full of smart people who perform to high standards.

We support each other. If I offer assistance, I am thanked for it. If I need assistance, people are willing to help. My coworkers are like friends, not because we hang out together outside of work, but because I can always rely on them to help make things happen.

What challenges did you overcome as a result of COVID-19 social-distancing restrictions?
We leaned forward. In February, we assessed what was required to support mandatory telework. We walked the staff through the steps required to receive phone calls that they would get when they were in the office. We developed options in the event of a network outage that prevented staff from accessing the virtual private network.

It took a lot of pre-planning, but because we started planning before the social-distancing restrictions took effect, the transition to telework was much smoother.

Do you plan to launch any new collaboration tools?
To facilitate virtual meetings with industry partners, we are in the process of rolling out Zoom for Government in unclassified environments. When the workforce returns to the office, we will have Zoom-capable conference rooms so we can meet with industry partners in a video conference.

How would you describe your team?
Jason Deperalta is very technical. A problem solver, he won’t give up until he finds a solution. Ryan Drummond, the newest member of our team, is a digger. In his first week of work, he helped us fix a vexing server problem. Like an engineering ninja, he can figure out how to overcome blocks by finding a back-door entrance. Charles Duplessis is very wise and hard working. When he sees a problem, he attacks it. Sherwin Hin is the most reliable person I have ever worked with. He is also super smart. If there is a subject he is interested in, he becomes an expert in it. Abdul Hoggard has a large breadth of experience and several certifications. He is our jack of all trades. Yoon Kim is a shy, quiet computer genius. Sandi Painter is like everyone's mom. She cares deeply about every single person she interacts with and knows everything there is to know about telephone systems. Jerome Thrash is our VTC expert. He works on a problem until he fixes it. He doesn’t like to leave anything undone and is a very hard worker. Jose Torres, a social butterfly, is super happy and super friendly. He loves people and helping them solves problems. Ken Trinh is super smart and process oriented.

How would you describe yourself?
I am very process oriented. I tend to be straightforward, and that's something that I have to learn to dial back a little bit. I am very mission focused, but I also want to ensure that while the mission is being completed, the team is taken care of.

How would you describe the team overall?
We are a complete package. We are mission focused and adapt to change very easily. We are great planners. We test as much as possible within the timeframe we have, no matter what changes are thrown our way.