Attachment 7_MCTSSA Support Center Standard Operating Procedure FY22.1_Redacted.pdf

Controlled Unclassified Information

FY22.1

Warfighter Support Division

11/10/2021

MCTSSA Global Support Center Standard Operating Procedure

“Primus et Bellator”

FY22 MCTSSA Support Center Standard Operating Procedure ii

Contents

Purpose

The information in this standard operating procedure (SOP) is vital to the operation of the MCTSSA Global Support Center. It contains general operational information, policies, procedures, and technical information. At least two copies of this manual should be available at each of the TSS locations. If the electronic version is preferred, a copy is available online. Each

Support Center Professional should follow all information set forth in this document. Following these guidelines will help ensure quality support for the MCTSSA Global Support Center customers, the Marines.

This SOP is organized into ten numbered chapters and six appendices. All Support

Center personnel will be familiar with all aspects of the material in the numbered chapters. The material in the appendices is applicable to specific positions within the Support Center. Consult your direct supervisor on guidance as to which appendices apply to you. A glossary is provided at the end of the manual with information on industry and organizational terms for your convenience.

The MCTSSA Global Support Center is always evolving. While the processes and procedures published in this document are currently regarded as the most effective and efficient, the innovation is encouraged and new ideas are always appreciated. As you integrate yourself into the Support Center, work to identify ways to improve our teams’ efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of support to the Marines. If you have ideas bring them up to your supervisor. No one’s perspective will be discounted.

Please forward any questions about this SOP to a Tactical Systems Support contract

Site Lead, the Service Desk Manager, or the Operations Officer.

iii

Standard Operating Procedures Change Log

Section Change Version

SOP Updated Follow Up Process, Follow Up Process Image FY22.1

SOP Updated to reflect Global Support Center, other changes FY21.3

11/17 Removed Fusion Chat Section (11.3) Added Appendix J FY21.3

12/15 Updated Ticket Guide and QC/QA Guide FY21.2

4.1 Updated ticket escalation to reflect change in procedure. FY21.1

10.3 Changed Printer information FY21.1

N/A Updated Check-in Sheets FY21.1

SOP Review and Revisions for FY21 FY21.0 iv

Welcome Aboard the MCTSSA Global Support Center

Our Support Center plays a pivotal role in providing direct support to the Warfighter. In joining our team, you will quickly find that we are a unique organization within the military. You may find yourself fielding calls at all hours of the day and night, connecting you to a Warfighter directly engaged in combat with enemy forces, or supporting combined operations with our national allies and partners. The services we provide demands that you be the absolute subject matter expert in your technical systems.

WSD is establishing itself as the single point-of-contact for all Marine Corps tactical system issues, allowing all information to flow through one central location for information/knowledge management and issue tracking. The goal is to resolve as many issues as possible on a first-contact basis. Our success relies on the efficient distribution of knowledge and the delivery of a quality customer service experience to the Warfighter. We work closely with other organizations and industry partners to provide quality support to the Marines and other Department of Defense personnel on issues that the Support Center is unable to resolve organically.

You are now part of the Fleet-facing arm of MCTSSA and by extension, Marine Corps

Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM). All information regarding tactical systems and other supported platforms must be communicated to the Support Center leadership; then we are well-informed and able to communicate technical information appropriately to Program Offices at

MARCORSYSCOM. Finally, and most importantly, the Support Center serves as the voice of the Marine to Systems Command, relaying valuable insights into the effectiveness and employment of the systems they field.

Below are the most critical values the Support Center operates in to support its customers, both in the Fleet and at MARCORSYSCOM.

Our primary responsibility is first and foremost to the Warfighter. You will provide support for tactical systems whose operation may mean the difference between life and death for the men and women of our Armed Forces. The number one rule on this Team: do what is right for the Marine.

We will understand the working culture of Marine Corps.

Our organization will be open to any problem, question or suggestion. Only I, as the Director, retain the right to refuse service.

The Team consists of the best in their fields. They have the knowledge to make our

Marines more capable, wherever they operate on the globe. I personally welcome you and am optimistic that you will enjoy the challenges and successes you will have while a part of the

Team.

Sincerely, Redacted Director, Warfighter Support Division v

Marine Check-In Sheet Task POC Location Contact Notes Initials

In-Brief Director Building 31331 Redacted Schedule through deputy director

In-Brief Deputy Director Building 31331 Redacted

In-Brief Senior WSO Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief CTR Site Lead Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief Operations Officer Building 31331 Redacted

In-Brief Operations Chief Building 31331 Redacted

In-Brief Service Desk

Manager Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief QA Manager Building 31330 Redacted

Seat Assignment / Update Phone Roster and Seating

Chart Operations Officer Building 31331 Redacted

Security Tasks Security Specialist Redacted

Building Access Security Building 31334T1 760-725-1662

Cyber Awareness CYBERM0000 https://www.marinenet.usmc.mil/

SAAR Form/NIPR Account

WSD Deputy Director

Building 31331

Deputy Director/OpsO must sign the

SAAR.

SAAR Form/SIPR Account

UPIT/NIPR

UPIT/SIPR

Email Distribution Lists

S-6 Building 57 760-725-2238

SIPRNET: Chat/Email Distribution Lists/SMB

MailBox Permission

SIPRNET KMP/Web

Register for HCS Account HCS https://hcs.usmc.mil/ Request access to " Redacted"

MCTSSA KMP Permissions S-6 HCS account holders need to send an email to the MCTSSA CIO at Redacted to be added to the MCTSSA Knowledge Management Portal (KMP).

Configuration Management Library (CM

Library) Access

MCTSSA KMP

You should have access once HCS account is created. Steps to verify if you have access. 1.) Go to MCTSSA KMP. 2.) Click on 'Service Requests'. 3.) Click on 'CM Library Mgmt'. 4.) Expand and click on any system. 5.) If 'Request Item' on the top left corner is blue, you have access. If the option is grayed out, you do not have access. To request access please contact Redacted at Redacted.

SIPR Token Information

Systems Security Manager

Building 31338 Redacted

Corp/Govt Credit Card Resources Group /

Site Lead Building 31334T1

Passport Analyst https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html/

Phone Locker Assignment Operations NCO Building 31330 Redacted vi

Civilian Check-In Sheet

In-Brief Director Building 31331 Redacted Schedule through deputy director

In-Brief Deputy Director Building 31331 Redacted

In-Brief Senior WSO Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief CTR Site Lead Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief Operations Officer Building 31331 Redacted

In-Brief Operations Chief Building 31331 Redacted

In-Brief Service Desk Manager Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief QA Manager Building 31330 Redacted

Seat Assignment / Update Phone Roster and Seating

Chart Senior WSO / Dep Dir Building 31331 Redacted

Security Tasks Security Specialist Redacted

Obtain CAC Pass and ID Building 201017 Redacted

Building Access Security Building 31334T1 Redacted

Cyber Awareness CYBERC0000 https://www.marinenet.usmc.mil/

SAAR Form/NIPR Account WSD Deputy Director Building 31331

SAAR Form/SIPR Account Deputy Director/OpsO must sign the

Submit for .mil Email

Associate CAC to .mil Email Pass and ID Building 201017 Redacted

Email Distribution Lists S-6 Building 57 Redacted

SIPRNET: Chat/Email

Register for HCS Account HCS https://hcs.usmc.mil/ Request access to " Redacted"

MCTSSA KMP Permissions S-6 HCS account holders need to send an email to the MCTSSA CIO at Redacted to be added to the MCTSSA Knowledge Management Portal (KMP).

Configuration Management Library (CM Library) Access

MCTSSA KMP

You should have access once HCS account is created. Steps to verify if you have access. 1.) Go to MCTSSA KMP. 2.) Click on 'Service Requests'. 3.) Click on 'CM Library Mgmt'. 4.) Expand and click on any system. 5.) If 'Request Item' on the top left corner is blue, you have access. If the option is grayed out, you do not have access. To request access please contact Redacted at Redacted.

SIPR Token Information Systems

Security Manager Building 31338 Redacted

Corp/Govt Credit Card Resources Group / Site

Lead Building 31334T1

Phone Locker Assignment Operations NCO Building 31330 Redacted vii

MCTSSA West CTR Check-In Sheet

In-Brief Director Building 31331 Redacted Schedule through deputy director or

Site Lead.

In-Brief Deputy Director Building 31331 Redacted

In-Brief Watch Officer Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief Senior WSO Building 31331 Redacted

In-Brief CTR Site Lead Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief Operations Officer Building 31331 Redacted

In-Brief Operations Chief Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief Service Desk

Manager Building 31330 Redacted

In-Brief QA Manager Building 31330 Redacted

Seat Assignment / Update Phone Roster and Seating

Chart Site Lead Building 31330 Redacted

Security Tasks Security Specialist Redacted

Obtain CAC Pass and ID Building 201017 Redacted

Building Access Security Building 31334T1 Redacted

Cyber Awareness CYBERC0000 https://www.marinenet.usmc.mil/

SAAR Form/NIPR Account

Site Lead Building 31331 / Building 31330 -

Station 7

SAAR Form/SIPR Account

Submit for .mil Email

Associate CAC to .mil Email Pass and ID Building 201017 Redacted

S-6 Building 57 Redacted

Register for HCS Account HCS https://hcs.usmc.mil/ Request access to " Redacted""

MCTSSA KMP Permissions S-6

Register for Fusion Account Fusion https://fusion.mcsc.usmc.mil/

IMS Permissions DevOps Team Building 31331 Redacted

SIPR Token Information

Systems Security Manager

Building 31338 Redacted

Corp/Govt Credit Card Site Lead Building 31330 Redacted

Phone Locker Assignment Operations Chief Building 31330 Redacted https://fusion.mcsc.usmc.mil/ viii

Embedded CTR Check-In Sheet

In-Brief Director Telecon Redacted Schedule through Site Lead.

In-Brief Deputy Director Telecon Redacted

In-Brief CTR Site Lead

In-Brief Operations Officer Telecon Redacted

In-Brief Service Desk

Manager Telecon Redacted

In-Brief QA Manager Telecon Redacted

Seat Assignment / Update Phone Roster and Seating

Chart Site Lead

Security Tasks Security Specialist https://mcscviper.usmc.mil/sites/mctssakmp

Obtain CAC Pass and ID Varies Varies

Cyber Awareness CYBERC0000 https://www.marinenet.usmc.mil/

SAAR Form/NIPR Account

Site Lead

Submit for .mil Email

Associate CAC to .mil Email Pass and ID Varies Varies

Operations MCTSSA Compound Redacted

Register for HCS Account HCS https://hcs.usmc.mil/ Request access to " Redacted "

MCTSSA KMP Permissions S-6

IMS Permissions DevOps Team Building 31331 Redacted

Corp/Govt Credit Card Site Lead https://mcscviper.usmc.mil/sites/mctssakmp ix

Figures .......................................................................................................................... xii

1 The MCTSSA Global Support Center

1.1 Marine Corps Tactical System Support Activity

1.2 History and Mission

1.3 Vision

1.4 Organization

1.5 Global Operations

2 Customer Service

2.1 Industry Standards

2.2 Who We Support

2.3 Customer Service Principles

2.4 Support Request Fulfillment

2.5 Request Prioritization

2.6 Specialized Support Scenarios

3 Self-Service Resources

3.1 Classification and Access

3.2 The Self-Service Website

3.3 Knowledge Based Articles

4 The Support Request Process

4.1 Tier 1 Support Process

4.2 Internal Elevation Process

4.3 Tier 2 Remote Support Process

4.4 Onsite Elevation Process

4.5 Onsite Support Process

4.6 External Elevation Process

4.7 External Support Process

4.8 Resolution Process

5 Ticket Management

5.1 Qualities of a Ticket

x

5.2 Types of Tickets

5.3 The Ticket Lifecycle

6 Service Desk Operations

6.1 Service Desk Concepts

6.2 Phone Interactions

6.3 Text Based Interactions

6.4 Request Elevation

6.5 Pending Status

6.6 Standards for Resolving a Ticket

7 Onsite Support Operations

7.1 The Purpose of Onsite Support

7.2 The Event Lifecycle

7.3 Scoping Requests

7.4 Approving Requests

7.5 Resourcing Requests

7.6 Event Execution

7.7 Post Event Management

8 Quality Management

8.1 Performance Indicators

8.2 The Perfect Ticket

8.3 Quality Control

8.4 Quality Assurance

9 Reporting

9.1 Monthly System Report

9.2 Quarterly System Report

9.3 Quarterly Hotwash

10 Appendix A: Personnel Onboarding

10.1 Onboarding Process

10.2 Points of Contact

10.3 Useful Information

10.4 Useful Links

xi

10.5 MCTSSA Map

11 Appendix B: Communications Systems

11.1 Support Center Phone System

11.2 Shared Mailboxes

12 Appendix C: Information Management System

12.1 Consoles and Dashboards

12.2 The SMARS Ticket

12.3 The Onsite Support Event Form

13 Appendix D: Onsite Support Documents

14 Appendix E: Software Distribution

14.1 MCTSSA Global Support Center

14.2 Authorized Software Distribution Recipients

14.3 Methods and Priority of Distribution

14.4 Encryption Requirements

14.5 Distribution Procedures

15 Appendix F: Ticket QC/QA Guide

15.1 Customer Information

15.2 Ticket Information

15.3 Ticket Information/Status

15.4 Analyst/Activity

15.5 Solution

15.6 Management QA

16 Appendix I: Marine Corps Basics

16.1 Rank Structure

16.2 Marine Corps Organization

17 Appendix J: Service Management Plan Requirements

17.1 List of Services

17.2 Known Limitations of SMS and Services

17.3 Obligations regarding relevant requirements

17.4 Authorities and Responsibilities for the SMS

xii

17.5 Resources required to operate SMS and services

17.6 Working with other parties through the service lifecycle

17.7 Technology used to Support SMS

17.8 SMS effectiveness measuring, auditing, reporting, and improving

18 Check-Out Sheet

Glossary

Figures

Figure 1: Warfighter Support Division Organizational Structure

Figure 2: MCTSSA Global Support Center Footprint

Figure 3: MCTSSA Global Support Center support continuum

Figure 4: Self-Service Website Home Page

Figure 5: System Page example

Figure 6: Support Request Process

Figure 7: Tier 1 Support Process

Figure 8: Initial Troubleshooting Process

Figure 9: Internal Elevation Process

Figure 10: Tier 2 Remote Support Process

Figure 11: Onsite Elevation Process

Figure 12: Onsite Support Process

Figure 13: Event Completion Process

Figure 14: External Elevation Process

Figure 15: External Support Process

Figure 16: Follow Up Process xiii

Figure 17: Resolution Process

Figure 18: Ticket Lifecycle

Figure 19: Event Lifecycle

Figure 20: Example 1 of work summary

Figure 21: Example 2 of work summary

Figure 22: Activity Log Example

Figure 23: Onboarding Process

Figure 24: ACD Phone

Figure 25: Customer/Exercise Information Tab

Figure 26: Event Scope Tab

Figure 27: Analyst Tab

Figure 28: Event Summary Tab

Figure 29: USMC Officer Ranks

Figure 30: USMC Enlisted Ranks

1 The MCTSSA Global Support Center

The MCTSSA Global Support Center is the premiere organization within the United

States Marine Corps (USMC) that provides technical support for tactical systems to the Fleet

Marine Force (FMF), with an emphasis on command, control, computer, communications, and intelligence (C4I) systems. While mainly based at Camp Pendleton, CA, the MCTSSA Global

Support Center provides worldwide service to Marines and other U.S. Department of Defense

(DoD) customers, both in garrison and deployed. The Support Center does this through a combination of service desk operations, self-service resources, and onsite support teams that deploy globally.

1.1 Marine Corps Tactical System Support Activity

The Global Support Center is a part of the Marine Corps Tactical System Support

Activity (MCTSSA), which is a subordinate command to Marine Corps Systems Command

(MCSC). The mission of MCTSSA is to provide engineering, test and evaluation, and deployed technical support for USMC and joint service C4I systems through the acquisitions lifecycle. The activity works with MCSC and the program offices, the FMF, and other USMC organizations to ensure that systems are fielded to the Marines that are well designed, effective, and relevant.

MCTSSA is composed of three divisions.

1.1.1 Warfighter Support Division

Warfighter Support Division (WSD) is responsible for providing tactical system support to the FMF and other DoD organizations and is home to the MCTSSA Global Support Center.

While the terms WSD and MCTSSA Global Support Center are often used interchangeably, the former is used internally to all elements of the division (to include both business and service functions), while the latter refers to the service organization that is advertised externally to the greater Marine Corps. This SOP will go into detail about the roles of both WSD and the

MCTSSA Global Support Center.

1.1.2 Program Engineering Support Division

Program Engineering Support Division (PESD) provides engineering and technical support to MCSC and Program Executive Officer Land Systems to develop, acquire, modify, and sustain tactical communications systems. As part of the Support Center, you will likely work with PESD during new system fielding and other events.

1.1.3 Test and Certification Division

Test and Certification Division (TCD) provides a diverse range of test and evaluation support that encompasses systems engineering and integrated test and evaluation across all acquisition lifecycle phases. MCTSSA is on the leading edge of system of systems testing and plays a vital role in the certification of system of systems capabilities. TCD provides the subject matter expertise in leading and representing the Marine Corps in joint standards interoperability certification. TCD also contains MCTSSA’s Naval Integration cell, which the Support Center works closely with during various ship-based events.

1.2 History and Mission

While MCTSSA was founded in 1970, the origins of the MCTSSA Global Support Center began in 1995 with the establishment of the Fleet Marine Force Support Division (FMFSD) whose primary task was to provide technical support for the newly fielded Global Command and

Control System (GCCS). The FMFSD provided a GCCS hotline for both Marines and globally distributed GCCS contractors to leverage when troubleshooting the tactical systems. This hotline was manned by a combination of Marines, government civilians, and contractors

The support for GCCS-adjacent systems quickly increased on the hotline. On January

13, 1997, MCTSSA released a naval message announcing that the capabilities of the GCCS

Hotline had been expanded to include support for other USMC C4I Systems and the name was changed to the “MARCORSYSCOM C4I Helpdesk.” This was the birth of the MCTSSA Global

Support Center we know today.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the Support Center underwent various changes to better support the warfighter. Its services expanded to include not only phone support, but also contact teams that deployed around the world to provide over-the-shoulder support to Marines.

With operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the organization expanded quickly, eventually numbering over 150 Marines, civilians, and contractors around the globe. Teams were even permanently forward deployed to Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom between

2006 and 2014.

The organization’s name changed multiple times- evolving from the MARCORSYSCOM

C4I Helpdesk, to the Operating Forces Tactical Systems Support Center (OFTSSC), to the

Operating Forces Support Division, to the current title Warfighter Support Division and the

MCTSSA Global Support Center. However, over nearly 25 years, the essence of our mission hasn’t changed.

“The MCTSSA Support Center provides C4I tactical system support to the USMC and other DoD organizations through the establishment of a global service desk and the deployment of task organized contact teams in order to enable the proper employment of those systems by Marines during training events, exercises, and contingency operations.”

1.3 Vision

“The MCTSSA Support Center is institutionalized as the primary support center for all tactical systems in the Marine Corps, providing industry level customer service to the Marines and other DoD organizations.”

The evolution of military systems during the information age has resulted in an exponential increase in the complexity of these systems. As the battlefield becomes more and more connected via networked technology, the MCTSSA Global Support Center has evolved to provide every Marine with a single-point-of-contact (SPOC) he/she can reach out to for assistance with any C4I tactical system. In the future, the Support Center aspires to expand its portfolio of supported systems to include weapons systems, tactical vehicles, and various other categories of tactical instruments that are critical to the success of the warfighter.

This broadening of scope for the Support Center will be accompanied by a modernization of the methods used to distribute knowledge. Future support may be provided through not just service desk operations and onsite support, but also aided by cutting edge technology such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The ultimate goal is to distribute quality knowledge to the warfighter in the most effective way possible.

1.4 Organization

WSD is a unique organization in that is made up of a diverse team of active duty

Marines, government civilians, and contractors on the tactical system support (TSS) contract.

This team works together to both deliver customer service through the MCTSSA Global Support

Center and manage business development with the MCSC program offices. The structural hierarchy is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Warfighter Support Division Organizational Structure

The Support Center is a matrixed organization. While a traditional hierarchy exists, direct liaison authority is authorized between all WSD personnel to facilitate quality service delivery.

1.4.1 Leadership

WSD leadership includes the division director, deputy director, and senior enlisted advisor.

Director

The director is an active duty Marine, typically a major, who also serves as the product manager for the Technical Support to the Operating Forces (TSOF) program and the primary government service representative (GSR) for the TSS contract. The director is responsible for the overall operation of WSD with a focus on business operations and collaboration with the program offices. The director rotates every two to three years.

Deputy Director

The deputy director is a government civilian and also serves as the contracting officer’s representative (COR) for the TSS Contract. The deputy oversees the technical aspects of the support provided by the Support Center and works closely with the TSS program managers to manage the contract.

Senior Enlisted Advisor

The senior enlisted advisor (SEA) is the senior uniformed subject matter expert (SME) in the division who works with external agencies and the FMF to ensure that the Support Center’s services align with the requirements of the FMF. The SEA is typically a master gunnery sergeant communications chief.

1.4.2 Service Design/Transition

These roles focus on the selection, development, and implementation of processes, procedures, and tools for the Support Center to facilitate service operations.

Operations Officer

The operations officer is an active duty Marine, typically a captain, who manages all major projects within the Support Center. These projects include future infrastructure, best-practices for service delivery, and leveraging cutting edge technology. He/she maintains industry level knowledge to facilitate currency within the organization. He/she also serves as a uniformed advocated for the Marines that the Support Center supports, having recent knowledge of FMF techniques, tactics, and procedures.

Information Management System Manager

The information management system (IMS) manager is responsible for the design, development and maintenance of the Support Center’s online presence. Typically a government civilian, he/she leads the contractor development operations (DevOps) team in the technical efforts to manage both the forward facing website and internal information management system.

He/she also works with the operations officer to identify and implement new software tools to be used within the Support Center.

1.4.3 Service Operations

Service operations roles support the day-to-day delivery of service from the Support

Center to the customers.

Service Desk Manager

The service desk manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of open support requests. Typically a government civilian, he/she works with the contractor team to ensure that service delivery is executed in accordance with the SOP.

Quality Manager

Also a government civilian, the quality manager oversees all quality assurance activities of support requests after they have been fulfilled to ensure that service delivery processes are having the desired effects. He/she conducts trend analysis of quality assurance results and performance indicators to provide the service desk with guidance on how to improve service delivery.

Operations Chief

The operations chief is the senior Marine involved in service delivery. He/she works closely with the service desk manager and quality manager to enforce Support Center procedures and conducts day-to-day administration of the service desk. Additionally, he/she provides a uniformed representative within the Support Center to conduct coordination with requesting units if the need arises.

Onsite Support Manager

The onsite support manager can be either a government civilian or active duty Marine.

He/she oversees the scoping, staffing, execution, and closure of onsite support requests, working closely with the TSS site leads and analysts to ensure that events are staffed appropriately with regard to priority and available resources.

Logistics Manager

The logistics manager is a government civilian who is responsible for various infrastructure and maintenance related items within the Support Center. These typically include facilities management, tactical systems used for troubleshooting, EKMS and CMCC, and infrastructure management.

Embedded Branch Managers

To support our contractor team, government civilians may be positioned at embedded locations to serve as a local GSR and liaison with local units. These embedded site managers work closely with the primary service operations personnel to ensure their site’s operations support the overall operations of the Support Center.

1.4.4 Business Development

WSD operates as a business, working closely with MCSC to continue to develop the relationships with program offices and other possible customers. The roles within WSD that support this are business analysts, warfighter support officers (WSOs), and liaison officers.

Business Analysts

Business analysts are government civilians whose primary purpose is bringing new tactical system portfolios into the Support Center’s service catalog. They work with program offices to manage service level agreements and ensure that the Support Center has all required information, documentation, and equipment to properly provide support for these new systems.

Business analysts may also serve as the COR or assistance COR for the TSS contract.

Warfighter Support Officers

After a portfolio or system has been properly integrated into Support Center services by a business analyst, the continuous maintenance of this business relationship falls to a WSO.

WSOs are typically government civilians who have a background in tactical communications systems who manage a portfolio of currently supported systems within the Support Center.

They work with the service operations roles and TSS contractors to ensure that the services provided are maintained and updated properly. Being a WSO is typically a collateral duty of service design/transition or operations role.

Liaison Officer

The liaison officer is a Marine who is responsible for interfacing with the FMF and other customer groups to advocate for the Support Center and receive feedback from customers to improve operations. The liaison officer works closely with embedded sites to track FMF operations that may benefit from Support Center services. The operations officer typically doubles as the liaison officer.

1.4.5 Tactical System Support Contract

Contractors on the TSS contract provide the majority of service delivery for the MCTSSA

Global Support Center. This contract supplies tactical systems analysts in various specialties at

MCTSSA locations and other organizations across the globe. The TSS contract is made up of the program management team, TSS site leads, C2 Integrators, Tier 2 subject matter experts, and Tier 1 analysts.

Project Management Team

Although not technically an organic member of the WSD team, the TSS Program management team serves as the primary contractor point of contact regarding the performance of the TSS contract and is therefore integral to the successful accomplishment of the WSD mission. The program management team is responsible for ensuring the performance of all contracted personnel on the TSS contract is in adherence to the Performance Work Statement

(PWS) associated with the contract. The duties of this team are managed by the company providing the TSS services and are NOT directed by the government. However, WSD leadership works closely with the program management team to ensure the contract fulfills the needs of the mission.

TSS Site Leads

TSS Site Leads serve as the overall supervisors for the contractor team at each Support

Center location. The leads are responsible for the day-to-day assignments of TSS personnel in strict adherence to the PWS. They oversee service delivery and work closely with government personnel for service operations. Currently, the Support Center has TSS Site Leads at the East, West, PAC, and EUR locations.

C2 Integrators

C2 integrators are the subject matter experts for multiple tactical systems, and more importantly are experts in the integration of these systems. They not only are a repository of knowledge for customers and Tier 1 analysts, but for the individual system SMEs. The primary purpose of a C2 integrator is to build, maintain, and share tactical system knowledge within the

Support Center. Their secondary purpose is to provide direct support to the FMF. C2 integrators typically focus on a specific discipline of tactical systems (i.e. radio frequency communications, tactical networking, ground C2 systems, air C2 systems, intelligence systems, etc.)

Tier 2 Subject Matter Experts

Tier 2 SMEs maintain a high-level of knowledge and experience for a particular tactical system. They provide system troubleshooting and over-the-shoulder support to the FMF through remote and onsite support. Additionally, they provide internal training and expertise to WSD personnel. While typically experts in single systems, SMEs build diversity and flexibility for the

Support Center by continuously improving their system knowledge of their system and similar systems by working closely with C2 integrators and other MCTSSA and MCSC technical entities.

Tier 1 Analysts

The Tier 1 C4I analysts serve as the initial point of entry for support requests within the

Support Center by manning the 24/7 Tier 1 service desk. They field calls, emails, messages, and web requests from customers and attempt to resolve these requests using knowledge resources or elevation to other Support Center analysts or external organizations.

1.5 Global Operations

The MCTSSA Global Support Center is responsible for delivering tactical systems support to all Marines, no matter where they are on the globe. While the primary location for the

Support Center is at the MCTSSA compound aboard Camp Pendleton in southern California, also known as MCTSSA West, WSD has positioned embedded teams of TSS analysts around the globe in order to more responsively support Marines. These sites collaborate in an effort to consolidate resources and create the best customer experience possible for the FMF. Figure 2 shows the current distribution of MCTSSA Global Support Center sites. How the Support Center seamlessly incorporates these sites into one coherent operation will be discussed later in the

Service Desk Operations Section of this SOP.

Redacted

Figure 2: MCTSSA Global Support Center Footprint

2 Customer Service

The MCTSSA Global Support Center is a customer service provider first and foremost.

While we take pride in the wealth of technical knowledge that is resident amongst our team, our true strength is the ability to deliver solutions in a professional and effective manner to the

Marines whenever and wherever they need it. This chapter outlines the fundamentals of how we do this with a focus on the types of service and intrapersonal skills that we leverage.

2.1 Industry Standards

As the primary C4I support organization for the Marine Corps, the MCTSSA Global

Support Center strives to adhere to various standards common within the support industry, with the goal of putting us at the same level of quality as the commercial sector.

For both business and service operations, the Support Center draws upon the Axelos

ITIL® information technology service management (ITSM) framework in order to optimize its processes. ITIL® is a public framework that describes best practice in ITSM. These practices have been adapted to MCTSSA Global Support Center operations where applicable. While it is not required that you become certified in ITIL®, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with basic ITIL® principles. The operations section has ITIL® study material available for check out if you are interested.

2.2 Who We Support

In ITSM, there are two major stakeholders when it comes to support; the interested party and the customer. The interested party is the person or organization that pays for a given service. In the case of the Support Center, the interested parties are typically MCSC program offices. Program offices pay into the TSOF program and in return receive a desired level of service. The level of service provided for a program office is captured in one or multiple service level agreements.

A customer is an individual that uses our services. For the Support Center, this can be any Marine or other DoD employee that is operating a Marine Corps system. Due to the mission and funding of the TSOF program, contractors cannot be customers. However, they can submit support requests as long as the request is on the behalf of an approved customer.

2.3 Customer Service Principles

The essence of customer service is the ability to satisfy the customer’s needs in a professional manner. This goes beyond just delivering technical information about tactical systems. How that information is delivered is just as – if not more – important. The Support

Center team relies on the following customer service principles to not only fulfill the customer’s request, but to provide them with a satisfying customer service experience.

2.3.1 Speak with a smile

This may sound corny at first, but your tone of voice goes a long way to either make or break the customer service experience. When you are on the phone with a customer, speak with a welcoming voice. This extends to your written correspondence as well. In emails and chat, choose language that is welcoming and positive. Avoid curt responses that give the impression you are not interested.

2.3.2 The customer is your priority

When you are on the phone or on chat, the customer is your priority. They have taken time out of their day to request help, so they deserve to have your undivided attention. Do not rush the call. Be attentive. The ability to really listen to customers is crucial for providing great service.

It should be noted that listening is different than hearing. Hearing may be passive.

Listening is the active participation in a conversation by hearing what it said, and then processing, understanding, and verifying what the customer needs.

2.3.3 Provide the customer with only the essential information

While keeping the customer informed is important, much of the details about what happens behind the scenes is not important to them. Only provide them with the information that has value to them. A guiding rule is to ask “Is this information essential so the customer knows when, where, and how they will receive support?” Information such as why an analyst is unavailable at a given time, where on the globe an analyst is currently located, or the details of our procedures can be captured in the ticket, but not shared with the customer. Short and concise.

2.3.4 Identify the problem

Customers contact the support center to seek assistance with the issues that they are experiencing, however they do not always give a clear description of the problem. It is the analyst’s job to find the root cause (Issue) behind the symptoms that they are experiencing. This requires the analyst to guide the conversation to build an understanding of the root issue and determine the appropriate way to a solution. Analysts should analyze.

2.3.5 Be a calming presence

The best analysts know that they can’t let a heated customer force them to lose their cool; in fact it is their job to try to be the “rock” for a customer who thinks the world is falling down due to their current problem. Operate with the urgency of the situation, but with a calming confidence to put the customer at ease

2.3.6 Promote efficiency

The time spent with a customer should be used efficiently. This means getting the solution to the customer in the most direct manner possible. Once the analyst has an understanding of the customer’s issue, they either need to promptly provide them with a solution from the knowledge base or elevate the customer to the appropriate next tier who will be able to assist them. Limiting idle time and unnecessary small talk is a good way to promote efficiency.

2.3.7 Don’t forget to close

Being able to close with a customer means being able to end the conversation with confirmed satisfaction (or as close to it as you can achieve) and with the customer feeling that everything has been taken care of (or will be).

Your willingness to do this shows the customer three very important things:

That you care about getting it right.

That you are willing to keep going until you get it right.

That the customer is the one who determines what “right” is – within the legal, organizational, and operational bounds of the Support Center.

2.4 Support Request Fulfillment

In order to understand how the Support Center resolves customer requests, you need to understand the basic terminology behind the structure. A support request is any request from a customer for knowledge, resources, or support from the Support Center. Support requests are fulfilled through a series of interactions, defined as each time a Support Center representative works on a specific customer issue. This can take the form of a phone call, email exchange, chat session, website request, or even walk-in visit. In order to capture and log these interactions, tickets are created. A ticket is the digital representation of a support request and all subsequent interactions within the information management system (IMS) that is used to capture all details of that request from creation to resolution.

The Support Center fulfills service requests through a variety of methods, broken down into four tiers as a means to promote efficiency and better communicate our capabilities.

Combined together, these tiers make up the Support Center Service Continuum, shown in

Figure 3.

Figure 3: MCTSSA Global Support Center support continuum

The Support Center provides two types of support; remote and onsite. Remote support is executed when the customer service provider is not co-located with the customer during the delivery of service, instead using other communications methods for delivery such as phone, email, chat, or web.

At the Support Center remote support is available for all tiers of support. Onsite support is executed when the customer service provider is collocated with the customer during service delivery. At the Support Center this type of support is only available at Tier 2 via onsite support teams.

2.4.1 Tier 0: Self-Help

Tier 0 is the most responsive tier of support, providing customers with various technical resources through the self-help website (Redacted). The resources housed on the self-help website include a plethora of documents and files. Support Center analysts regularly review the material to ensure relevance and accuracy. Most resources are downloadable, enabling

Marines to take them to the field if need be. Knowledge based articles (KBAs) - also known as solutions- are the primary type of document that are provided on the site. KBAs are published by the Support Center to address specific known technical problems. In addition to KBAs, self-help resources can take the form of:

Technical manuals

System smart packs and cut sheets

Technical videos (known as TechTube)

Software

StartGuides®

In addition to resources, the self-help website provides community forums where customers can interact with each other to discuss system problems and solutions. The ultimate goal of the Support Center is to push all resolution down to the Tier 0 level, resulting in Marines receiving the most responsive support possible. While this is a near impossible goal, it drives us to continue to produce and distribute high quality knowledge resources.

2.4.2 Tier 1: Global Service Desk

The Support Center provides Tier 1 support through its 24/7/365 Tier 1 service desk.

The service desk is able to assist customers in searching our troubleshooting resources, and/or elevating the problem to a more appropriate Subject Matter Expert or organization. Typically, Tier 1 is able to resolve known issues, but must elevate more complex problems to Tier 2. More specifics about how the Tier 1 service desk operates and its relationship to other elements of the Support Center are provided in the Service Desk Operations chapter of this SOP.

The Tier 1 service desk is located at MCTSSA West on Camp Pendleton. The service desk is manned by Tier 1 analysts from the TSS contract who report to the MCTSSA West TSS

Site Lead. Tier 1 analysts monitor a variety of communications mediums to respond to customer requests and either assist them with a solution or elevate to an appropriate SME or external agency.

2.4.3 Tier 2: Subject Matter Expertise

Tier 2 support is designed to assist customers with complex troubleshooting efforts beyond the scope of known issues. This support is provided by SMEs who not only have intimate knowledge of the systems they support, but also are well versed in instructing and troubleshooting with others. SMEs provide remote support by fielding requests elevated from the Tier 1 service desk.

Tier 2 is the only tier within the Support Center that contains onsite support delivery capabilities. To respond to onsite support requests, SMEs are task organized into onsite support teams, tailor made for each onsite support event to address the customer’s requirements. The

Onsite Support Operations chapter of this SOP will discuss onsite support teams in more detail.

While Tier 2 support exists for all systems, the Support Center provides Tier 2 support for specific systems via an agreement with program offices. Other program offices may have their Tier 2 support through different organization. For program offices using the Support Center for Tier 2 support, analysts are distributed across all MCTSSA Global Support Center locations.

The composition of SMEs at each location is determined by the unique requirements of the local

Marine Corps units, resulting in more responsive Tier 2 support.

2.4.4 Tier 3: Engineering

Tier 3 support is required when the problem requires a systemic change to resolve. In most cases these are issues that require program office level attention. Tier 3 issues can be elevated to a variety of organizations - including other MCTSSA divisions, DOD entities, and third party vendors – but the MCTSSA Global Support Center does not have the capability to resolve Tier 3 problems internally. Because of this, if a Tier 3 problem is identified, it must be elevated.

Tier 3 problems are typically identified through Tier 2 troubleshooting. Even after an issue is elevated to Tier 3, the Support Center maintains communication with the customer and the Tier 3 organization to ensure customer satisfaction.

2.5 Request Prioritization

Not all support requests are created equal. Who is submitting a request, the type of support requested, and the operational context of the request can all have an effect on how the request is handled. In the MCTSSA Global Support Center, we measure these characteristics by identifying a priority for every request. There are four different priorities:

Category 1- Urgent

Category 2- High

Category 3- Medium

Category 4- Low

2.5.1 Determining Impact and Urgency

The priority is determined by the impact and urgency of the request. Tier 1 analysts initially determine this by consulting with the customer on their needs and situation. Impact is a measure of how far reaching the issue is in terms of C4I nodes and customers, while urgency is a measure of the significance of the issue as it relates to the requestor’s mission. Impact is broken down into four levels:

Extensive. Affects are service-wide or impact all system-customers. Such as an issue affecting the entire Marine Corps or every system/suite within a POR. (A

Linkway S2 modem software version has defect)

Significant. Affects involve a large geographic area or majority of the service or system-customers. Such as a region or MEF experiencing an issue affecting its majority of user/operator/maintainer base.

Moderate. Affects involve several units or a node of system-customers. This would be an issue that is affecting more than a single unit or group of users, but is also not as wide spread as a Significant Impact ticket.

Minor. Affects involve a single location, unit, or system-customer. This is the majority of tickets that we receive. A ticket that is affecting a single entity.

Urgency is broken down into four levels:

Critical. Affects critical functionality that may jeopardize security, safety, or critical mission accomplishment. Extremely time sensitive. An example of such are units forward deployed in a combat situation.

High. Affects functionality that may inhibit a unit’s critical mission accomplishment. Time sensitive. Examples can include outages affecting command and control infrastructure of units forward deployed, deploying in the near future, supporting large-scale exercises, reserve unit on weekend drill or annual training, or supporting other high-visibility operations.

Medium. Affects the system/customer’s ability to perform normal operations and inhibits productivity.

Low. No effect to the system/customer’s ability to perform normal operations.

Examples include requests for information or documentation.

When assessing impact and urgency, the listed criteria are only guidelines. It is up to the analyst’s judgement to categorize a request. For instance, just because the requesting unit is operating in a combat zone does not mean that the request urgency is critical. If the system they need support with is a print server, this request likely has only minimal impact on mission accomplishment. However, if the request is in regards to a command and control system in use by a deployed unit, it may justify critical urgency. You or the Support Center management may adjust the priority as both the unit’s requirements and service desk assessment change.

2.5.2 Determining Priority

Once the impact and urgency are assessed, you use the Priority Rating Matrix (Table 1) to determine the request priority and Priority Response Matrix (Table 2) to determine what speed and resources are required for the support request. As a rule of thumb, general service requests normally are low priority and general incidents are Medium priority.

Table 1: Priority Rating Matrix

Table 2: Priority Response Matrix

The major distinction when it comes to priority response is whether a request is worked continuously until resolution or only during regular business hours. Urgent and High priority ratings require that the Support Center continuously work a request until resolution even if it means calling analysts who are not currently on shift. By definition, these requests are high profile and have a large impact on a unit’s mission accomplishment. In contrast, Medium and

Low requests only require that the Support Center leverage analysts who are currently on shift.

Priority response levels also provide guidance on how often updates should be provided, the target resolution time, and how often coordination should be done with external organizations. Target resolution time reflects the ideal. In reality, resolution may take hours or days longer than this target. However, as long the resolution adheres to the resource allocation it meets the intent of the priority response.

2.6 Specialized Support Scenarios

The Support Center does its best to support any and all customers within the DoD that reach out for support. However, there a few circumstances that require specialized handling.

2.6.1 Supporting Contractors

The Support Center will provide support for contractors who are working directly to support a Marine Corps contract. Proof of Marine Corps affiliation can be provided through confirming the existence of an usmc.mil email address or by speaking directly with that contractor’s GSR. However, when providing support in this scenario, analysts should be aware of any circumstance where it appears that the contractor is offloading contract duties to the

Support Center. If there is any indication of this, consult a TSS site lead, the service desk manager, or the operations officer.

An example of this would be if a Marine…