What is the Customer Interaction Center (CIC)?

The CIC is comprised of a help desk and a hands-on CAMS Lab. The purpose of the CIC is to provide production support for users of CAMS and its interfaces. Some of the applications that the CIC supports include:

• Core Financial System (CFS) – Both Character and Graphical User Interface (GUI) versions
• Commerce Purchase Card System (CPCS)
• Data Warehouse
• Portal
• Interfaces from feeder systems into CFS

Types of Issues Handled by the CIC

The CIC handles all CAMS-related system issues and questions. Examples include:

• Functional questions (e.g., “How do I enter an invoice in CAMS?”)
• Screen related questions (e.g., “Why can’t I access the third tab on the Budget Operating Plan screen?”, “How do I access the Obligation screen?”)
• System questions (e.g., “Why can’t I print a report?”, “Why am I getting a blank screen when I try to open CAMS?”)
• Access requests for CAMS or CAMS-related systems
• Password resets for CAMS or CAMS-related systems
• Locked accounts for CAMS or CAMS-related systems
• Server/network issues related to CAMS or CAMS-related systems

Examples of the types of issues that should not be sent to the CIC:

• Issues with non CAMS-related systems
  
  Examples: Corporate Time, e-mail, E-approval, or other systems that are not CAMS-related. These types of issues should be referred to the appropriate IT support group (i.e., ITAC for NIST employees).
• Policy/Accounting questions
  
  Examples: “Should I be charging interest on this receivable?” or “Am I reconciling this purchase card transaction to the right ACCS code?” These types of questions should be referred to supervisors or the appropriate DCFO functional group.
• Non CAMS-related PC or network issues
  
  Examples: “How do I set up a default printer?” or “My PC won’t start up.”
  These types of issues should be referred to the appropriate IT support group (i.e., ITAC for NIST employees).

Issue Resolution Process (Chain of Support)

When a user has a CAMS-related issue the following flow should be followed:

Note: To effectively manage call volume, it is critical that users direct all questions/issues to their System Expert and/or the CIC rather than directly contacting CAMS Functional Experts.

Prioritization of Issues

The CIC makes every effort to address all issues in the most expedient manner, however, there are times when call volume is high and issues must be handled based on the level of priority. All issues will be prioritized based on business impact.

The CIC currently uses four priority levels ranging from low to critical. The chart below defines the CIC’s approach for determining priority of issues:

Note: The CIC reserves the right to modify the priority level of an issue at any time. Any change in priority will be promptly communicated to the user.

Contacting the CIC

The CIC is available to assist users from 8:30am – 5:00pm EST, Monday through Friday. For issues that occur during off-hours, users may send an e-mail or leave a voice mail and the issue will be addressed at the beginning of the next business day. Users may contact the CIC in the following ways:

• Phone: 301-975-6100
• E-mail: camshelp@nist.gov
• If users can’t reach a CIC staff member and they have a critical issue that cannot wait until a representative is available, they may page members of the CIC staff during regular business hours. Instructions on how to page staff members are included on the CIC voicemail message.

Scheduling Time in the CIC CAMS Lab

Users may schedule time in the Gaithersburg CAMS Lab (Bldg 222, Room A209) by using the online scheduling tool. This tool can be accessed by going to the CAMS Home Page at http://www-i.nist.gov/admin/dcfo/bsd/CAMS_index.html and clicking on the link towards the bottom of the page titled “Schedule Time in CAMS Lab.” To log into the tool, users should enter their full NIST e-mail address (i.e., John.Smith@nist.gov). Aliases and nicknames will not work. Users may then navigate the schedule to find available time. To reserve time, check the box for the appropriate hour and machine that you wish to reserve, and then click “Save”. Users who do not have a NIST e-mail account, or who need assistance should contact the CIC.

Users in Boulder who wish to use the Boulder CAMS Lab may do so on a first come, first served basis. The Boulder lab is located in Building 1, room 4560A, and is reserved every Thursday through implementation for use as the CAMS Lab. The room may also be used on other days as long as it is not reserved or in use by another group.

Additional Support

The CIC will analyze records of issues/questions received to identify and address training needs in both Gaithersburg, MD and Boulder, CO.