Desk

Manual
2015-2016

Name

_________________________________________________________________

Room#

_____________________________________________________

Table of
contents
Desk Atmosphere
Desk Etiquette
What do I do at the desk?
Outlook /SharePoint
Procedures
Safety

Desk Atmosphere
The desk is the hub of the building! Therefore, it
needs to be friendly, professional, clean, tidy and
approachable at all times!

Heres how to keep it that way:

Answering Questions:
Residents will ask you a lot of questions; never tell them I
DONT KNOW. Instead, tell them I WILL FIND OUT FOR
YOU. You have unlimited resources at your fingertips and
therefore you can find the answer to ANY question. Here
are some scenarios:
Residents need info about something local (restaurants,
points of interest, stores, coffee shops etc)
This one is simple! You can use Google/Yelp!/Bing
or any search engine, because you have a
computer right there!
Residents want to know what time the bus comes to our
area:
On the right hand side of SharePoint, if you scroll
down to Outside Links, you will find the bus schedule.
Also encourage them to check it out themselves at
www.sbmtd.gov

Residents are having trouble with ResNet

Direct them to the office at San Nicolas or have
them call (805) 893-5555. (There is a link to the resnet
page on the right hand side of SharePoint as well)
Keeping the Desk Friendly:
People will be walking by the desk all the time! Its
very important to make everyone feel welcomed
into our building. Think about how you felt on movein day and how welcoming the desk attendants
were to everyone! Heres how to maintain that
approachability:
Greet people!
Follow the 20/10 Rule*. When people are within 20ft
of the desk, smile and make eye-contact. When
they are within 10 ft, say hi! If there is a program
going on, let them know about it!
Keeping the Desk Professional:
As a desk attendant and therefore leader, rolemodel and stellar community member, you must
look professional when at the desk. **Remember,
this is your place of employment and you must look
nice at all times.**
Dress Code:
You must wear long khaki pants. They
cannot be ripped, torn or stained.

You are to always wear your DA polo

which will be issued to you. If you
choose to wear a different jacket or
sweater, it must be a plain, solid
color, a UCSB sweatshirt, or the DA
sweater. You may not wear greek
letters, graphic sweaters, or
anything promoting a political party
(including the ones on campus). You
must always wear your nametag in a
location visible to the people
passing by. Flip Flops are not
permitted at the desk; clean, closedtoe shoes must be worn at all times
when you are working.
During after-hours (after 5pm) you
are allowed to wear your choice in
pants. However, if your shift begins
before 5pm and extends past 5pm, you
do still need to wear khakis. The
rest still applies.
Also, please keep in mind that this position can be a lot of
fun and I encourage you to enjoy your time as a desk
attendant, however you must maintain these standards.
Keeping the Desk Clean and Tidy:
This one is simple. Learn where everything belongs and
always return things to their proper place. I like the desk to
be as orderly as possible and as a DA your job is to
maintain it as such. If the desk is literally dirty, then you may
wipe it down. Also, always check the dates on flyers
at/around the desk and recycle outdated posters.

Desk Etiquette
When you are at the desk, you must make everyone feel
welcomed! Along with greeting everyone who passes by,
maintaining approachability is key. If you are spending all
of your time at the desk doing homework, researching
your major, and doing Buzzfeed quizzes, no one will want
to approach the desk. Here are some tips on how to
maintain approachability:
The Desk Phone Etiquette:
When you answer the phone, this is what you should say:
Hello, Anacapa front desk, this is __________
speaking, how may I help you?
Also, if you have been instructed to call residents with the
desk phone, please introduce yourself as such:
Hi, this is _______from the Anacapa front desk calling
you in regards to___________.
Personal Belongings:
They belong either in the back office, or under the desk.
That includes your phone. Do not take calls during your
shift. Do not send text messages during your shift.

Homework:

Utilizing the computer:

School should always come first, however do not forget

that this is your place of employment. Homework may only
be done at the desk only if it is extremely quiet and there
are no residents requiring assistance. If you choose to do
homework at the desk, you must make sure that your
personal belongings remain at a minimum. Keep only
what you actually need on the desk and place the rest of
your belongings underneath it. The desk should not look
like your desk at home; it is a place of reference for
students.

As previously stated, the computer is not for personal

internet browsing. You may check your personal email
quickly and return to the home page. The Front Desks
Microsoft Outlook is to remain open at all times unless you
are helping a resident with something. You are not to use
Facebook, Buzzfeed, Youtube, Hulu, Netflix or any websites
that are similar to these.

Here is a list of things NOT allowed at the desk that involves

homework: Writing papers, laptops, tons of papers/books
spread out everywhere, and friends doing their homework
at the desk with you.

Friends/Visitors at the desk:

You will find that people love to talk to the desk
attendants. This is fabulous, however if you spend 30
minutes chatting with a resident, then other residents may
not feel comfortable approaching you for assistance.
Thats a problem. After you help someone, if they try to
chat or linger for longer than a few minutes, please let
them know that its important that you do not get too
wrapped up in personal conversations while at work. Be
polite, but firm.

Music at the desk:

Music can ONLY be played at the desk after 5PM. If you
choose to listen to music at that time, it must be kept at a
low volume and song lyrics must be appropriate and
inclusive.
Working with RAs:
One thing I want to remind you of is that RAs do have a
desk shift (7PM-10PM Sunday-Thursday, 8PM-11PM FridaySaturday), with the one exception being Wednesdays.
You are on equal ground with the RAs, there is no
hierarchy when it comes to the desk. As they have minimal
desk training, they may not correctly follow (albeit
unintentionally) all of the procedures required of you. I
know this is frustrating, however, I want to keep relations
smooth between everyone. Please just let me know
whenever you notice an RA not following procedures and
I will talk to them. I will be doing continuous training with
them throughout the year so hopefully they will remain on
their A-game. Thank you in advance for your patience J

What do I do at
the Desk?

*Note: always keep the email up and respond to any new

emails as soon as they come in.

Outlook
Outlook is very important for two reasons at the front desk.

Here is what the average shift should look like:

Clock in to Kronos
Unlock the drawers and open the back office if you
are opening.
If this is a closing shift, perform a key audit.
o Email Lead Staff and Head DA the key audit
results
Check the Desks email on Outlook
o Respond to anything that hasnt been
responded to yet.
Read all of the desk logs from that day
Check the task list on SharePoint
o If there is a task, complete it.
Check the Approved box in the back room.
Go through the checked-out equipment and key
log. If anything is late call the residents and inform
them it is due back.
Tidy anything up that is out of order
Now you may work on hw if there are no residents to
help.
At the end of your shift fill out a desk log on
SharePoint and dont forget to clock out!

1. It contains the front desks email

2. It gives you access to Lead Staff Calendars
Everyone should know how to use the email, however I
know people struggle with meeting appointments. If a
resident needs to make an appointment on one of our
calendars for any reason, this is how you do it:
1. Open the desks calendar on outlook.
2. Click the box for the appropriate calendar
3. Make sure a rectangle on the DESKS CALENDAR is
highlighted.
4. Right click in the time slot in which the meeting will take
place. Go to New Meeting Request With and select the
appropriate name.
5. In the To section, begin typing the appropriate name
our email addresses should pop up, choose whoever the
meeting pertains to. The email address should now be in the
To box. DOUBLE CHECK FOR THIS.
6. Now, in the subject box type: what the resident is meeting
with us for and their name. ie: CM: John Brown
7. In the large white box at the bottom, type their phone #,
email and room number.

8. Now, for start time, pick the date they want and choose the
correct time (pay attention to AM/PM and make sure the
date is correct.)
9. For end time, the date should be the same and the duration
of the meeting should be 30 minutes.

SharePoint
Housing and Residential
Services

A
B
D

E
F

C
G

AImportant Residential Life Announcements. Look

here for important information dealing with
SharePoint and ResLife.
BTask list. Look here for Tasks I will be assigning to
you. They will also have a deadline, so paying
attention to this is crucial!
CDesk Log. You must read the previous desk
attendants desk log every time you start your shift
and write one at the end of every shift.
DThese are the links you will be using the most to
do things such as equipment and key checkouts,
check the lost and found, look up staff contacts or
any important contacts, watch the elevator
cameras and fill out the vending log. I will go over
all of these next.
EThese are other SharePoint sites you can connect
to if you need.
FThese are shared building links you can use as a
reference. For example, some important things you
can find include: a thorough front desk manual, the
link to fill out work requests, computer related work
requests, the UCSB website, GOLD, ResNet, Dining
Commons Menus, the security camera link, the
ResHall policies, and Kronos.
GHere you can find outside links to supply quicker
service to the students who are requesting help. A
few links that are available here include, but are not
limited to: Google, Yahoo Yellow Pages, Bus

Schedule, Campus Directory, Local Weather, Movie

Showtimes, Mapquest, SB Tourist Info, Gaucho
Athletic Events, ASPB Calendar of Events and the
Daily Nexus.

Equipment & Key

Checkouts,
Vending Log, Lost
& Found Log
Equipment Checkouts will be a large part of your job. Here
is how to do one:
Take the residents Access Card and place it
in the Access Card box, filed alphabetically
by last name. If they have 2 last names go by
the first letter of the FIRST LAST name.
Click Equipment Log on the left side of
SharePoint.
Click Add new item and in Student info
begin typing the residents last name. Their
information should pop up. If there are
multiple residents with the same name, ask

them to verify via their other information listed

(i.e. email, phone number, etc.).
In the Equipment drop down, find and
select the equipment they are requesting.
Go to the back and retrieve the equipment.
Fill out the correct information in the DA Out
& Date/Time Out box and click OK.
o Make sure you do NOT fill out the
Date/Time In or DA In fields just yet.

Equipment Check-ins are very similar:

Take the equipment from the resident.
Click Equipment Log on the left side of
SharePoint.
Find and click on the residents name on the
list of equipment out.
Fill out Date/Time In & DA In
Click OK.
Return the residents Access Card.
Put the equipment back where it belongs.
Key Checkouts are a little more complicated, however,
they are very similar to equipment checkouts. Be
extremely careful when doing key checkouts, because
you need to make sure not to lose anything.
Take the residents Access Card and place it in the
Access Card box, filed alphabetically by last name.

If they have 2 last names go by the first letter of the

FIRST LAST name.
Click Key Log on the left side of SharePoint.
Click Add new item and in Student info begin
typing the residents last name. Their information
should pop up. Again, if there are multiple residents
with the same name, ask them to verify via their
other information listed (i.e. email, phone number,
etc.).
o If they dont have an access card because it
got locked in their room, they must verify all of
their information (phone #, umail address, and
room number)

FOR ROOM KEYS. NOT E-KEYS

Go to the back and find the key they need.
At the desk, type the keys entire number (including
the superscript if there is one) into the key # box on
SharePoint.
Fill out all boxes on SharePoint (reason for key issued,
key#, key type-i.e. 20 min or 3 day, date/time out
and staff first/last name)
o If they are only getting a room key, make sure
to type NA in the ekey # box. Otherwise, it
will NOT save and you will be accountable for
the lack of record.

FOR E-KEYS
Go to the back and find the temporary e-keys in the
key box.

At the desk, type the e-keys number in the e-key #

box on SharePoint.
Fill out all boxes on SharePoint (reason for key issued,
key#, key type-ie 20 min or 3 day, date/time out
and staff first/last name)
o If they are only getting an e-key, make sure to
type NA in the room key # box. Again, if you
dont, it will NOT save and you will be
accountable for the lack of record.

For Key Check-ins:

Make sure to find the residents name in the list of
keys out.
Click on it and fill in the Date/Time In and your
name.
Give the resident their access card and return the
key to where it belongs,

The Vending Log is for tracking people who lose money in

the machine. Sometimes there are freak occurrences
when the machine eats peoples money and this is how
we keep track of who is owed what.
The Vending Log

Click on the link for the vending log (left side of

SharePoint).
Fill out the appropriate boxes, its all explained
there.

If you do need to call, the number is (805) 893-3446

Lost and Found Logs

If residents find a lost item and turn it in to the desk, log
that in the Items Found log on the left side of SharePoint.
If residents have lost something and are looking for it at the
front desk, you can add it to the Items Lost log on the
left side of SharePoint in case it is found.

Work Requests
To submit a work request, click on the Maintenance Work
Requests link on the right side of SharePoint under
Shared Building Links Its pretty self-explanatory J

**For Emergency Maintenance, should only be contacted

if there is something that MUST BE FIXED ASAP. Do not call
for a burnt out light bulb, leaky sink/shower, and a lack of
toilet paper. The Emergency Maintenance is very
expensive and the department will crack down on you if
you call for something frivolous. Before making any calls to
Emergency Maintenance, call me first for verification.

How to use the

phone
If you are dialing a number related to UCSB, you
only need to dial the extension. (All UCSB phone
numbers start with (805) 893-xxxx).
i.e. to call me in my office all you need
to dial is the last 4 digits.
If you are dialing a number outside of UCSB (for
example, a resident) you must dial 9, then 1, then

the students number. The 9 is what allows you to

dial outside of the UCSB phone system. The 1 allows
for long distance. DO NOT DIAL TWO 1s. That = 911
which = emergency personnel who will be glad to
know that there is no emergency, but possibly
annoyed by the call. Any long distance calls need
to be logged in the Call Log.

IF the poster appears to be rude or offensive to any

single person/identity group/belief then please call
me immediately so I can talk with the org.

Lost Key Procedures

If a resident loses any one of their keys, please follow
the instructions in the Front Desk Manual, which is
located on SharePoint.

If you are a Closing DA, please remember to

forward the phone by dialing *72+the duty
phone number
If you are an Opening DA, please remember
to unforward the phone by dialing *73.

Room Reservations

**Note: The phone is NOT for your personal usage.

Do not call your friends or family to chat. The records
are carefully tracked.

Please refer the Organization or person to

Conference Services:
https://info.housing.ucsb.edu/roomrequests.aspx

Poster Approvals
Please place posters to be approved in the To Be
Approved section in the back office for my
approval. Once approved, I will place them in the
Approved box. Please then distribute to RAs or
put up around the front desk.

Have them fill out this form. Outside orgs MUST email
me at least one (1) week in advance. If an outside
org wants to have an event here that is not
specifically for our residents, they must pay for their
space.

Room Changes
Room changes for Anacapa are all up to Lead
Staff. Please refer the resident to us via email.
However, please remind the resident that room

changes typically do not occur during the first two

weeks of the quarter, unless there is an emergency.

parent/sibling/bff/family member. If you give

anyones information out to ANYONE, it is a crime.

Residents moving OUT

**To clarify, by personal information that means

anyones room#, phone#, email address or perm#.

You are not responsible for checking residents out of

rooms. That is the RAs responsibility; never take a
residents keys if they are moving out. In a worst
case scenario, call every RA until someone can
come take the keys.
Residents moving IN
If a resident is checking IN to the building, it IS your
job to issue keys and in that case, they will be in the
file cabinet in the back in the New Key section.

Also, besides not giving out

students personal information,
NEVER NEVER NEVER give out other
DAs, RAs, or Lead Staffs
information (like cell phones and
stuff)!
The only exception to this rule is that you MAY give
anyone our office numbers (listed on our respective
business cards).

Desk Safety
As a DA, you hold a very privileged position. Never
give out a residents personal information to
ANYONE. Even if they claim to be a

Closing Procedure
When your shift has ended, here is what you need to do to
close the desk:
Check the Desks email on Outlook one last time

o Respond to anything that hasnt been

responded to yet.
Write your Desk Log
Put everything from the counter tops away in the
back office.
Make sure all of the desks pens/tape/staplers etc
are locked up in the desk drawers. And LOCK the
drawers
Take all of your belongings from the back office and
close it. Make sure the door is completely shut and
locked.
Double check the back office door.
Forward the desk phone to the duty phone
Clock out and log off the computer. DONT TURN IT
OFF. Just log out
Place the desk phone, keyboard, and mouse in the
cabinet beneath the computer, and lock it J