4 Types of Support an IT Service Desk Provides

In the context of IT, you might think a service desk is pretty simple. It’s the service that provides you and your employees with IT assistance—people who are only a phone call away, ready to answer your questions or fix a computer issue. An IT service desk actually goes much deeper than that, though. Service desks handle everything from individual technical problems to larger system outages and other business-wide IT concerns, providing a single point of contact for users to easily interact with IT specialists. Here are 4 other types of support an IT service desk provides that you might not realize.

Standardized & Timely IT Support

You know that a service desk helps you when you need IT assistance. But did you know that service desks are held to specific measures and processes that are standardized within the IT industry? A service desk follows detailed workflows that ensure it follows the right process to address any IT concern, from an individual’s laptop issue to a software rollout for the whole business. Service desks have time-based targets for resolving any issues called in by users, so you can always expect your issue to be either resolved by the service desk or escalated to a deeper IT specialist in a controlled and timely manner. IT issues are also given priority/severity classifications so the most critical ones are addressed first.

Third-Party Communications Management

No company has only one IT vendor. You may be dealing with an Internet service provider, application providers, hardware and software vendors, a VoIP provider, and more. An IT service desk can manage the communications between you and your vendors so you don’t have to, reaching out to these third parties when service concerns arise. Because all your vendor discussions are handled through the service desk, no single vendor can offload responsibility onto another without the oversight of this single point of contact. Plus, the service desk is staffed by technical professionals who understand and can interpret the technical jargon of your IT vendors.

Hardware & Software Asset Management

Service desks serve as a hub for all your organization’s hardware and software assets. They manage your software licenses, security patches, and upgrades so you don’t have to keep track of that information yourself. The IT specialists also know when your business’s hardware is reaching its end of life. They then coordinate with users to provide pre-configured computer replacements with as little downtime as possible. The service desk tracks what pieces of equipment are eligible for repair under warranty and takes care of the shipping process to have those devices repaired by the manufacturer.

Monitoring & Trend Analysis

An IT service desk keeps an eye on a variety of dashboards that track your business’s network and systems, so its IT specialists can jump into action when support is required. This level of monitoring also allows the service desk to evaluate patterns and trends in your IT functions, so it can preemptively identify service issues that need to be addressed before they become larger problems. Preventative maintenance goes a long way. This proactive approach means that your business faces fewer IT disruptions, outages, and service degradation.

In addition, because the service desk acts as the communication link between users and the IT specialists, service desk analysts hear about users’ preferences, frustrations, and desires regarding the business’s IT environment. The information gained about what satisfies users (or doesn’t) can be valuable for the planning and development work of IT services for your business.

The key thing about an IT service desk is that it’s user centric. It’s critical to ensure that technology services are working well and accessible to the people who need to use them, so the service desk is focused on meeting users’ needs in the context of the business’s IT structure. The user-centric IT service desk—with its orchestrated workflows, deep wealth of organizational knowledge, and connections into the rest of the IT organization—is the critical link between users and IT specialists.

Every organization is unique, and the service desk and tools you use need to be fully aligned to your business’s needs. Whether your company is a start-up or small- to mid-sized business with functions relying on technology, Digicon Corporation can integrate service desk management that has solutions to help your organization be successful. Our service desk is based in the United States with live help available 24/7/365.

Learn more about our Business IT Services and schedule a free consultation. Also, stay tuned for our next blog post to learn how to evaluate and pick the best service desk for your needs.