5 Criteria to Evaluate an IT Service Desk

Previously, we discussed 4 types of support an IT service desk provides. Now that you know what a service desk can do for your business, how do you evaluate and pick the best service desk for your company’s needs? Here are 5 criteria to examine when selecting a service desk provider.

IT Best Practices

To begin, check whether a service desk provider follows the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework. ITIL contains industry-standard best practices for service desk areas including incident management and request fulfillment. These guiding principles are used to establish the architecture, processes, procedures, standards, communications tools, and management discipline to support any organization’s objective. In addition, in an era of cloud technologies, a service desk provider that is familiar with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Well-Architected Framework will serve you well. This framework provides a consistent approach for businesses and IT partners to evaluate architectures and implement designs that can scale over time.

Technology Skillset

You want a service desk with staff technicians who are well qualified in major IT systems and the latest technologies. IT professionals do coursework and testing to receive certifications from industry leaders such as Microsoft and AWS. These relevant technology certifications prove that service desk staff are trained and knowledgeable in areas that are relevant to monitoring and maintaining your business’s IT systems. Some major certifications to look out for are Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (Windows 10, Office 365), AWS Cloud Practitioner, CompTIA A+ and Security+, and Cisco Certified Network Associate.

24/7 Live Assistance

IT issues don’t follow a 9:00 to 5:00 schedule. Finding out about network or systems issues in the morning when your employees arrive at the office only leads to work delays and frustration. However, if you have a service desk provider that offers 24/7 availability, the technicians will monitor your IT systems beyond standard business hours and start working to resolve any issues as soon as they happen. That’s also why we recommend finding an IT service desk provider with qualified technicians who actually answer calls and emails themselves: live assistance, as opposed to automated menus and bots, fully centers the customer’s experience and needs. You and your employees will be more satisfied and less stressed with live assistance as your first point of contact with a service desk.

Trusted Personnel

Your service desk provider must be an organization that you can trust to handle your company information and data. We recommend you select a provider that conducts background investigations to determine that staff members can handle sensitive business information. For example, for government-level work, someone who passes a Public Trust investigation is cleared to perform work that requires access to private proprietary systems or other protected materials. For commercial businesses, a police background check is sufficient to determine that staff are trustworthy to handle enterprise data and IT. Having a baseline for personnel and data security is very important to establish trust between you and your service desk provider.

Based in the US

Overseas outsourcing for service desk technical assistance is very common currently. However, there is benefit to using an onshore service desk that is closer to the community it actually serves. A provider in the US, and even your local area, is able to deliver a more personal service than one based offshore. Being based in the US means your provider is already well versed in the compliance, security, and service level requirements that apply to your business. It also allows the opportunity to establish a stronger understanding of your business’s needs and priorities so the service desk can support you knowledgeably.

If you’re starting to evaluate an IT service desk to meet all these criteria, then look no further than Digicon. Our 24/7/365 service desk is based in northern Virginia and follows the ITIL framework. It is staffed by technicians who hold major industry certifications, pass thorough background checks, and are always available to take service requests by phone or email. For more information or to receive a free consultation, please contact us!