It is indisputable that information technology is a decisive factor for the success of companies. Furthermore, its implementation and management now constitute a competitive differentiator in the market. Therefore, it is no surprise that interest in the Service Desk and its role within organizations has grown significantly in recent years.
Increasingly, companies are looking for ways to carry out their tasks with agility. In addition, of course, to achieving superior quality in meeting their demands. To achieve this, investment in efficient IT management is necessary. This is where the Service Desk comes in!
Are you interested in optimizing processes and increasing results with a Service Desk? See everything you need to know in this article and the benefits this service can bring!
What is a Service Desk?
The Service Desk is a concept whose central objective is to centralize and unite all of a company’s needs in a single place, managing all operational support for system users and recording all interactions as a way of controlling and monitoring the organization.
Thus, a Service Desk is a vital part of the IT structure and can operate in three ways through service desk analysts:
 Local: when system users and the Service Desk share the same physical space; |
 Centralized: when it is physically located at one point (central) and users can send their requests from various locations; |
 Virtual: it has no physical location, but multiple support points and users in different locations. |
What is a service desk analyst?
The service desk analyst is responsible for analyzing incidents and requests for support and services. Their objective is to solve operational problems that require specific handling. All of this avoids failures and aims for quality in service delivery, always acting in a preventive manner.
The Service Desk can be seen as the evolution of the Help Desk. However, they are very different services, as we will see below.
What is the difference between Service Desk and Help Desk?
The Help Desk resolves more common everyday questions and problems for users. These issues are simpler to solve:
- operating system issues;
- printers;
- hardware;
- applications;
- difficulties opening emails or using programs.
The Service Desk, on the other hand, is more comprehensive—also known as ‘level 2 support’—and is responsible for more complex issues. In other words, the Help Desk is simpler and provides immediate service to IT infrastructure users, while the Service Desk goes further, acting as a true IT management tool for a company.
What is a help desk analyst?
The help desk analyst works to solve low-complexity problems. These cases can be classified as ‘level 1’, requiring less time for resolution.
It is common for some companies to think that Service Desk and Help Desk are different names for the same product. However, they are two completely different services.
It is worth remembering that both services are important for the proper functioning of systems and for solving different problems at different times.
What kind of problems can the Service Desk solve?
Sudden server outages, security flaws, email management problems, and permission issues are some of the problems handled by Service Desk professionals. Furthermore, this service is consultative in nature and includes preventive actions to avoid failures and maintain the operational functioning of the IT infrastructure.
Service can be provided online, by phone, or in person, and not necessarily in emergency situations. A good Service Desk monitors and tracks clients’ IT environments in order to better understand their structure and system operations, which enables the team to anticipate potential failures.
What is the importance of the Service Desk in your company?
Currently, it is practically impossible for organizations to survive in the market without an automated system. With the increasing importance of IT within companies, the need for a Service Desk team is even greater.
Within the service management framework of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), the Service Desk supports several important areas for a company’s administrative management, such as incident, problem, and configuration management.
What is a service desk or help desk system?
Software solutions have several tools and reports that assist in IT management within companies. Check out 5 of them:
- Incident management: allows services to be restored easily and quickly, preventing company productivity from being harmed;
- Problem management: focuses on IT problems that occur frequently, presenting solutions to eliminate the error;
- Change management: suggests and ensures the execution of changes to the IT infrastructure in a secure environment and within the company’s needs;
- CMDB: provides greater visibility of company assets, as it allows mapping their interrelationships and dependencies in a single base;
- Reports: allows the manager to know what is happening and how their system is operating.
Furthermore, once implemented, Service Desk performance can be measured using different parameters, such as the tracking of serviced requests, request types, time spent finding a solution, among others.
This makes it possible to identify the main problems in the IT infrastructure and helps define strategies and improvements.
Increasingly comprehensive and accessible
IT has ceased to be a subject restricted to technicians and has been incorporated into the administrative scope of companies. Today, it is viewed by entrepreneurs as a strategic planning tool capable of helping the business achieve its goals and objectives.
It is an important area of investment and has gained increasing space in company board decisions. This visibility occurs because the use of services like the Service Desk enables the reduction of errors and failures in the IT infrastructure, as well as the rapid resolution of any issues, keeping all processes running perfectly.
Research indicates that in 2018 alone, global IT investments were expected to reach $3.7 trillion, with growth prospects.
In terms of management, understanding what a Service Desk is and implementing it in your company prevents drops in productivity and reduces expenses on repairs and maintenance, increasing your business profitability. Furthermore, relying on specialized partners is essential to improve productivity.
The Service Desk is just one of the tools involved in a company’s IT management process. Want to receive more news on the subject? Then subscribe to our newsletter!
