Service desk becomes a reality

The move several years ago to rename the IT helpdesk as the service desk was met with criticism from those who felt it was just a marketing exercise rather than representative of a real change.  The idea, according to supporters of the name change, is that the helpdesk of old is now a monolith, a service that reacts to problems in isolation to the realities of the real business.  The service desk, it is argued, represents the evolution of IT support, with pro-active activity and processes that align with business needs, ensuring the desk is central to the operational part of the organisation.

Proof of the service desk mentality prevailing is available, many of Richmond Systems customers are now handling activities previously outside their remit, such as facilities management, through the service desk. There are also examples of how advancements in processes encouraged by ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) are reducing the amount of basic work the service desk has to carry out, meaning it can focus on ascertaining why problems occur and responding to them before users are affected.  But the evidence is clearly subjective, and there has as yet been little research into whether progress has been made.

A study by The Service Desk Institute (SDI) of 159 service desk managers across eight industries is therefore very welcome.  Even more encouraging is the evidence it offers showing real change. 

Since the research was first conducted in 2004, the number of IT issues resolved at the first level has tripled, growing from 20 to 60 per cent.  Adoption of ITIL has risen sharply, with 68 per cent of organisations using the best practice framework to help run their service operations compared to 30 per cent in 2004. 

The survey also highlighted investment alongside ITIL as driving improvement; with resources growing by 60 per cent, allowing an increase in front line staff. This has allowed the service desk to move beyond its IT support-only function and take on service requests.  For example, 98 per cent of desks surveyed now process requests for new workstations. 

Vendors have also improved, with 70 per cent of respondents being offered good or excellent service from their suppliers, and 80 per cent of projects are now being delivered on or below budget. 

This final point is particularly important, as the relationship between suppliers of service desk technology and their customers has often been strained in the past. The maturity shown by the well-established vendors has a major impact on the changes highlighted by the research, with a partnership between supplier and customer being an effective way of improving the workings of the service desk.