By IT Brew Staff
less than 3 min read
Definition:
A service desk is the centralized hub where employees can interact with IT service providers to handle IT-related issues and requests, including account setup and information requests.
Key takeaways
While some folks may use “service desk” and “help desk” interchangeably, they’re actually two different things. A help desk will assist employees with small, common problems such as a broken monitor or a forgotten password. Service desks, on the other hand, acts as the main point of contact between employees and whoever’s providing the organization’s IT (whether internal or a third-party vendor).
Many IT professionals focus on IT service management (ITSM), which is a set of processes that organizations can use to effectively manage and deliver their IT services. For example, ITSM dictates how a company might effectively provision new employees with their system access and accounts. A service desk is a vital component in a company’s ITSM framework. In addition to assisting in business operations, service desks have a crucial role to play in an organization’s cybersecurity, helping to thwart phishing attacks and detect the first signs of an intrusion.
Those IT pros who work at service desks have a number of decisions to make about workflows. For example: Do you rely on virtual agents and AI chatbots to help employees? Will automation and self-service tools actually lead to reduced ticket volumes? Is the service desk effectively serving as the first line of defense against cyberattacks?
Whatever the answers to those questions, a well-run service desk can help align IT teams with the organizations’ broader goals, boost operational efficiency, and quickly help employees obtain the IT services they need.
