October 24, 2024 – As organizations strive to keep pace with the growing demands of digital transformation, hybrid work environments, and challenges resulting from operational disruptions like the recent CrowdStrike incident, IT service desks are under increased pressure to deliver consistent support. However, many service desks continue to struggle with issues such as inconsistent service delivery, operational confusion, and redundancies, which lead to unnecessary costs and delays. In response to these ongoing challenges, Info-Tech Research Group has published a comprehensive blueprint titled Standardize the Service Desk. This resource provides a data-driven strategy to help IT leaders and their organizations overcome these obstacles, enhance service desk maturity, and improve the overall experience for both users and technicians.
By applying the strategies from Info-Tech’s newly published blueprint, organizations can transform their service desks from reactive, firefighting operations into efficient, proactive service providers. The resource will equip IT leaders with actionable strategies to tackle outdated tools and inefficiencies, emphasizing that standardization extends beyond simply restructuring ticket categories.
“Customer service issues are rarely based on personality but are almost always a symptom of poor and inconsistent process,” says Emily Sugerman, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group. “When service desk managers seek to resolve customer service issues through hiring and executives push back, it’s time to look at improving process and the support strategy to make the best use of technicians’ time, tools, and knowledge. Once improvements have been made, it’s easier to make the case to add people or introduce automation.”
The firm’s new resource details that many service desks face persistent challenges with outdated or misconfigured tools, making it difficult to implement effective solutions. Info-Tech's insights emphasize that without standardized processes, organizations will continue to experience operational confusion, redundancies, and escalating costs. Standardization is crucial to eliminating these inefficiencies and minimizing recurring issues, empowering service desks to function more efficiently and enhance overall service delivery.
“Replacing service desk solutions will also highlight issues around poor processes. Without fixing the baseline services, the new solution will simply wrap your issues in a prettier package,” explains Sugerman.
In its blueprint Standardize the Service Desk, Info-Tech outlines a detailed five-step methodology for IT to streamline and enhance service desk performance:
Step 1: Identify the Current State and Goals
- Assess the current state and define objectives: Conduct a thorough evaluation of existing processes and determine specific goals for improvement.
- Build a user experience-driven service desk: Focus on creating a service desk that prioritizes user experience, ensuring that interactions are smooth and efficient.
Step 2: Define Service Desk Structure and Ticket Intake
- Define service desk structure: Establish a clear organizational framework for the service desk to optimize workflow and accountability.
- Improve ticket intake: Streamline the process for receiving and logging requests to enhance responsiveness.
- Improve prioritization: Implement effective prioritization strategies to ensure critical issues are addressed promptly.
Step 3: Capture and Report on the Right Data
- Improve ticket categories: Refine ticket categorization to facilitate accurate tracking and reporting.
- Enable metrics and KPIs: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure service desk effectiveness.
- Ensure ticket data quality: Maintain high data quality standards to support informed decision-making.
Step 4: Improve Incident Resolution & Service Request Fulfillment
- Resolve incidents: Focus on timely incident resolution to minimize disruption for users.
- Fulfill service requests: Enhance processes for fulfilling service requests to improve user satisfaction.
- Enable shift-left (knowledgebase): Develop a robust knowledgebase to empower service desk agents and users alike.
- Enable shift-left (self-service): Implement self-service options to allow users to resolve common issues independently.
Step 5: Implement the Service Desk Vision
- Articulate a service desk vision: Clearly define the long-term vision for the service desk to guide its evolution.
- Make a communication plan: Develop a strategic communication plan to ensure all stakeholders are informed and engaged.
- Communicate the vision: Consistently share the service desk vision across the organization to foster alignment and support.
Info-tech also highlights the importance of collaborating with managers from specialized IT groups responsible for root-cause analysis. This collaboration helps organizations develop a categorization scheme that meets their specific needs. The firm advises that involving end users in this process ensures they comprehend the categories they encounter, improving overall clarity and efficiency.
By implementing these data-backed insights, organizations can reduce costs and empower their teams to deliver high-quality support in today’s dynamic digital environment.
For exclusive and timely commentary from Emily Sugerman, a service desk expert, and access to the complete Standardize the Service Desk blueprint, please contact pr@infotech.com.
About Info-Tech Research Group
Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT and HR professionals. The company produces unbiased, highly relevant research and provides advisory services to help leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
To learn more about Info-Tech’s divisions, visit McLean & Company for HR research and advisory services and SoftwareReviews for software buying insights.
Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm’s Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact pr@infotech.com.
For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.
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