An IT service desk is a critical component of an organization’s IT department, acting as a single point of contact (SPOC) for routine activities between users and IT. Many small businesses outsource IT service desk functions to a managed services provider to maximize efficiency.
In this blog, we’ll go over what an IT service desk does and the benefits of outsourcing one to enhance your business processes.
What Is an IT Service Desk?
A typical IT service desk handles a business’ day-to-day IT needs, like service ticket management and incident resolution, along with more complex issues like planned changes and network outages.
Unlike an in-house IT department, an outsourced IT service desk team has the time and resources to dedicate themselves to all aspects of your IT management fully. Here are some core functions of an IT service desk:
- Overseeing asset management processes
- Ensuring compliance with IT regulations
- Monitoring internal and external cybersecurity threats
- Acting as the primary point of contact for all IT needs
- Enhancing operational efficiencies
- Leveraging data to make smarter business decisions
- Aligning IT investments with business objectives
IT Service Desk Vs. Help Desk
Although some people use the terms IT service desk and help desk interchangeably, they aren’t the same. Simply put, a help desk is a type of service desk that is typically more focused on the end-user. The responsibilities of an IT help desk include:
- Handling incoming support requests
- Providing onsite IT help
- Answering questions from employees
- Coordinating with specialists
IT service desk benefits extend far beyond resolving support tickets. An IT service desk takes a broader look at IT management, including implementing and overseeing a business’s IT strategy and investment in business technology. By looking at the big picture, an IT service desk can ensure that your company meets technology best practices to run smoothly.
Five IT Service Desk Benefits for Your Business
Because an IT service desk encompasses many responsibilities that fall under IT management, IT service desk benefits are easily transferable across your organization. Your IT service desk plays a vital role in the overall trajectory of your organization, so it is crucial to understand what one can do for your business, short and long term.
Here are five ways an IT service desk can benefit your business.
1. Fast Response Times to Service Tickets
Because an IT service desk includes the responsibilities of an IT help desk, an IT service desk can respond to incident management requests almost immediately. The dedicated support of an IT service desk means that you can talk with a live person, not a chatbot or a phone menu, as early as that same day.
If your IT service team is local to you, they can also provide onsite support to resolve issues that cannot be managed remotely. For example, some hardware problems require onsite troubleshooting instead of remote options like phone, video conference or remote sign-in.
2. 24/7 Support
A dedicated IT service desk gives you access to 24/7 technical support. If your business has a partially or fully remote team that relies on constant availability, you probably need 24/7 technical support.
While most large organizations have the resources to employ an in-house service desk, many SMBs choose to outsource their IT help desk needs to save money and leverage the expertise of a professional IT company. With a dedicated team of technical experts working around the clock, you can rest easy knowing that help is available if something goes wrong, from hardware to software and everything in between.
3. Diverse IT Expertise at Your Disposal
Outsourcing your IT service desk needs to a third party provides you with technical support specialists with a broad knowledge base, credentials, and experience. These IT specialists know how to resolve all kinds of system errors, from fixing minor issues for the end-user to implementing cybersecurity best practices like multi-factor authentication.
4. Proactive IT Management
In addition to 24/7 support to address problems as they arise, an outsourced IT service desk has the time and resources to monitor your organization’s IT infrastructure for potential cybersecurity risks. Because an IT service desk is already overseeing all aspects of your business’s IT needs, proactive IT management is a simple step up.
For example, an IT service desk can use data collected from your IT infrastructure to evaluate patterns, predict trends and identify potential issues before they impact your business. This data-driven approach to IT management can also help enterprises discover the root cause of frequent recurring incidents, like phishing attacks.
Proactive IT management can help avoid costly downtime, outages and service interruptions by monitoring your network for potential risks and external threats from malware and ransomware.
5. Cost Savings and Scalability
If you need 24/7 IT support, it can be costly to hire an in-house team to oversee your IT infrastructure throughout the day. In comparison, an IT service desk can handle around-the-clock monitoring of your network.
Rather than letting routine maintenance pile up and put your systems at risk, you can transfer your IT needs to an outsourced team of technical specialists who are dedicated solely to IT. You can then free up your employees to focus on tasks that add value to your organization, like product development, customer support and long-term strategy.
By outsourcing your IT needs to an IT service desk, you essentially pay for what you need, resulting in significant cost savings. This makes it easier for your business to scale your IT infrastructure as your business grows.
Should You Outsource Your IT Service Desk?
Outsourcing your IT service desk can result in significant benefits for your business, from 24/7 support and cost savings to more effective IT management and proactive threat monitoring. If you want to see how an IT service desk can transform your business, Helixstorm can help.
By partnering with Helixstorm, you get access to a team of technical experts with decades of experience at a fraction of the cost. In addition, we also provide managed IT services like infrastructure management, proactive system and software maintenance, and business technology strategy.
To learn more about how Helixstorm aligns technology with your business goals, contact us today.
