If you have ever experienced an IT (Information Technology) issue in your business, you likely wished that you had someone by your side ready to handle the problem or show you how to fix it; This is what IT help desk platforms do.  

Rather than having to track down an IT support technician when you encounter an issue, you log on to an online platform and seek help. Then, using your company’s virtual support portal, you’ll be able to get the help you seek without having to leave your location or wait for help to come to you.  

A help desk offers a lot of benefits to small and medium businesses. An IT service desk can give your business an edge over your competitors, from scalability and cost savings to improvements to the technologies you use every day. When you promptly resolve a confusing technical issue, you will immediately recognize the advantage of having help desks in the business world.  

 

What Is the Function of an IT Help Desk? 

 

IT support desks are a combination of human resources and software working together to resolve the end-users issues promptly and efficiently. It’s like the front end of the IT department, ideally serving as an access point for any employee needing help.  

It’s common for small and medium businesses to outsource their help desks, especially when the in-house team isn’t large enough or non-existent. When using these third-party services, the company gains access to responsive technical support experts whenever an issue arises. Your staff will always have somewhere to turn, and the in-house IT team can focus on tasks that take your business forward.  

 An organization can enjoy similar benefits using an in-house IT support desk. The software allows for quicker, more efficient service, and entry-level IT staff can handle the bulk of the requests to keep the senior IT staff focused on enterprise-wide tasks. In addition, an IT service desk serves lots of services, including: 

 

Automating manual tasks  

 

IT help desk software can automate many labor-intensive tasks involved in the daily IT specialist’s job. It effectively streamlines and organizes communication for the teams working to assist employees. The IT support desk team members are also tasked with resolving technical problems. They answer questions, respond to concerns, and offer detailed directions to help users fix their technical problems, via the service desk platform.  

Help desk software ideally makes the IT team significantly more efficient by automating processes and simplifying workflows. 

 

IT Staff Management 

 

When a ticket is in the system, the software can route it to the right staff members and facilitate the flow of information between staff members as the issues escalate. In addition, it gives you a simple interface where the staff can easily update the status of issues at hand so that users will always be in the know when progress is made on each ticket.  

Meanwhile, IT managers can generate reports of the overall performance easily and delve into individual technicians’ achievements. It’s also possible to see what different team members are working on and gauge customer satisfaction with their service.  

 

Benefits to the Organization 

 

The help desk also allows businesses to resolve various technical issues, from resetting passwords to handling network security breaches. The service desk will likely first notice any IT problems that arise. The investment will come with many benefits by making the IT department more efficient and resolving the issues staff face as promptly as possible.  

 

Cost Savings 

 

With an IT support desk, tech-savvy personnel can respond to issues quickly. Since every problem contributes to a database of solutions and concerns, the IT department can refer to it when similar incidents arise. This will enable them to solve the issues much quicker the first time and even faster when it recurs. This time saved translates into more significant cost savings.  

The IT help desk will also generate cost savings within your IT department as the low-level issues are transferred away from the senior IT personnel. The entry-level IT technicians can fix simple issues, leaving the rest of the department to tackle the more challenging ones and add value to the organization.  

 

Disaster Recovery and Support 

 

Whenever disaster strikes, the IT staff is responsible for maintaining normal operations. However, the IT department’s role in disaster recovery will depend on the type of disaster at hand. For example, many issues could occur if a disaster damages the IT infrastructure, which is quite common in cybersecurity breaches.  

Your support desk can document and track these issues, and their solutions fast, using whatever is learned to help make the business more resilient. Whenever a business brings in a third-party IT help desk, it will be even more prepared to handle any other potential disaster.  

 

Increased Work Efficiency 

 

An easy-to-use platform enables your employees to effortlessly and quickly submit help tickets. The automated workflows with the help desk will resolve the issues faster, allowing the employees to get back to work. A quick, streamlined IT process will enable the employees to be more productive.