| The service desk is the most important part of any | | | | system should allow agents to quickly enter and |
| good information technology service system. Hence, | | | | access the information that they need. Many different |
| companies that rely heavily on information technology, | | | | companies have offered their versions of database |
| which currently almost every company does, would be | | | | management systems over the years, and |
| well advised to focus on improving service desk | | | | organizations have quite a few to choose from. These |
| performance. It is the service desk, after all, that | | | | software solutions differ in their complexity, in terms |
| represents the first line of contact with customers, and | | | | both of their depth of function and ease of installation |
| it deals with inquiries, concerns, and complaints. | | | | and implementation. Smaller organizations might find it |
| A company's service desk is responsible for being the | | | | more useful to use simpler software to manage the |
| customer liaison, essentially providing a single | | | | relatively smaller amount of information that they need. |
| knowledgeable point of contact for them. To this end, | | | | Bigger organizations, on the other hand, would probably |
| service desks usually have to track customer | | | | require the full power offered by the biggest software |
| requests and monitor the status of various services | | | | management systems available. |
| and products, identify and attempt to resolve problems, | | | | But simply having the right tool is not enough: a service |
| and so on. Service desks also usually work with | | | | desk must also consist of skilled personnel. The agents |
| second- and even third-line support teams, and thus | | | | and technicians must, of course, be able to use their |
| have to coordinate with these regarding escalation and | | | | software tools with great ease and facility. This is |
| load distribution. | | | | especially important when the organization uses |
| The performance of the service desk can be more or | | | | complex software to handle the large amounts of |
| less attributed to two main factors or aspects: tools | | | | information that it needs. Having the best software in |
| and skills. Tools refer to software such as databases | | | | the world would amount to nothing if agents were |
| and user interfaces that agents use to access the | | | | unskilled in its use! This is why training in the use of the |
| information they work with. This information includes | | | | interface, in particular for new agents, is very important. |
| customer details, the status of various inquiries and | | | | More specialized training, such as technical support and |
| service requests, and the company's own store of | | | | troubleshooting or customer service training should also |
| information about its products and services. As an | | | | be implemented. Once agents are proficient in the use |
| organization grows bigger, the amount of information | | | | of their software, they should then be trained regarding |
| to be processed also rapidly increases, requiring not | | | | the other aspects of their service desk duty. In this |
| only bigger and faster computers, but also software | | | | way, by considering both the tools that are used and |
| that is up to the size of the task. | | | | the necessary skills, service desk performance may |
| It is vitally important for service desks to have an | | | | be greatly improved. |
| efficient information management system in place. This | | | | |