One of the biggest debates and sources of confusion when it comes to IT support in businesses is the difference between a help desk and a service desk. Many business owners believe the terms are interchangeable and provide the same benefits. While that point may be true from a big picture standpoint, the two are vastly different in terms of functionality. Having a configurable help desk software can benefit the end user’s needs, while a service desk generally focuses on the needs of the business rather than the end user. Here are some of the key differences to be aware of.
Help Desk Resolves User Needs Immediately
As a business owner, your main goal should be to always take care of the end user’s needs quickly. By having the right customer support visual workflow processes in place, you can better manage these needs and requests. With configurable help desk software, you’ll be able to view and track any incoming incidents from the time they arrive to the time they’re resolved. This tracking solution also applies to Service Level Agreements, since many help desk solutions provide an SLA tracker as well.
Service Desk Focuses on Business Needs
In general, a service desk will focus on internal business needs instead of only focusing on the end user’s needs. While this is beneficial for your employees and internal procedures, it doesn’t enhance your main goal of benefitting the end user immediately. However, when a service desk is combined or integrated with your configurable help desk software, you can integrate all of your processes and procedures for more efficiency.
Which One Benefits Your Business More?
Knowing whether a help desk or service desk is best for your business comes down to your overall goals as a company. Most companies benefit more from having configurable help desk software, since they are able to quickly and efficiently handle the needs of every end user. Plus, having customer support visual workflow procedures in place will only help you manage and track every incident from the time it arrives until it’s resolved. Finding the right help desk management solution will help your business become more efficient because of the real-time information provided, the enforcement of compliance and procedures and overall business efficiency.
PhaseWare offers a simple, yet effective, help desk solution for small and medium-sized businesses. We’ve provided stellar service and support to businesses since 2005, including help desk support. If you aren’t sure whether help desk or service desk support is right for you, contact us to learn which one is best for your business.