Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2021. Read them in this 13th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
The IT Help Desk Evolves to Service Desk
By Liz Beavers, Head Geek, SolarWinds
In 2020, we saw a sharp uptick in the number of inquiries being fielded through the IT help desk. This will continue in 2021, but as organizations explore how to drive efficiencies throughout the business, we also anticipate the IT help desk will further embrace technology and streamline their operations to become a more central resource for all employee tech requests: the IT service desk.
Before the broader transition can begin, teams must put the proper infrastructure in place so they’re able to sufficiently manage employees’ systems. Organizations will then begin to look at how all factions and departments within the business can utilize the service desk. By reviewing-and in some cases rethinking-their processes, we expect to see numerous businesses decide the IT service desk should become the central resource for employees so they can get the help they need, when they need it as remote working becomes the norm.
The IT help desk won’t be responsible for owning all requests, but with their experience and expertise, they can suggest ways to automate, delegate operations, and encourage cross-departmental collaboration. For example, where a technician would’ve traditionally coached a user through a one-off ticket like a password reset, automated classification and responses in IT service management (ITSM) solutions will be put into place in 2021 to eliminate manual triage, make categorization more efficient, and lead to a faster resolution for the requester. For the more complex business practices like offboarding or hardware intake, IT teams will leverage their ITSM platforms to digitize the collection of information and automate changing access rights. Implementing these updates won’t shift the onus from the IT help desk, but it’ll help eliminate service silos and enhance visibility.
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About the Author
Liz Beavers, Head Geek, SolarWinds
Like many IT professionals, Liz’s entry into the tech industry was unconventional. With plans to pursue a career in public relations, Liz’s career quickly took a turn toward technology. She got her start working as a customer success manager with a research platform for the financial industry prior to joining Samanage, now SolarWinds Service Desk.
Prior to becoming a SolarWinds Head GeekTM, Liz served as the technical point of contact for SolarWinds Service Desk customers. In this role, she combined the best of both worlds: her passion for communicating with prospective and existing customers while leaning on her multiple ITIL certifications to provide ITSM best practices to help alleviate pain points, work smarter, and streamline service desk operations.
Liz is a formally trained public speaker and is actively involved in the service management community, participating in and hosting podcasts, webcasts, panel discussions, and speaking at large-scale industry events. She attended James Madison University where she earned a B.A. in Communication Studies.
