Helpdesk is a broadly applied term referring to a staffed resource that can answer questions for customers about their products or about how to use resources or software applications. A help desk can be as simple as a person with a phone number who is prepared to answer questions and handle problems or can be as complex as two or three levels of groups of people to handle problems and track the status of problem solutions.
A helpdesk may serve one or more various functions. Companies often provide help desk services to their employees as well as their customers. In some cases, both customers and employees use the same help desk to obtain assistance, while in others separate helpdesk services are used. In addition to those set up by corporations, there are many other types of help desks. Smaller companies, private organizations, and educational facilities often provide various help desk services to their customers, employees, students, or members. Some help desks are even available to anyone in need of help.
A helpdesk typically manages its requests via helpdesk software, such as a trouble ticket, that allows the company to track user requests with a unique ticket number. Helpdesk software can is an extremely beneficial tool when used to find, analyze, and eliminate problems.
By 1996 research by Middleton recognized that the real value of helpdesk(s) derives not solely from their reactive response to users’ issues, but from the helpdesk’s unique position of communicating with numerous customers and/or employees. This gives the helpdesk the ability to monitor the user environment for issues from technical problems to user preferences and satisfaction. Such information gathered at the helpdesk can be valuable in planning and preparation to other units in the company.
Large helpdesks have different levels to handle different types of questions. The first-level helpdesk is prepared to answer the most commonly asked questions, or provide resolutions that often belong in a Frequently Asked Questions area or knowledge base. Typically, an ticket or incident tracking system is implemented that allows a logging process to take place at the onset of a call. If the issue isn’t resolved at the first-level, the incident ticket is escalated to a higher level that is equipped to handle more difficult calls. Some organizations even have a third level of support.
Large-scale helpdesks have a person or team responsible for managing the tickets which are commonly called queue managers or queue supervisors. Larger helpdesks have several teams that are experienced in working on different issues. The queue manager will assign a ticket to one of the specialized teams based on the type of issue. Some helpdesks may have phone systems with that ensure that calls about specific topics go to people with experience or knowledge on that topic.
Many companies have custom helpdesk software. Not all of the helpdesk staff and supporting IT staff need to be in the same location. With remote access applications, technicians are able to solve many helpdesk issues from a home office or another location. Remote software can be used to troubleshoot computer-related problems. This enables support personnel to access the user’s computer to analyze the problem and apply the correction. Using remote software, a help desk technician can assist an end user located in virtually any part of the world.
Though some helpdesks do involve a support person working at a physical desk, often services are provided via a call center or over the Internet.
Some common names for a help desk include: Computer Support Center, IT Response Center, Customer Support Center, IT Solutions Center, Resource Center, Information Center, and Technical Support Center.
