What we call things matters, even when two things share some core similarities. When it comes to IT service management, users who need support might turn to either an IT help desk or an IT service desk. Does it matter what you call it? Some of the basics of “help desk vs. service desk” might be the same, but there are also some significant differences. But that doesn’t mean one is better or worse. It really depends on the maturity of the IT organization and resources available.

What is an IT Help Desk?

Definition and Core Functions

The help desk serves as a single point of contact (SPOC) for all end users seeking support. They assist customers and staff by handling general inquiries, troubleshooting IT issues, and providing technical assistance quickly and efficiently.

An IT help desk, as we know it today, was originally intended to focus on troubleshooting and fixing IT issues. The historic “break-fix” model of help desks meant that they didn’t typically manage requests for service or information, but worked to resolve “incidents.” Today, help desks typically provide more services, but the term remains rooted in a longstanding break-fix tradition.

IT Help Desk Examples

Customers or staff often contact the help desk when they notice an issue. Here are some ways where the help desk can step in:

• Assisting in password reset or recovery when users lose theirs.
• Managing access controls for tools that team members need.
• Troubleshooting issues concerning software or application installation, updates, or performance.
• Providing support with issues with computers, peripherals, and other hardware equipment malfunctions.
• Fixing network issues when users experience difficulties connecting to the internet or the company network.

To quickly solve these incidents, help desks use the following standard tools:

• Ticketing System
  A tool used to manage and monitor user requests, issues, and incidents. After a user submits a request, tickets are generated and prioritized, then assigned to support agents based on the topic and urgency. Teams can track the status of tickets and resolve (or close) them once the problem has been fixed.
• Remote Support Tools
  These applications enable help desk technicians to access and troubleshoot user devices remotely. It lets them view and control the user's screen, run diagnostics, and fix issues from anywhere.
• Knowledge Management Systems
  A tool that helps create a centralized repository of knowledge articles, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides to ensure consistency and accuracy in resolving common issues. It also creates a self-service option that allows users to look for answers in the knowledge base, which lessens the load for help desk agents
• Monitoring and Reporting Tools
  These tools allow help desks to monitor system health, and detect potential issues before they escalate. Reporting tools can also generate data on the overall help desk performance that can guide organizations in improving it. It will enable help desks to maintain system uptime, proactively address problems, and optimize overall IT operations.

Purpose and Job Roles in a Help Desk

• Help desk agent
  A help desk agent responds directly to general inquiries that may come in by phone, email, or through a help desk portal. Help desk agents should have basic knowledge about business products and operations to ensure tickets are solved effectively.
• Help Desk Technician
  A help desk technician maintains technology, provides IT support, diagnoses issues to determine root causes, and identifies solutions. Technicians are users' primary point of contact for an organization's IT services.
• Help desk manager
  Help desk managers oversee the help desk's day-to-day operations, which include hiring and training agents, organizing processes, and tracking KPIs. They also coordinate the activities of help desk agents and administrators, manage resources, and make strategic decisions to improve the overall effectiveness of the help desk.
• Help desk admin
  Help desk administrators configure, manage, and optimize the help desk operations to ensure everything runs well. Administrators are responsible for customizing the platform to match the organization's and team's specific demands and maintaining user accounts and permissions.

Types of Help Desks

• IT help desk
  An IT help desk supports all end users with issues that range from a simple password reset to a network outage. They diagnose and resolve technical difficulties while monitoring the operation of IT infrastructure. An IT help desk is also proactively identifying and addressing possible issues to prevent them from affecting business operations.

• Customer service help desk
  A customer service help desk handles the support needs of customers, including answering questions and helping troubleshoot issues with their purchased products and services.

• Business help desk
  Teams outside IT (such as HR or finance) sometimes create a business help desk to enhance internal operations. They address various technical and administrative issues to minimize disruptions to business activities.

What is a Service Desk?

Definition and Core Functions

An IT service desk was developed after the help desk and exists to help users not only with break-fix scenarios, but also with service requests and requests for information (such as “how do I do A, B, and C?"). The IT service desk makes customer-centricity and meeting customer needs (beyond break-fix) its primary focus.

Service desks are designed to be a more comprehensive solution that supports end users and manages and coordinates the delivery of IT services to the business.

Service Desk Examples

IT service desks handle a wide range of tasks and functions, but some of the most common include:

• Incident management
  Incident management includes fixing user-reported issues such as application problems, software glitches, and hardware malfunctions.
  
  For example, people notice a server failure on an e-commerce website during the holidays (peak hours). Their service desk will diagnose the problem, take steps to resolve it, and keep the users informed of the progress. As the system quickly alerts the service desk about the outage, they can restore regular service operations as quickly as possible.
• Service Request Management
  Service requests include requests for software installation, access to new applications, or password resets.
  
  If a company hires new employees, they need to provide them with access to all their tools and systems. These employees will typically submit a request for access to emails or project management tools, and the service desk can log these requests and assign them to the appropriate support teams. The service desk team will typically follow a defined procedure to fulfill these requests.
• Problem Management
  When a recurring incident happens, the service desk investigates further to determine the root cause of the problem and implements a permanent solution to prevent it from happening again.
  
  If employees of an IT organization often disconnect from the company network, the service desk will detect a trend of identical occurrences involving several users. The problem manager can then conduct a root cause analysis and coordinate with the network team to resolve the issue.
• Change Management
  Tracking and managing changes from beginning to end to minimize risk is the core of change management. 
  
  If a financial institution plans to update and add features to its application, the service desk may be involved in planning and executing these changes to minimize user disruption.

Purpose and Job Roles in a Service Desk

• Service Desk Manager
  A service desk manager oversees the entire service desk operations, ensuring efficient delivery of support services. This includes managing the team, setting performance goals, developing policies, and ensuring customer satisfaction.
• Service Desk Analyst
  A service desk analyst acts as the first point of contact for users experiencing IT issues. They are responsible for diagnosing and resolving technical issues, and escalating complex issues as needed.
• Incident Manager
  An incident manager handles major incidents that impact the overall performance of the business. They must have strong problem-solving and analytical skills to collaborate effectively with everyone involved. Incident managers must also conduct post-incident reviews to ensure the same issue won't happen again.

Types of Service Desks

• ITIL-Compliant Service Desks
  This type of service desk adheres to the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework, which outlines best practices for IT service management. Its goal is to align IT services with business objectives while monitoring and maintaining service level agreements (SLAs) for all end users.

Organizations use an ITIL-compliant service desk to standardize their IT support operations across all departments and branches. ITIL service desks are classified into various forms to meet the demands of different companies:

• Local Service Desk: Supports specific departments or locations within the company. It is designed to address localized concerns and minimize disruption to operations quickly.
• Centralized Service Desk: Ensures service delivery consistency and standardization in an organization. It combines resources and knowledge to promote collaboration and efficiency.
• Virtual Service Desk: Extends support to users regardless of location to improve accessibility and usability.
• Follow-the-Sun Service Desk: Uses global time zones to offer round-the-clock assistance. It provides continuous service availability and reduces reaction times, especially in global enterprises.
• Specialized IT Service Desks
  A specialized IT service desk is an organization's central point for managing IT issues and service requests. They monitor servers for outages or other disruptions to service and assist customers and team members in troubleshooting technology issues.
  IT service desks can also assist with designing and implementing self-service platforms to increase efficiency. The IT service desk is critical for keeping IT systems running smoothly, resolving user issues, and supporting business operations.

IT Service Desk and Help Desk: Key Differences

In general, the term help desk still retains some of its historical break-fix connotation, while the service desk remains focused on (yes) IT service that goes beyond break-fix. Here are a few key differences that may still remain in the help desk vs. service desk linguistic debate.

1. Integration in IT Support Ecosystems
   A help desk was historically bolted on to existing IT activities/assets, making it an add-on, whereas the service desk is an integrated part of a holistic service-based IT support ecosystem (i.e., ITSM) built around “the service lifecycle.” Thus, a help desk can evolve into a service desk, at least functionally if not in name, by adding the capacity to address service/information requests. A service desk was simply "born" that way.
2. Strategic vs. Tactical Focus
   A service desk is generally more proactive and service-oriented in focus, with more of a strategic, wider-lens focus, while a help desk tends to be more reactive and "tactical" in scope. Again, there's been an ongoing blurring of the lines and KPIs between the two desks.
3. Terminology in IT Support
   Less than a quarter of organizations use the term "help desk," with "service desk" now a more popular term. What you call your IT support center is less important than how it functions and what capabilities it possesses. The term "service desk" is used by 36% of organizations, while "help desk" is used by 23%. Other orgs use “technical support” (9%), “IT/IS support” (9%), and “support center” (7%), according to HDI research.

Help Desk vs. Service Desk: Which is Right for Your Business?

• Assessing Business Needs
  Every business has unique processes, and understanding your workflow and technology needs will help you choose between help desk vs. service desk.

A help desk may be sufficient for a small organization with limited IT support infrastructure. However, a service desk will bring additional benefits such as proactive problem-solving and increased productivity if you are a larger organization with complex IT support needs.

You should also consider how your business will change over the following few years to ensure your decision will support its growth. These developments will also influence how your technology must evolve to keep up with your operations.

• Costs and Resources Required
  One of the main differences between help desk vs. service desk that you should consider is its costs. Help desks are generally less expensive to set up and operate than service desks, making them the best option for businesses with limited resources.

However, your budget should not be the only determining factor in your decision. The benefits of a service desk can sometimes outweigh its costs. This is true for organizations that experience regular IT downtime, where choosing a service desk can increase efficiency and productivity.

Either way, you must consider the resources required for technology implementation, such as staff training, business process changes, licensing, maintenance, and support. Offer Better Help Desk Support With LogMeIn Resolve

LogMeIn Resolve offers flexible support that grows with your business. With its conversational ticketing, agents can get a unified view that lets them resolve issues smarter and faster. Whether you're a startup or an enterprise, LogMeIn Resolve ensures your team can efficiently handle issues from any device, anywhere.