Every company can use some IT Support. When looking for managed IT service providers, they are offered two options: service desks and help desks. Despite their apparent similarity, there is a distinction between the two. Here are the main differences between a help desk and a service desk.
Both solutions manage communications with users and handle incidents and service requests. However, the main difference between a help desk and a service desk comes in the extension of services.
In a nutshell, the IT Help Desk provides quick fixes, sometimes during the duration of the call. Meanwhile, the service desks look into comprehensive customer service and overarching business needs.
What is a Help Desk?
A help desk assists with solutions to end-user IT glitches. If you lost your password and need a reset, reach out to a helpdesk.
An average outsourced help desk representative gets brief training about your company background and troubleshooting processes. Their integration into your company is limited to their function and don’t have a bird’s eye view of your business. As a result, they cannot provide overall business support.
They work by receiving a specific concern and resolving it quickly.
- Single point of contact (SPOC) for every product’s service lifecycle
- Problem Management
- Incident Tracking
Self-service Options for End-users (your employees can call in for immediate assistance)
Help Desk vs. Technical Support
Technical Support comes in the second level and is used for issues requiring more technical knowledge.
If a printer doesn’t work, you call a helpdesk. If all printers are having network communication problems, you need tech support.
While tech support issues are more complex, both help desk and technical support focus solely on problem resolution without delving into overarching business process support.
Help Desk vs. Desktop Support
Desktop support comes in even more precisely. They are dedicated to fixing only desktop or laptop issues.
What is a Service Desk?
Service desks provide a higher overall level of service. A service desk manages incidents beyond basic IT fixes and includes broader support options. It serves as the main point of contact between the service provider and the client for any IT-related requirement, including:
- Account management
- Asset management
- Configuration management
- Incident management
- Informational assistance
- Service level agreement (SLA) organization
More than helping you with your printer issues, a service help desk will also look at your current setup and make improvements to promote business efficiency. While help desks zero in on the immediate problem, the service desk offers big-picture resolutions to improve long-term operations.
Service desks can also help beyond technical support. This includes business process support.
College and universities are implementing a “one-stop-shop” to accommodate students with class enrollment, financial aid services, and general inquiries.
Types of Service Desks
There are three types of service desk:
- Local Service Desk – Located near the client’s area, local service desks employ agents that understand the client’s environment
- Centralized Service Desk – Centralized service desks covers the entire region and are more efficient and cost-effective.
- Virtual Service Desk: has the features of a Centralized Service Desk with an additional provision for allowing agents to work remotely.
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