Service Desk or Help Desk:
Service desk and help desk are both IT support solutions that help to resolve problems. The terms are often used as synonyms. But is that right? Find out if there are any differences and whether these are noticeable when choosing the right software.
What is a Help Desk?
Help desk is essentially a central point of contact that helps users with IT problems. Originally, the help desk was there to provide technical support and respond to acute faults. The main task of the help desk is therefore incident management – in other words, it deals with solving problems that disrupt smooth IT operations.
Typical tasks of Help Desk:
- Incident management: Solving technical problems such as hardware failures, software errors or network problems.
- First-level support: Help desk is usually the first point of contact for users when a problem arises. If the problem cannot be solved immediately, it is forwarded to specialized teams.
- Reactivity: Often help desks are reactive and designed to respond to requests as quickly as possible and offer solutions at short notice.
What is a Service Desk?
A Service Desk is a further development of the Help Desk and offers a more comprehensive approach to IT Service Management(ITSM).
While the Help Desk focuses primarily on solving technical problems, the Service Desk aims to manage and continuously improve a company’s entire IT infrastructure and service quality.
It follows the principles of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and is therefore more process-oriented.
A Service Desk also supports other IT areas such as change management, problem management or service level management.
Typical tasks of Service Desk:
- Incident and Problem Management: Like help desk, service desk deals with incidents, but often goes one step further by analyzing the causes of problems and taking measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
- Change Management: Service Desk plays a central role in implementing and managing changes to the IT infrastructure to ensure that updates and new technologies are introduced smoothly.
- Service requests: In addition to solving problems, service desk also manages requests for new IT services or changes to existing services. This can include, for example, the provision of new hardware, software installations or access rights.
- Proactivity and strategic orientation: In contrast to the reactive approach of help desk, service desk works proactively. It helps companies to plan and improve their IT landscape in long term.
- Single Point of Contact (SPOC): Service desk is not just the point of contact for IT problems, but for all IT-related concerns and questions from users. This includes inquiries about new IT services and general information about the IT infrastructure.
Help Desk vs. Service Desk: Differences
While both systems overlap, there are some differences in theory:
| Feature | Help Desk | Service Desk |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Reactive problem solving | Holistic IT service management processes |
| Function | Technical support, incident management | Incident, problem, change, service request management |
| Process orientation | Low | Strong (according to ITIL or similar standards) |
| Goal | Troubleshooting | Improvement and management of IT services |
| Range of coverage | IT-related disruptions | Broad spectrum of IT inquiries and strategic planning |
| Proactivity | Reactive | Proactive and strategic |
Help desk is primarily there to provide rapid assistance with IT problems. It deals with technical problems and is the first point of contact when someone needs help. Service desk, on the other hand, has a broader approach. It also deals with the planning and improvement of IT services. It is better structured and follows certain standards. While help desk is reactive and waits for problems, service desk is proactive and tries to prevent incidents in advance. In short: help desk solves problems, service desk ensures that IT works better overall.
Service Desk or Help Desk? Which should I chose?
When it comes to choosing software, the distinction between help desk and service desk doesn’t really matter. Most help desk solutions cover many of the functions of a service desk anyway. In practice, the terms are often used interchangeably, so it is often more about the name than the functional differences.
So, may we introduce you to such a solution?
SmartITSM is flexible and won’t get angry if you call it service desk or help desk. However, the solution supports all the functions you need for your IT support. Take a look for yourself!