Service desk

The subject of this practice is collecting demands on incidents and service requests. Service desks create a clear path for the users to add their requests, follow them, and see the results in a categorized and managed way. The important point is that there are always issues that must be escalated to other people and be supported by other teams. Therefore, the teams need to collaborate with the service desk team. 

Because of the tight relationship of service desk with users, it has a big impact on user experience so they should be sympathy between the service provider and users or customers. The service desk makes value for the business by adapting its understanding and performance aligned with the business. A service desk can have different communication methods like phone, IVR, teleconference, portal, mobile apps, chat, email, physical contact, social media, forums, and other methods. They could be centralized or work at virtual offices around the world or be some bots. They don’t have to be very technical but they should be deeply aware of the organization’s business and the impact of services on customers. As a benefit of automation, the service desk staff will have much time to spend especially on their contact with business stakeholders in order to achieve a better customer experience.

The service desk needs some tools and technologies:

• Smart telephony service and related technologies 
• Workflow systems for following tasks and escalation 
• Human resource management and resource planning  
• Knowledgebase systems 
• Voice recording and quality control 
• Remote access tools 
• Dashboard and monitoring tools 
• Settings management tools 

Service desk personnel need knowledge and skills in different areas including technical and soft skills. In practice, they should have the skill of customer care, problem-solving abilities, prioritizing skills, effective communication skills and emotional intelligence.  

Figure 5.33