Information technology (IT) can be full of confusing terms. It’s hard to keep track of all the tools, processes, and frameworks, especially as new technology emerges. With so many obscure terms to describe IT support processes, you might misuse or confuse them. So, with a help desk vs service desk – what is the difference?

About Service Desks

An IT service desk is a point of contact between users and the service provider. IT services requests and manages incidents while handling user communication. It’s a center where employees or customers can find help from the IT service provider.

These tools also involve several ITSM processes. For instance, it might include incident management, self-help, reporting, and knowledge management. There is a connection with problem management processes.

An IT desk helps its users resolve incidents and offers a self-help option for those who want to independently and quickly resolve problems. It also offers information on the tool’s and the team’s effectiveness overall.

While the features of each tool can vary, they are more focused on delivering IT help in a customer-focused way. This tool has an overall broader function that focuses on the entire organization. It takes a strategic approach and looks at the wider needs of the business.

It is not just focused on resolving the needs of the end-user. The goal is to take a proactive approach to improve business processes. The best ones want to run each IT process more efficiently.

About Help Desks

A help desk is a group of people who provide support for computer issues. The difference between the two is what each one offers. The focus of a help desk is fixing issues while a service desk focuses on delivering customer-focused help to the users.

There is more of a focus on customer-centricity that help desks do not have. They are also more limited to one ITSM process, such as fixing problems or managing incidents. Think of them as subsets of service desks. Some features include:

• Being one point of contact for IT team members
• Automating routing, email notifications, and ticket tracking
• Tracking incoming incidents
• Integration with ITSM practices like knowledge and configuration management
• Offering self-serve options

Choosing the Right Option

A help desk provides break fix management. This is also known as incident management, but a service desk does more than that. It also helps with requests for other help or information. For instance, it helps clients figure out how to do something.

A help desk is a good option for basic functionality for less complex, smaller companies that do not rely as much on IT. It can be a cost-effective, sensible option. Many smaller organizations do not use the capabilities of the tools they have.

They can save time and money and get the same benefits from a simpler solution. Full-blown solutions are not for every company. More mature companies that have complicated IT systems and rely on their infrastructure will likely need a larger IT management solution.

That’s especially true if you have integrated operations with third-party vendors.