Helping IT users to help themselves

Employee experiences with their IT helpdesk are poor. Research conducted this year found that 73 per cent of 1,000 US and UK IT professionals said they had to call or email their internal IT helpdesks to get the applications they need, while 40 per cent said they had to chase their initial request and 15 per cent said they never received the software they required.

On the flip side, separate research found that 50 per cent of IT departments questioned reported that helpdesk and end user support take up the majority of their time.

In an increasingly distributed working environment, will these problems escalate?

One way to reduce service desk management costs and cut support calls is to deploy a self-service portal that contains helpful information and distributes new applications or software upgrades. But not all IT departments are keen on self service.

Another solution is to consider outsourced services or the delivery of helpdesk software on demand through a software-as-a-service or cloud computing model.

In our guide to helpdesk software and management, we explore the strategic and technical issues of helpdesk management and speak to Balfour Beatty Engineering Services, insurance giant Aviva, UK network service provider Easynet and Tamworth Borough Council about their helpdesk strategies.