Understanding Help Desk and Service Desk: Differences, Characteristics, and Importance

Help Desk/Service Desk 1
HELP DESK/SERVICE DESK
Name:
Course:
Professor:
Academic Institution:
Date:

Help Desk/Service Desk 2
Abstract
The concern of this work is to look into details what service desk and help desk are all
about. It sought to explain the support tools that are available to both help desk and service desk
and how they work to satisfy customer’s needs. Similarly, it briefly gives a comprehensive
explanation and the difference between service desk and help desk in terms traits and
functionalities.
Introduction
Currently, IT plays an essential role in creating new opportunity and delivering
competitive advantage to the organizations. However, as smoothly running infrastructure can
allow business users to succeed, flaws in the IT or training as well as incorporating other aspects
can obstruct or make the business succeed. To support business users in the application of IT to
perform various functions, most of the organizations have established some support measures to
help the operation of the business with the aim of providing adequate and satisfactory service to
the customers, among these initiatives are help desk and service desk (Iden & Eikebrokk, 2014,
p.35)
Difference between Service Desk and Help Desk
The difference between help desk and service is only an issue of semantics and
expressions. These two things are different and distinctive sectors that affect an institution’s IT
approach and strategy ('Minimising the risk of change' 2004, p. 24). In most cases, various
people always have different answers when it comes to describing these two disciplines.

Help Desk/Service Desk 3
Service Desk
Service desk and help desk are two different things that serve different purposes. A
service is a communiqué center that offers a single point of contact (SPOC) between an
organization and the customers that transact with the same company, staffs, and even business
partners. The role of a service desk is to make sure that users get suitable help promptly. They
are planned to handle incidents and services application equally. In this circumstance, an incident
is an occasion that results in an interruption in service accessibility quality. A service
request/application gets assistance with a custom assignment, such as helping a user amend a
password or obtaining a fresh user set up in work scheme (Wu He, Kshirsagar, Nwala &
Yaohang Li2, 2014, p. 207). Additionally, service desk performs functions such as change or
adjust management, configuration, and release management-related roles.
The service desk is one of the three major options for client support. The remaining two
SPOC bodies help desk and call centers. For a long time, various people have been confusing
help desk and service desk; however, these two things are very different regarding functionality
and much more. The Information Technology Library describes the service desk as an important
information technology service management tool (ITSM) (Gerdewal & Seçim, 2014, p. 24).
Information Technology Library (ITL) is a recognized worldwide collection of best practices for
IT service administration.
Characteristics of the Service Desk
a) Complete incorporation of additional IT Service Management procedures
b) Works as Single Point of Contact for all IT sections/requests /business development