Help Desk Vs Service Desk: 6 Key Differences

Help desk and service desk are often used interchangeably. However, these two support systems are quite different. In this article, we'll differentiate between them (i.e., help desk vs service desk) based on different parameters.

The help desk and service desk are two widely known support systems organizations use to provide timely assistance and solutions to their employees for various issues. Although they share similarities and somewhat perform similar tasks, their end goals are different, and their operating methods vary. So, to provide you with a clear understanding of their differences, we've closely compared the help desk and service desk. 

Let's begin by defining the help desk and service desk.

What Is Help Desk?

A help desk is "a group of IT teams who provide your employees with assistance, information, and solutions for technical/IT-related issues." These technical issues can be as common as connection problems, software glitches, or system crashes. For instance, a connection problem could be when your device is unable to connect to the office Wi-Fi, a software glitch could be when your email client freezes, and a system crash could be when your computer suddenly shuts down and restarts. 

The primary goal of a help desk is to efficiently troubleshoot problems and provide instant solutions, ensuring that employees can resume their tasks as soon as possible. 

Note: Help desks are flexible in their communication methods, offering support via various channels such as phone support, email, live chat, or ticketing systems, depending on the organization's preferences and resources.

What Is a Service Desk?

The service desk acts as a single point of contact between the service provider (IT team or support team) and the employees for incident resolution and fulfillment of service requests.  

Simply put, a service desk is a communication center where employees can seek help or support from IT teams. This support includes resolving technical issues, managing service requests, handling service interruptions, coordinating service delivery, and providing information and guidance to employees.

The primary goal of a service desk is to ensure that IT services are delivered on time and effectively to employees. 

Furthermore, Service desks often use IT service management (ITSM) frameworks and practices to streamline service delivery processes to achieve this goal. These may include incident management, problem management, change management, service request fulfillment, and other ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) processes.

After going through the definition, you may have gained some insights into the differences between the help desk and the service desk. However, we've thoroughly compared both support systems based on different parameters to provide more clarity. So, let's quickly go through them.

Help Desk Vs. Service Desk: Comparison Based On 6 Different Parameters

Below, we have differentiated IT service desk vs help desk based on different criteria. By going through these parameters, you will better understand how they differ.

1. Score & Focus 

• Help desks operate reactively, addressing immediate concerns and using a "break/fix" approach to resolve common issues as they arise. 
  
  They handle each issue one at a time, similar to an urgent care center focusing on individual end users and specific problems. Due to this approach, help desks typically don't need as many features in their software and can run with fewer staff and resources.

• On the other hand, service desks offer a wider perspective, focusing on the company's long-term goals rather than just immediate problems. They aim to prevent complex issues by looking ahead and finding ways to support the overall business objectives. 
  
  This approach considers all aspects of the company and aims to provide thorough support across the board.
  
  These aspects include collaborating with different departments, identifying common challenges, and finding solutions that benefit the organization rather than just addressing individual problems.

2. Level Of Service

Level of service refers to the standard or quality of service provided to users. It includes various aspects such as responsiveness, effectiveness, efficiency, and employee satisfaction. In short, it describes how well a service meets the needs and expectations of its employees.

Now, when comparing the help desk vs service desk, each offers a distinct level of services, for instance:

• Support

Help desks typically offer basic assistance for resolving specific technical issues or user queries, such as password reset or software troubleshooting. 

Whereas service desks provide a broader range of IT services, it resolves issues and provides solutions and support to update systems, and install software.

• Responsiveness

Help desks tend to focus on providing immediate assistance for resolving individual problems, aiming for quick resolution to minimize downtime. 

While Service desks offer more comprehensive support, including long-term solutions and preventive measures to address recurring issues.

• Proactivity

Service desks often take a proactive approach by monitoring systems for potential issues, implementing preventive maintenance, and keeping users informed about system updates or changes. 

While help desks are responsive to user requests, they may not always anticipate and address potential issues proactively before they arise.

• User Engagement

Service desks typically engage with users on a broader level. It offers assistance for resolving immediate issues and providing guidance, training, and support for utilizing IT resources effectively. 

Meanwhile, help desks focus more narrowly on addressing specific technical problems without as much emphasis on broader user engagement.

3. ITIL Compliance

When comparing the IT help desk vs the service desk, ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) compliance plays a crucial role. 

Basically, ITIL is a widely recognized framework for IT service management, offering best practices and guidelines for delivering top-notch IT services. 

So, while the help desk follows some ITIL principles, the service desk is more closely aligned with ITIL practices. 

• Service desks include essential ITIL processes like incident management, problem management, change management, and service level management (SLA) in their day-to-day business operations. 
  
  Furthermore, it often implements workflows based on ITIL, uses ITIL terminology, and adheres to ITIL-compliant procedures to ensure consistent and standardized service delivery.

• On the other hand, the help desk includes certain ITIL concepts but does not fully commit to the entire ITIL framework. They focus on addressing issues as soon as they occur rather than implementing or following an ITIL approach.

4. Skills Required & Responsibilities

Individuals within the support team possess distinct skill sets and carry out different responsibilities depending on whether they are part of the help desk or service desk (IT help desk vs IT service desk).

The help desk team needs to have the following set of skills and fulfill these responsibilities:

• Skills

• Technical Proficiency: The help desk team needs to have a thorough understanding of software and hardware issues. They also need to know how to troubleshoot problems such as network connectivity issues or software bugs and glitches.

• Practical Communication Skills: They should be able to convey technical concepts in simple terms to easily help employees understand how the solution works to mitigate their issues.

• Responsibilities 

The following are the responsibilities of the help desk team:

• Providing employees with basic IT support and troubleshooting technical issues

• Responding promptly to incident ticket submissions

• Serving as the main contact point for IT solutions

• Using an incident tracking system to manage and resolve incident requests efficiently

• Solving IT problems through troubleshooting and analytical problem-solving

• Monitoring incident escalations and documenting recurring issues

• Addressing inquiries regarding hardware or software provided by the organization

Whereas, the service desk team must possess the following set of skills and fulfill these responsibilities:

• Skills

• Enhanced Technical Proficiency: The service desk team needs to have a deeper understanding of IT procedures and intricate systems than what is required for a help desk role.

• Project Management: They need to know how to manage a broad range of requests and monitor changes.

• Interpersonal Aptitude: They need to know how to communicate clearly and collaborate with other departments so that everyone is on the same page regarding IT services and modifications.

• Responsibilities 

The following are the responsibilities of the service desk team:

• Helping employees with incident resolution

• Conveying employee requests for new services (app features) to the managers (approvers) 

• Creating documentation, including how-to articles, for service-related inquiries

• Initiating requests for employee onboarding necessities

• Utilizing an information database for collecting and reporting employee data

• Evaluating solutions for recurring issues to prevent future occurrences

• Suggesting process or workflow changes to enhance future IT support

Note: Both help desk and service desk teams are expected to hold at least a basic diploma or an associate degree in IT or a related field. Having certifications like CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+) can be a plus point for them.

4. Tools Used

Service desk professionals and help desk professionals use similar tools for their daily tasks, but they may apply them differently or for different purposes. 

Tools that are commonly used by the service desk team include:

• Database software: Service desk teams rely on database software to track employee information, incident reports, recurring issues, and solutions on a daily basis.

• Telephones, fax machines, and email: Communication devices such as telephones, fax machines, and email tools are used by service desk professionals to interact with employees (depending on the available communication options at the business)

• Reporting or presentation software: Service desk teams use reporting or presentation software to demonstrate insights about IT service delivery.

On the other hand, tools commonly used by help desk team include:

• Incident submission software: The help desk team uses incident submission software to track incoming requests, prioritize responses, report any additional issues, and notify completion upon resolution. The selection of software typically depends on the business's preferences and budget constraints.

• Remote access software: The help desk team optedopts for remote access software to expedite incident resolution. This software enables them to access/operate the employee's computer remotely and quickly solve the issue.

• Hardware such as hard drives, flash drives, and HDMI cords: The help desk team stores hardware or software solutions on devices, allowing for swift fixes to incidents. These devices can be plugged into a user's computer to address issues efficiently.

5. Cost Of Maintenance 

The maintenance cost for help desk vs service desk varies significantly. 

• A help desk is the most budget-friendly option as it deals with basic IT assistance/support. The main costs associated with running a help desk are related to hiring staff and procuring essential tools for managing tickets and communication. 
  
  Furthermore, maintenance costs are also minimal. Because the maintenance expenses are only related to ensuring that the software used by the help desk remains up-to-date and providing training for staff members (IT teams) to handle basic troubleshooting tasks.

• On the other hand, the cost of maintenance for the service desk is high. That's because it requires advanced IT service management software to provide/deliver a broad range of services effectively. 
  
  Also, since these complex tools require skilled teams to utilize them effectively, staff training is required, contributing to increased maintenance costs.

Help Desk Vs. Service Desk: Comparison Table

Here’s a quick summary of IT help desk vs IT service desk in tabular format: 

But you might have a question about which one to choose for your organization. To help you find an ideal support system, let’s quickly review factors to consider when choosing between a service desk and a help desk.

Which Support System Best Fits Your Organization’s Needs?

While choosing between a help desk and a service desk, you need to consider factors like business size, the complexity of your IT environment, budget, and future needs. For instance, if your company is small with a simple infrastructure and limited resources, a help desk can be sufficient to address your immediate needs. On the other hand, investing in a service desk could be a more feasible choice if your business is growing rapidly and requires scalable IT support to accommodate future expansion.

You must also understand that every business is different, so there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Whether you choose a help desk or a service desk, it's essential to ensure that support is promptly delivered to employees and customized to meet your business's unique requirements.

However, the ultimate decision lies in your hands whether to opt for a help desk or a service desk. So, carefully assess the above factors and invest in the support system that best meets your needs. 

However, you can also consider opting for a solution that offers functionalities for both support systems. One such solution is Zluri. What Is Zluri? How Does It Work? Let's find out. 

Streamline Your Support Process Via Zluri 

Zluri offers an app catalog and access request solution that simplifies and automates access request management processes. This solution enables your IT team to organize, manage, prioritize, and approve incoming requests easily.Also, as per Kuppingercole's research and analysis report, Zluri provides your team with complete visibility into incoming requests, pending requests, recently raised requests, and approved requests, all in a single dashboard.  

Furthermore, Zluri's app catalog and access requests go beyond managing requests. It integrates with Slack, providing your team and approvers instant notifications for access requests in real-time. Therefore, whenever an employee submits a request, your teams and approvers receive notifications via Slack.

Note: The app access request details (who has requested for what apps and for how long) appear on the IT team's Slack channel and Zluri's access request dashboard under pending requests. 

But how do you approve the request? 

Here are the steps to approve access requests:

Step1: Click on the application module (let's take Zoom as an example)and then click on the automation

Step 2: Under automation, you will find an option for provisioning, where you can create a playbook for auto provisioning (to grant access to Zoom).

Step 3: You need to set the actions (invite user, assign license). These actions will automatically run when you click on approve.

Step 4: You can also set automation rules. This option is available under "access request." With this feature, you can create triggers by filling in when and then conditions to run certain actions. 

Another step under this is selecting app approvers (app owner or department head). 

Step 5: Finally, you need to go back to Slack and click on approve, and the provisioning playbook or automated actions will run. 

Then, the employee will be notified that their request has been approved.

Automated Request Approval Triggers

Your team can create triggers (when and then conditions) to automate request approval actions. For instance, your team can set automated rules for when a new employee from the finance department joins the organization and grants them access to SpendFlo.  

What are you waiting for? Book a demo now to witness how Zluri's advanced capabilities simplify your service management process. 

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