Service Desk vs Help Desk [A Detailed Comparison]

Even though most people know service and help desk support, few can explain how they differ, and which option is the most suitable. By understanding the differences, you can choose the best IT support and service management option based on your needs. Service desk and help desk services have distinct differences, each with unique benefits for many businesses. Continue reading this article to learn the difference between the help desk and service desk, their benefits, and the helpdesk ticketing system. When you master these help and service desks, related courses like information technology infrastructure library certification (ITIL) will help you to choose the right one for your business. 

Service Desk vs Help Desk: Comparison Table

When talking about service desk vs help desk, despite their similar functions, these terms still differ in several important ways. Here are some of them that will help you choose from a service desk or help desk for your organization. 

Parameters	Help Desk	Service Desk
Definition	IT users call a help desk when they need help with a problem	Service desk is a communication center where customers find help from their IT service providers.
Centricity	The main focus is on end user	Help desk primarily focuses on businesses.
Service	Reactively responds to user inquiries	Proactive Service and helps your business make long-term decisions about improving IT services.
Model	Help desks is contacted by employees or customers whenever and issue occurs. It operates on break fix model.	In addition to managing break fix requests, service desk provides news and information to your business, i.e., it uses picture model approach.
Orientation	End goal of the help desk is to provide user with the right solution, i.e., it's a task oriented.	Service desk focuses on how to improve entire support process, i.e., it's a process oriented.

What is the Difference Between Help Desk and the Service Desk?

1. Service Desk vs Help Desk: Overview

What is a Service Desk?  

ITIL defines a service desk as: "A single point of contact between the user and the service provider.". Service desks are typically responsible for managing incidents and service requests and communicating with users." 

Here's a more straightforward definition: A service desk is a communication center where customers (such as other stakeholders or employees) can find help from their IT service providers. Service desks provide high-quality service promptly, regardless of whether they resolve incidents or fulfill service requests, as stated in the ITSM service desk definition. 

ITSM activities are often included in service desks as well. A service desk usually encompasses ITSM activities such as service request management, knowledge management, incident management, reporting, and self-service. In addition, a vital link usually exists between problem management and change management processes. 

Service desks help customers resolve incidents or manage service requests, create and manage departmental knowledge, provide self-service for customers who want to resolve incidents independently and quickly, and measure the effectiveness of a team and the tool. 

In summary, service desks are service-focused, robust, and customer-centric ways of delivering IT help to customers, regardless of how many features they include. 

What is a Help Desk?

IT users call a help desk when they need help with a problem. It can be an individual, an organization, a group, or an external service. Help desks can be as simple as physical desks where support representatives take calls. Support requests can also be submitted online or in person by global organizations. Often, help desk functions are outsourced to support specialists. 

In an enterprise, the term typically refers to centralized support provided to employees. Customer service centers, or call centers, where customers can place orders, track shipments, get help with products, etc., are related terms. 

Help desks are commonly known as: 

• Resource Center 
• Information Center 
• IT Solutions Center 
• Technical Support Center 
• Customer Support Center 
• IT Response Center 

IT help desks are available at most organizations of any size to assist employees with computer problems, software issues, and network issues. Organizations generally employ internal help desk teams to provide IT support for all their IT hardware, software, and networking products/employees. 

2. Centricity 

The first service desk and help desk difference is it that the help desk mainly focuses on the end-user. In an IT-centric world, the help desk was created to improve support experiences for end users. At the same time, the service desk focuses on the business. However, service desks are often considered evolved versions of help desks primarily focused on meeting business objectives. The service desk is based on ITIL, or the IT Infrastructure Library, a best practice framework. 

3. Service

Using a help desk, you can reactively respond to user inquiries. Help desks are generally reactive because they can only assist once an incident occurs. For example, whenever users report that a website is down, the appropriate technicians and developers can collaborate to resolve the problem. 

On the other hand, a service desk takes a proactive approach and helps your business make long-term decisions about improving IT services.  

4. Model 

Employees or customers can contact the help desk for assistance whenever an issue occurs. It operates on a break-fix model (incident management).  

The service desk uses the complete picture model approach. In addition to managing break-fix requests, a service desk also provides news and information to your business. You can prevent future incidents with the service desk, which goes beyond incident management. For example, a staff member can request new equipment for office use, such as a laptop or printer. 

5. Orientation 

The help desk is task oriented. The goal of the help desk is to provide the user with the right solution at the right time. The service desk is process oriented. Specifically, it focuses on how to improve the entire support process. 

Many businesses use modern tools that serve both purposes despite the difference between help desks and service desks. For example, using current help desk software, your business can handle incidents and service requests from the same interface. 

Benefits of a Service Desk

A customer-focused organization can transform its IT landscape with an IT service desk by reducing costs and easing scalability. Hence, when businesses deploy a tool, they can reap various benefits. Also, the service desk vs help desk salary has some differences that you need to consider before deciding to specialize in any of them.  

1. Boosts Productivity  

Service desks are known for helping employees quickly resolve snags they encounter. This enables businesses to better plan and track their IT-related strategies and expedite end users’ return to work. The capabilities and features of a platform allowing end users to find a fix quickly. The most notable of these are: 

• Support via live chat 
• Offering an omnichannel experience 
• Knowledge base with detailed information 
• System for tracking tickets 

Embracing a live chat support function has been shown to increase first-time fixes and boost productivity. Most service desks still accept calls (98%) and emails (85%), but 31% are now providing support via live chat. 

2. Enhance Customer Experience

An organization's users rely on IT professionals and technicians for support daily. As a business scales, support teams become overburdened with IT issues, which reduces service levels. That's when an automated IT service desk comes in handy.  

Ticket status is tracked, and helpful updates are provided to end users. A self-service portal provides solutions and fixes when a technician is unavailable. 

3. Improve Communication and Visibility

In an IT organization, visibility is essential, whether managing tasks or updating employees. When an IT service desk is used, it is easier to gain visibility throughout the company. IT hardware locations and current technical issues are available to all departments to know what is happening across the organization. 

4. Reporting and Analytics in Detail

Data can be collected to assist in making informed and strategic decisions. IT services can be improved by highlighting abandonment rates, response times, and problems. Besides providing insight into end users' needs and wants, service desk reporting metrics also show businesses where their support can be improved. Managers can determine which agents are capable of providing technical support by using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Especially for managers and executives, this is helpful when dealing with high-priority tasks. 

Benefits of a Help Desk 

Listed below are some of the advantages of the help desk ticketing system. 

1. Ticket Ownership 

Tickets are assigned to the right team members using the Helpdesk. A help desk system provides complete accountability for work. Each support ticket has an owner responsible for resolving it in the shortest time. 

2. Avoid Duplicate Replies

If another agent responds to a ticket, your agents can be alerted by Agent Collision Detection. Your team members will always be in the loop by preventing duplicate replies. 

3. Resolves Tickets Fast

Customer service agents can communicate using the help desk system's collaborative features from their dashboards. Even other departments can be tagged, and their expertise can be sought. 

4. Keep Customers Updated

A help desk keeps your agents updated constantly. As soon as a ticket is received and closed, they will receive alerts and notifications. 

5. Worldwide Accessibility

Multi-devices such as PCs, laptops, and mobile phones can be used to access cloud-based help desk software from anywhere. Your customer service team can quickly resolve issues whether they work remotely or in the office. 

6. Reduces Tickets

According to a Microsoft study, approximately 77% of customers report using self-service support portals. Your ticket volume can be reduced by up to 80% with the right help desk software. 

How to Choose Help Desk vs. Service Desk for Your Business? 

IT support is necessary for all companies, but IT help desk vs IT service desk, aren't for everyone. Consider your software tool requirements when deciding which is best for you. The following are best practices for choosing between help and service desks. 

1. Emphasize Scalability

Consider the scalability of your company before choosing between the service desk and the help desk. When so many options are available on the market, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the functionality add-ons. Even though those options seem attractive, there are a few things to consider: 

1. Are there any fundamental requirements you have? 
2. Is the additional helpful functionality of ITIL help desk vs service desk, or will it complicate the user's experience? 

Depending on the scalability, you can choose which one you need. Alternatively, you can start with a smaller solution and upgrade as your company grows. Consider your company's size. A service desk may not be necessary for a small business. This option will result in you paying for unnecessary software and resources. In larger companies, though, a help desk may not be enough. You'll want to take a more strategic approach with a service desk. 

If you're starting a new company, a help desk might be an excellent place to start; a service desk might be a better option as you grow. You can consider doing service management courses like the best online IT Service Management courses, which help you run the service management smoothly. 

2. Explore Varied Features

Make a detailed analysis of the features of both the service and help desks. Because once you look at the specific features, you know which one might suit you. Look at the below features before deciding. 

It will be used by your IT team daily, so it should be easy to learn. 

In the case of complex software, the team may become overwhelmed and may not be able to make full use of it. 

3. Learn about the Goals of Your Team

Help desks and service desks have different goals, and some people still use them interchangeably. It would help if you understood how they differ from a business perspective so you can choose which is right for your business. 

4. Evaluate the Interface

One of the essential features to consider is that you have to evaluate the tool interface. In addition to the software tool itself, the vendor is equally important. Ensure that your vendors support you and provide regular updates to meet your evolving business needs. 

Conclusion

An automated solution has many advantages, whether a service desk or an ITSM help desk. Your ITIL service desk process involves incident tracking and resolution will be improved, a knowledge base for future reference will be created, and productivity will be increased by limiting employee downtime. 

In terms of cost-effectiveness, a help desk is the best tactical incident management option. These days, you can find several helpdesk ticketing tools to help you manage tickets, assets, knowledge, and more. 

It would help if you considered a Service Desk when you need a solution that covers both areas and provides a more strategic perspective. ITSM processes can be automated, analyzed, and fully supported with this comprehensive solution. 

Also, with the KnowledgeHut’s Information Technology Infrastructure Library certification, you can gain detailed and required learnings of IT service management and ITIL help desk process systems. At the same time, you can apply the acquired knowledge while using all these services and help desk ticketing tools.