What is IT Help Desk Software?

The ability to keep employees productive and motivated is a key success factor in today’s competitive business environment.  Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that the technology systems staff members rely on to execute their day-to-day tasks and responsibilities are performing at optimum levels.  That’s why many organizations are purchasing and deploying IT help desk software solutions.  With IT help desk software, companies can automate and better coordinate the various activities that IT support staff members engage in, enabling greater efficiency, faster troubleshooting, and accelerated response and resolution times when employee technical issues arise. 

What value can an IT help desk software package offer to a business?

Increased Productivity

Many IT teams rely on cumbersome, error-prone, and paper-based processes – such as email trails, handwritten “to do” lists, and spreadsheets – to manage and address staff technical problems.  IT help desk software centralizes and streamlines those help desk activities from end to end – from reporting and assignment, through inventory management (for peripherals and other components), status tracking, resolution, and closure.  This helps to eliminate the communication bottlenecks that can cause delays and “dropped” or mismanaged issues, and minimizes system downtime that can negatively impact core business operations.  

Additionally, many IT help desk software packages offer robust self-service capabilities, such as online frequently asked questions (FAQs), so employees can answer their own routine inquiries and solve their own common problems.  As a result, IT help desk software allows support staff to focus their efforts where it really counts – to the more complex issues that require immediate in-depth technical expertise. 

Reduced Costs

IT support activities can take up a huge portion of a company’s operating budget – and inefficient processes only inflate related costs.  By empowering technical support personnel to operate more productively, and reducing employee downtime that can be caused by technical issues, IT help desk software solutions can significantly decrease the expenses associated with internal technology service and support functions. 

A Comprehensive Technical Knowledgebase

IT help desk software applications collect and store vital data about previous issues, creating a complete knowledgebase that can be instantly tapped into to rapidly address future technical problems.  This puts vital information and insight right at the fingertips of technical support staff, so they can respond to inquiries and solve problems as quickly and accurately as possible. 

Improved Employee Morale and Loyalty

Employee relationship management (ERM) is a crucial initiative for many companies today, as job candidates become more fickle and the cost and time required to attract, recruit, and maintain a team of talented professionals continues to rise.  IT help desk software can improve employee relations by ensuring prompt and responsive service to staff issues and problems.  This, in turn, increases motivation and loyalty.  In fact, studies show that companies who are equipped to quickly resolve both technical and non-technical employee problems are likely to experience higher job satisfaction rates, improved productivity, and lower turnover. 

Enhanced Communication

IT help desk software solutions enable faster, more open communication between employees and support staff, particularly those who work in remote or off-site locations.  For example, instead of forcing employees to rely on voice mail to reach support teams, IT help desk software offers other communication channels such as email, online job ticket opening, and live chat.