What is an IT help desk?

IT help desk

IT help desk

Since the appearance of the first computer systems, the IT Help Desk has been intimately linked with the operation of the companies and the actors that compose them.

Now, you will ask yourself exactly: What is a IT Help Desk in computing? Well, the answer is much easier to understand and many might notice that they are even a little familiar with the term even if they do not know it.

And is that the Help is about assistance. It consists of software that allows providing technical support to users of a technological system, program, device, or device, and even in the field of telecommunications.

This assistant is characterized by providing help in technical areas known as ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), unlike other support systems that are more linked to generating a closer relationship with the users or customers of certain services or products.

Who uses a Help Desk?

Large companies that offer telecommunications services, systems developers, programming (software), or technological devices (hardware), may need a resource that allows them to be able to serve their users when they need help with doubts or technical problems that could arise to have, and thus solve their problems.

But what kinds of problems can a Help Desk deal with? Well, this resource focuses on the technical field, such as recovering passwords, breakdowns, computer problems, etc.

As for how they work, there is a standard procedure that helps users and involves both the software and the specialized technical staff of the company.

First, people who need assistance should contact through the channels provided by the Help Desk, which may vary depending on the company, such as email, assistance services on the website, toll-free numbers, instant messaging.

Once the report is made, a ticket is generated that details the user’s problem or concern, which allows the customer service team to keep track of the report as to what the solution is and if the problem was resolved.

When the incidents or problems that users face are not resolved in the first instance, they go to a second level with higher experts to give the correct solution and close the ticket.

The procedure of this system allows other members of the team to know how to solve future problems by archiving and analyzing the tickets.

Similarities and differences with other systems

The Help Desk continually tends to be confused with other tools that may seem a bit similar such as the Call Center or the Service Desk, but are not the same.

The main difference that exists with the Call Center is that it is a service focused on serving customers or consumers, interacting with them. They tend to get calls for things like customer service (which can even be 24 hours), product support, order processing, and more.

Regarding the Service Desk, the differences are more subtle, as many consider the Help Desk a part of it. The most common way to differentiate them is that while the former is believed to be strategic, the latter is tactical.

Now, why this? Well, the Service Desk seeks management beyond assisting a user on time so that they can continue with their activities.

In short, if a problem is recurrent in a Help desk, the first seeks to manage the way to solve it deeply so that it does not affect the company, even investigating and attacking from the root so that there are no more users reporting it.

If you have a company that has certain operational needs or you want to work in a company serving this service, you already have the main data that will help you understand how important it is in the world of computing.

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