However, these have some key differences that set them apart. The best choice for your organization is based on your business goals, size, and how well-defined your business processes are.
This article goes on to speak simply about the help desk vs. service desk to recognise the one that will work best for you.
So, let’s jump straight into it.
Understanding the Terms: Help Desk Vs. Service Desk
Before we start highlighting the differences between help desk vs. service desk, it’s important to know the definition of the terminologies. Many people use these terms interchangeably, which is incorrect.
Here are the definitions for an in-depth comprehension of help desk and service desk management.
Help Desk
A help desk troubleshoots problems to aid the IT teams. The incidents that require immediate fixes are managed by it.
The focus of the help desk is to react quickly to short-term concerns. The type of solutions it offers fall in the break-fix category.
When a company starts operating, its main means of communication is email support. Gradually, as they start expanding, they need an improved way.
Communication is critical for support. Given that, companies need a tool like a help desk to answer questions and keep up with the requests.
The help desk condenses knowledge and offers workflow information to find the remedy easily.
That explains why 2023, the market for help desks is forecasted to reach USD 11 billion.
To assist you in picking a suitable option from the help desk vs. service desk, below is the definition of the service desk.
Service Desk
A service desk serves as strong support for an organization’s technological infrastructure. Service desk management becomes essential for employees, clients, and business partners when they require solutions to specific problems.
For example, it can manage everything from system interruptions that affect the whole company to technical difficulties that hinder people from working.
It handles service requests, tackles incidents, and facilitates communication with the users.
One can use service desk management to change passwords, modify subscription details, comment on functionality queries, follow the latest feature requests, and much more.
A more conventional definition of a service desk is a single point of contact that leads to problem resolution between the customers and the service provider.
To figure out which one is required for your business, here is a comparison between the help desk vs. service desk.
5 Key Differences: Help Desk Vs. Service Desk
When it comes to some of the main characteristics, you can find the differences between a help desk vs. service desk.
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Primary Focus
The goal of service desk management is to give superior service to the customers when necessary. Even though it is consumer-centric, the focus is on the business, not the end-user.
It analyzes the processes of a company and the overall IT system. The reason for this is constant advancement in the business process.
With the best service desk management practices, businesses of all sizes can accomplish their goals.
The aim of the help desk is to find a solution to the problems of the customers promptly to reduce user wait time. So, it is associated with end-user functionality.
Providing effortless request handling for organizations is the fundamental of help desk activities.
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Management Options
The second difference in the comparison of the help desk vs. service desk is overall management.
The role of both tools in an organization is streamlined management. A help desk gives you added functionality options that you won’t be able to find when using a service desk.
For example, a help desk allows documentation and knowledge base management, which is absent in a service desk.
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Nature
The nature of these tools is a major differentiator. A help desk as it works when an incident happens.
For instance, when the end-user lodges a complaint about the unavailability of web service, the professionals can work together to resolve the issue.
In contrast, a service desk has a proactive approach. Due to that, service desk management is helpful for a business to make long-term decisions. That upgrades the quality of the IT services desk.
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Scope
Service desks can use a larger variety of resources like FAQs, self-service, and knowledge bases. With such access, users can deal with their own concerns.
Also, it has a broader scope as it handles the overall IT service activities and customer service issues.
Conversely, a help desk is limited to only technical support.
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Origination
A service desk was built to cater to the need of delivering an IT service to the users. A help desk is a part of a service desk for carrying out tasks that involve solving or easing tasks for IT teams.
A service desk is an integrated component of a service-based IT support ecosystem, ITSM, designed around the service lifecycle.
On searching for the distinguishing factors between a help desk vs. service desk, you will notice that the help desk was developed for the existing IT activities and needs, making it an add-on.
Finally, we can move on to the question of which one will be better for your organization.
The Ultimate Choice: Help Desk vs. Service Desk
The bespoke business needs will help you decide which one to implement in your organization. There are companies where both service and help desk coexist as well.
So, the selection is totally up to you and what you think will benefit your business.
A help desk ensures the processes run smoothly, while service desks are reserved for more complex IT tasks.
These two can be a great investment if they align with your business demands.
The factors that come into play when making the final call include:
Business Size
For small businesses, a service desk may be superfluous to requirements. Still, going for it may cost you a lot, which may not be good for your business.
Also, If you have a small business, read our blog on 6 Must-Have IT Solutions for Small Businesses in 2023 for resolving problems and organizational optimization.
Likewise, if you have a big organization, a help desk likely won’t be sufficient to deal with all the tasks. Then, you will need a tool that works on a strategic approach, such as a service desk.
Usability
Your IT team will use the program you pick. If your team doesn’t know how to use the system, they might get overwhelmed. So, don’t burden your team with something they can’t operate.
Instead, you can choose outsourced IT services to handle the work with efficacy.
FAQs
Is the help desk useful for a small company?
Yes. It is a good place to start; as your business grows, you can shift to a service desk approach.
How does the help desk perform SLA management?
A help desk has a ticketing system through which users set, track, and manage SLAs to be certain the services are delivered at the earliest.
How are ITSM, service and help desk distinct from one another?
A service desk or help desk provides the platform for you to carry out the numerous operations listed in ITSM.
What is included in the service desk management knowledge base?
The knowledge management portal should have knowledge base articles, system user guides, FAQs, insightful articles, and knowledge base capability.
Final Verdict: Help Desk vs. Service Desk
Hopefully, after reading this article, you learn the contrast between the help desk vs. service desk. By choosing the right tool, you can upscale your business to achieve hypergrowth. A help desk and service desk create better customer experiences by providing instant and helpful solutions.
Also, your final pick should be uncomplicated for your team to set up and the return on investment must be high.
If you want IT services with the tools of trade that will accelerate business growth, visit Q4 Gems.
We are managed service providers offering powerful tech solutions to a variety of businesses across the globe.
