Help desk and helpdesk software

Help desk and helpdesk software

A help desk is an information and assistance resource that troubleshoots problems with computers or similar products. Corporations often provide help desk support to their customers via a toll-free number, website and/or e-mail. There are also in-house help desks geared toward providing the same kind of help for employees only. Some schools offer classes in which they perform similar tasks as a help desk. In the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, within companies adhering to ISO/IEC 20000 or seeking to implement IT Service Management best practice, a Help Desk may offer a wider range of user centric services and be part of a larger Service Desk.
Helpdesk software is a program or collection of programs used to manage a company’s helpdesk. A helpdesk is a central point
Help desk and helpdesk software

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for customers to turn to in case of a problem or enquiry. It may be used by the customer to gain information before making a purchase, or after the purchase if the customer experiences difficulty with the product. In today’s technologically driven world, helpdesk software is an essential component of the service industry’s customer relations function.
A typical help desk has several functions. It provides the users a central point to receive help on various computer issues. The help desk typically manages its requests via help desk software, such as an incident tracking system that allows them to track user requests with a unique ticket number. This can also be called a "Local Bug Tracker" or LBT. The help desk software can often be an extremely beneficial tool when used to find, analyze, and eliminate common problems in an organization's computing environment.
The user notifies the help desk of his or her issue, and the help desk issues a ticket that has details of the problem. If the first level support technician is able to solve the issue, the ticket is closed and updated with documentation of the solution to allow other help desk technicians to reference in the future. If the issue needs to be escalated, it will be updated, noting what was attempted by the technician and dispatched to second level support.
There are several characteristics a company should look for when purchasing helpdesk software. Customization is possibly the most important characteristic, because every company’s helpdesk needs are different. Therefore, helpdesk software should conform to the company’s specific requirements. If, for example, the company’s helpdesk is for customers within its organization, the company may require question logging and personal computer (PC) auditing from its helpdesk software. If the company is providing services to external customers, on the other hand, its helpdesk software may need to support contact logging and building a knowledge base.
Compatibility is also essential in helpdesk software. Ideally, it should be able to integrate easily with existing hardware and software. It should also be compatible with the current operating system and email system.
Flexibility is also important in helpdesk software. Various departments within a company’s organization may have specific needs. The helpdesk software should be able to accommodate these needs – from adding special fields in forms, to building separate databases, to compiling specialized reports.
Helpdesk software should also feature scalability. If it is restricted to certain specifications, it can hamper the growth of the business and may make it necessary to purchase another helpdesk software package. Problem management helpdesk software capable of working with multiple database systems is usually the ideal, most scalable solution.