Nick Borgwardt, director of IT workflow at ServiceNow, co-authored this blog. In our personal lives, it’s easy to get the information and products we need with just a few clicks. Thanks to modern consumer websites and apps, making service requests and ordering products is simple, convenient and, often, automatic. Why shouldn’t our professional lives be just as effortless?

You’ve heard the term IT help desk. You’ve probably also heard of IT service desks. They’re pretty much the same thing, aren’t they? They sound similar enough, so when people start throwing around mentions of help desk vs service desk, you don’t raise an eyebrow. After all, you don’t want to seem like you don’t know what you’re talking about. Here’s the thing: an IT help desk differs from an IT service desk.

Creating an effortless customer experience is one of the key imperatives facing customer service leaders today. Providing experiences without friction is a crucial step in enabling organizations to be more responsive and agile while improving employee productivity, satisfaction, and retention.

The short answer? Not so much! New global research from Freshworks shows that despite a pandemic-driven tech spend surge, nine in ten (91%) employees are still frustrated by workplace tech. It reveals that businesses globally face a potential workplace crisis due to inadequate technology, damaging employee productivity, mental health, and the ability to retain talent. The truth is, the concept of tech frustration is not entirely new.

Knowledge is king in today’s information-driven business world, as most knowledge managers like me know. Having the right information at customers' fingertips can greatly influence their perception of the customer support experience. In today’s self-service world, a well-populated knowledge base with a reliable group of contributors is not enough to create a great experience. The content must be relevant and timely.

The help desk can be both a vital part of a user’s experience and help to increase revenue, especially if it operates efficiently. Sitecore reports that you can triple a return on investment if you invest in help desks. Help desk reporting is an excellent tool used to identify ways to improve your help desk.

It’s January 1969, and the pressure is on. Paul, John, George, and Ringo have 17 days to write and record 14 songs. Peter Jackson’s epic documentary, “Get Back,” captures their creative process. We witness individual genius at work, but it’s when the Fab Four play together that we experience the magic of the Beatles. I think the same is true of field service. Our industry is full of talented individuals who are often under pressure.

One of the top priorities for MSPs is optimizing their workforce. The current industry-wide level of workforce attrition is distracting business owners from being able to focus on growing their businesses, forcing them instead to be tied up with repeatedly onboarding and training new technicians. This can result in inefficiencies, knowledge gaps, sub-optimal use of resources, and messy operations.

Having a unified central help desk software has multidimensional benefits for businesses. Helpdesk software offers a robust solution by creating a definite workflow to raise tickets and seek interventions. This is much better than having disparate systems with no role definitions as such. Customer interactions help cement relations, ultimately contributing to brand building in a big way.