Yes, it is. Established in the 1980s, the help desk’s goal was to correct issues with the infrastructure instead of directly dealing with customers. Conversely, the service desk is the single point of contact between the customer and the company’s IT environment. This can be an in-house location or outsourced.
In today’s IT environment, the question of the IT department being a help desk vs service desk is a moot one. In some companies, the help and service desks may meet if you add them to a Ven Diagram.
An organization may have its IT infrastructure split into levels. For instance, Level 1 helps the customer with generic issues. If they get stuck, then it goes to a Level 1.5 Subject Matter Expert (SME). In another example, the service desk is the primary access point to record incidents and requests. Issues due to internal problems or segmentation of duties would go to the Level 2 help desks.
IT support functions are:
- Provide information and advice to end users regarding how they should use IT resources.
- Assist end users with basic PC operations including installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
- Provide access to training materials and documentation.
- Offer technical support to end users regarding how the organization uses its IT resources.
- Provide technical support to end users via phone, email, chat, web-based forums, and remote desktop connections.
- Provide technical support to end user’s PCs, servers, printers, networking equipment, and other IT assets.
- Provide technical expertise to assist end users with upgrading their technology.
A help desk is a department that provides information and guidance to end users regarding how best to utilize the IT infrastructure. A help desk does not offer direct technical support to end users; rather, it offers general information and direction.
Technical support is the process of assisting end users with specific problems. Technical support involves diagnosing and solving problems using specialized tools and techniques. Technical support is usually provided by highly skilled professionals who work directly with end users.
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