A recent survey conducted by Nexthink and B2B technology firm, Vanson Bourne, discovered that 72% of IT professionals agree the traditional service desk will cease to exist in the next 3 years.
The Death (and Rebirth) of the Service Desk report – uncoils a uniquely honest, optimistic, and realistic view about the future of EUC. Respondents highlighted the organizational underswell towards experience, their support for AI and automation, the strategies they wish to deploy at a tactical level, and the obstacles that stand in the way.
How did we get to this point in the first place? Below we trace the change and inevitable trajectory of the service desk and why we should feel energized about the future.
Deep Learning
The 1950s saw the birth of instrumental technologies still used to date, from the first stored-program computers to the emergence of artificial intelligence.
With this came excitement, leading many to believe that replicating the human brain in hardware and software was within reach. Researchers like Marvin Minsky were so optimistic that by 1967, Minsky predicted AI’s core challenges would be solved within a generation. But as time passed, doubt crept in, and by the mid-2000s, the idea of human-level AI seemed nearly forgotten.
In 2005, everything changed. Deep learning, inspired by brain science emerged and transformed the field and paved the way for many of the innovations witnessed today.
The 2010s - Virtual assistants and chatbots
Chatbots might seem like a modern innovation, but their origins trace back to the 1960s with the creation of ELIZA, an early natural language processing computer program.
Fast forward a few decades, and the real transformation came with the rise of voice-assisted virtual chatbots. In 2011, Apple took a major leap forward with the introduction of Siri, combining natural language processing and machine learning to handle voice commands, setting a new standard for conversational AI.
Since then, in 2023 alone, chatbots have saved around 2.5 billion hours of work, revolutionizing the digital workplace by boosting efficiency and enhancing experiences for both customers and employees. The impact of chatbots is only set to grow, with the market projected to hit $15.5 billion by 2028.
‘The Digital Workplace’ – first coined by Gartner in 2015
The introduction of the ‘digital workplace’ back in 2015 acted as a framework for organizations to transform their work environments through digital technologies. The idea went beyond just using technology to improve productivity but to emphasize the need to create an environment where digital tools enhance collaboration, flexibility, and employee engagement.
From the introduction of this term, there was greater emphasis on IT leaders to make the digital workplace a reality in providing a more productive, engaged and employee-centric workplace.
COVID - The Catalyst of the Digital Workplace
Remote working on the rise
Back in 2020 remote working was not a novel concept with many companies, especially those in the tech industry already offered remote and flexible working styles but with the physical office remaining central to their culture.
When the pandemic hit in 2019, offices temporarily closed and flipped the traditional work model upside down. Organizations were forced to look beyond their physical office environment to bring employees together and look for new ways to keep engagement high and their experience prioritized. Which in turn, triggered…
The adoption of collaboration tools
Collaboration tools were not new to the industry in 2019, with Zoom entering the industry in 2013, and Microsoft Teams in 2017, however, many employees remained unaware of these until working from home was the new norm.
Typically, offices bound employees didn’t have the need for video conferring previously but pretty much overnight organizations became reliant on collaboration tools to keep operations running in an era dominated by government restrictions and remote working.
In 2021 alone, Gartner found that nearly 80% of workers were using collaboration tools, an increase of 44% since the pandemic began.
The Great Resignation
With resignation already on the cards for many employees, we can’t deem the pandemic as the turning point for the increase in resignation rates, however, it certainly played a part. As the world emerged from the crisis, those who were uncertain about their future made the decision to take the leap.
In 2021, we witnessed an unprecedented rate of resignations hit, for example in the U.S., 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Proving 2021 wasn’t a fluke, the trend continued the following year with around 50.5 million people quitting their jobs.
Covid-19 and the great resignation inspired workers to re-evaluate their own priorities and empowered them to act. For many organizations this was a wakeup call, presenting an opportunity to create flexible and meaningful work environments centred around the experience of their employees.
2022 Becomes the Year of Gen AI
Generative AI had been on the radar long before 2022, but many consider that year a turning point when it truly lived up to its potential. The release of models like DALL·E 2 and ChatGPT marked a significant shift, capturing public attention and reshaping how businesses approached AI.
AI innovations as such didn't just generate a buzz, they created a business landscape dominated by the rise of new technologies. A PwC survey found that one year after ChatGPT hit the market, more than half of the companies surveyed had implemented GenAI in some areas of their business.
Who's on deck? The Experience Desk.
The major narrative from the Vanson Bourne survey is that the traditional service desk, both in name and function, is obsolete. Rather than responding to tickets and outages, a significant majority of IT workers want to repurpose their frontline support towards Experience, and principally towards managing the Digital Employee Experience (DEX).
As Digital Employee Experience (DEX) becomes a top priority for IT leaders, the focus is moving from simply resolving issues to enhancing the overall user experience. In fact, 92% of respondents believe "experience desk" is a more fitting name for the future, emphasizing a proactive, employee-centric approach that embeds experience at the core of IT support. In spite of the fear surrounding AI and jobs, it appears that many corporate departments, including IT, are serious about improving the modern work experience and putting employees front and center.
You can read more about The Death (and Rebirth) of the Service Desk report here.