I was convinced long ago that the IT Service Desk is just a workaround to a bigger problem. And that problem is that IT doesn't know about most issues unless employees choose to stop what they're doing and tell them. That's the way my CEO phrased it just before I became a Nexthink customer. And now our latest survey results seem to support the fact that the service desk, as it functions today, may no longer be relevant in the not-too-distant future.
72% of IT workers in our survey believe the Service Desk as we know it will cease to exist in the next 3 years. The survey results also offer some insights into how the Service Desk may evolve:
- 96% think that most EUC teams will have a team dedicated to user experience / Digital Employee Experience within the next three years.
- 92% think that a better future name for the service desk would be the experience desk.
- 93% Agree the future service desk will be much more orientated towards experience.
These are huge opinion percentages and wouldn't be this high if these changes weren't already underway, or at the very least in the planning stages. And one of the key takeaways of the report starts to guide us on how this paradigm shift may be delivered:
IT Professionals see Proactive & Self-Service IT + AI automations as the main drivers.
• Respondents believe tactics like Proactive IT and Self-Service IT will help drive them towards this new destination, and that technologies like AI and automation will complement rather than threaten their careers.
But the report also offers an interesting paradox. Listed in the top three issues that it needs to overcome are:
- Being stuck in time-consuming repetitive issues
- A lack of visibility or availability of automation within legacy infrastructure; and
- Employee resistance to change.
IT will never tackle the first two issues without first conquering the third.
So here are my thoughts on how to get started.
Collaborate and solicit support
First and foremost, IT teams need to continue their long history of embracing technological change. It's happening faster today than it ever has in the past with AI and automation leading the way. One effective strategy to embrace and enable change is to collaborate with all levels of IT leadership to demonstrate the art of the possible and what can actually be achieved with modern technology. And don’t forget to partner with leadership of the business you support. By focusing on problems and achievable outcomes, the people, process, and technology changes required become less concerning. And the collaboration with leadership will also serve to provide the support you need to get the change off the ground.
Define and plan
Once you've conquered the resistance to change, the next step is to make sure your problem is clearly defined, the solution is well formulated, and the plan to execute is well thought out. For example:
Problem: The help desk is fully reactive, inefficient, expensive, and not sustainable. This leads to productivity impacts, a cost ratio per employee that is far too high, and negative perceptions about technology teams and the company as a whole.
Solution: Design and implement a DEX discipline and operation that leverages AI and automation That results in proactive remediation and preventative change and transformation.
Plan: Create a program team chartered with developing a detailed plan and designs that addresses the issues defined in the problem statement. Plan should include designs for all three elements of people, process, and technology.
Market and advertise
Next, don’t discount the value of internal marketing for your DEX program. People have a natural aversion the things they don't understand, and creative marketing can help bridge the gap between new scary technology and creative beneficial solutions. And these communications aren't just directed to employees, but also to the IT staff that supports them. For example, many know that as a customer my Nexthink program was called Project Edison, and we used the image of the light bulb in every communication to our employees so they understood that we were turning the lights on and weren't in the dark anymore about the problems that they experience with technology. And we used the light bulb in communications to our IT staff to let them know that there was a new idea and a new way of thinking. It doesn't need to be complicated, simple images and concepts can create significant clarity.
Introduction – Why, When
Announcing Project Edison: To improve costs and deliver better outcomes for those we support, in 2025 we will be creating an Experience Desk that will commit to and deliver positive digital experiences for our employees.
Organization – Who, Where
This Experience Desk will be part of a broader ProactiveIT DEX discipline being adopted across our IT teams…..
Technology – What
We have tested leading DEX platforms and have selected Nexthink to be the technology to enable this function and provide us with our desired outcomes.
Process – How
Our program will include collaboration across both IT and business stakeholders to ensure we design and deploy solutions that meet the needs of all involved. Once implemented, we will be able to proactively support the environment and transform more quickly through predictive and preventative measures.
Conclusion
Change doesn’t happen by itself, and if the Service Desk is going to shift to an Experience Desk in name, function, and outcome, as 93% of survey respondents agree, the change has to be deliberate, planned, and adopted with an organized program across the organization. It’s more than just testing and selecting a toolset, although it helps when you have the best platform on the planet that will enable the outcomes you have committed. It starts with defining your problem, and designing a robust plan to design and deploy change.
To read The Death (and Rebirth) of the Service Desk report, click here.