Value Addition of Service Desk In Application Support

Service Desk is the single point of contact between the service provider and the users. It satisfies both Customer’s and Service Provider’s objectives. A typical service desk manages incidents, service requests, and handles communication with the users. The purpose of a service desk is to maintain records of all the tickets and related communication i.e. it helps user to maintain record of the communication between client and service provider. Service desk helps in maintaining the records of the tickets thus making it available whenever required or any user can refer to the communication related to that ticket in a couple of clicks. There are various workflows for various type of requests i.e. different workflow for incident, problem and query. Service Desk in Application Support also has different workflow for User Management which includes User Creation, User Modification and User Deletion. It is an important tool which is used in Application Support Management. The reports extracted from Service Desk provides all information related to tickets and it also gives detailed report of all tickets which helps in Application Support Management. When a ticket is been closed on Service Desk then tab ‘Time spent’ on ticket has to be filled which helps in maintaining time records and thus helping in billing activities. It contains all records related to communication, onboarding trainings, tickets, user management etc. A service desk seeks to facilitate the integration of business processes into the service management infrastructure. A service desk also provides an interface for other activities such as customer change requests, third parties (i.e. record maintenance). Service Desk in Application Support helps in creating user reports, raising user management tickets, submitting new requests, view request list etc. 

Service Desk in Application Support:
There are various advantages / benefits of using Service Desk. Service Desk helps in providing following functions:

• Submitting new request:

This feature of Service Desk helps in submitting a new request i.e. a request for new user creation, user modification request, change request etc. There are various fields required for submitting a new request like: Project Name – which contains name of the project, Task – user creation, modification or deletion, Requestor – a person who has raised a request, Priority – it contains priority of the request raised i.e. high, medium or normal, Status – which can be awaiting response user, closed, open etc., Request Type – it can be user management or incident or query, Request Date – date at which request is raised, Title – requested issue title, Description – description of the request raised, and Solution – conclusion of request. The new request submitted can be seen in request list with required details and thus helps in record maintenance and in database management.

• Request List Management:

Request list management helps in viewing the list of requests. Also, request list can be updated whenever required. Service Desk in Application Support automatically generates new Request ID whenever a new request is submitted thus it easily helps customers in finding Request ID. Request List Management in Service Desk has search filters like pending on, status, except close, request ID, owner etc. which helps in providing exact data and fastens the process. Also, service desk contains records of on boarding training or activities conducted for users. If request list is not managed properly then it may cause management complexity, improper data management or data loss. So, request list should be updated and managed properly for continuous service improvement.

• Advanced Reporting tool:

Service Desk in Application Support helps in extracting detailed report of tickets thus it is called as an ‘Advanced Reporting Tool’. The report includes all the necessary data required i.e. it contains detailed information related to tickets. Reports in Service Desk can also be extracted by applying filters for date i.e. from 2nd February to 28th February. This narrows down the search for a customer or user in getting exact data. The reports can be generated for internal as well as external client purpose. Reports in Service Desk helps in Application support management. In our case, it keeps record of created, modified and disabled users which helps in monthly billing activities, quarterly reports and adhoc report.

• Application Management:

Service Desk in Application Support is related to Application Management for e.g. a service desk ‘Autodesk’ used for an application ‘Auto-tool’ which is used by a ‘company’ for their contract management. Service Desk helps in maintaining knowledge base which helps in analysing, understanding and solving queries or incidents. Service Desk in Application Support manages single point of entries, lifecycle management of all service requests. Also, an administrator of Service Desk can manage requestors, manage tasks, manage request list, edit tasks etc. 

Conclusion:

Service Desks provide pro-active, cost efficient and user-centric support. A service desk has a more broad and user-centered approach which is designed to provide the user with a single point of contact for all IT requirements. Service Desk in Application Support is a tool to deliver a superior customer service experience and boost efficiency. It provides innovative change management and extensive automation for IT service management.

About Author:

Mikhil Chauhan  is a consultant in Systems Plus Pvt. Ltd. Within Systems Plus, he actively contributes to the areas of Technology and Information Security. He can be contacted at: mikhil.chauhan@spluspl.com