What’s the Difference Between IT-Help Desk and Service Desk?

Perhaps the all-time frequently debated question in the IT industry is… Are there differences between Help Desk (call center) and Service Desk? Our answer is “yes”. However, for many business people, these differences between IT-help desk support services and service desk can be confusing. This occurs as they will often use the terms interchangeably to represent the same idea. But, before opting for either one of these services, you need to know the key differences between them.

If your company aims to provide solutions to technical issues, you’ll need a help desk. The help desk can be a part of a service desk or an independent function. For instance, the ITIL states that the IT-Help Desk focuses on IT-related tactical approaches to the problems. Yet, a service desk focuses on the provision of the IT service itself.

A service desk is the point of contact between the service provider and the end-user. However, the IT-help desk is for fixing IT-related issues. The purpose of the service desk is to handle customers, which makes work easier for the IT team by communicating with end-users.

Service desks also help users with certain requests, like ‘how do I connect my laptop to Wi-Fi?’ They provide a communication medium between the IT department and the end-user. Help desks work on problems as they arise, while service desks focus on the overall process and long-term business goals.

• Service requests
• Automated emails
• Tracking and reporting
• Tickets
• Automated responses
• Customer portal and user feedback
• SLAs

• Incident management
• Immediate and occasional fixes
• Focusing attention on the end-users
• Quick-fixes

A service desk can be seen as an advanced version of a help desk, with added features. However, a help desk is essential for regulating the operations within the company. Based on how mature your organization is, you will have to decide whether a help desk or a service desk is better for you.

At Braintek, our experienced Support Technicians can assist with sudden issues that users may experience. Also, we can help with more complicated problems that may arise. We pride ourselves on providing world-class IT support services to small and mid-sized Houston businesses. So, to find out if we’re a good fit for your business, let's talk. We recommend starting with a 100% free, no-obligation IT consultation. Simply give us a call at 281-612-7974 to get started.