Service Management Functions

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	Document Purpose
	Executive Summary
	Processes and Activities
	Roles and Responsibilities
	Relationship to Other Processes
	Contributors

Document Purpose

This guide provides detailed information about the service desk service management function (SMF) for organizations that have deployed, or are considering deploying, Microsoft technologies in a data center or other type of enterprise computing environment. This is one of the more than 20 SMFs defined and described in Microsoft® Operations Framework (MOF). The guide assumes that the reader is familiar with the intent, background, and fundamental concepts of MOF as well as the Microsoft technologies discussed.

An overview of MOF and its companion, Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF), is available in the Introduction to Service Management Functions guide. This overview guide also provides abstracts of each of the service management functions defined within MOF. Detailed information about the concepts and principles of each of the frameworks is also available in technical papers available at http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/msm/.

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Executive Summary

Providing a high-level of service is expensive and time consuming. While business leaders are looking for economic ways to assist their customers, they are also looking for ways to realize their economic strategies. They want their support responses to be efficient and effective. When a customer has a problem, complaint, or question, the leaders want their customers to receive quick answers, straightforward resolutions, and accurate results.

The service desk is the first point of contact for the company; its efficient and effective response to customer's problems and concerns can do much to enhance the reputation of the company. The service desk also provides an organized and coordinated front line to its technical support staff members who are working independently in various geographical locations.

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Processes and Activities

Service Desk Overview

A major advantage of a service desk is the fact that it is a single point of contact for customers and service technicians. It delivers quick and responsive resolutions to busy individuals located all over the world, and that small fact can be the difference between an organization's success and failure.

The service desk provides communication, information, and resolutions to customers who have issues with their IT infrastructure. Some of the company's problems might include:

Defining support processes (including definition of roles and responsibilities) and adopting a consolidated approach to customer and user support helps overcome and enhance the organization's success ration.

Goals and Objectives

It is extremely important to clearly define and document the purpose and goals of the service desk. Creating a mission statement or a broad definition of the goals that clearly define the organization's approach to providing support is one way to accomplish this purpose.

Defining objectives early in the planning stage of the project enables all team members to be in alignment with what the company hopes to accomplish. Depending on the type of service the company intends to provide through the service desk, these objectives will be based on a number of factors, such as the size of the organization and the defined scope of the service desk function. Sample objectives might include:

Key Definitions

The following are key terms within the service desk function.

Service Desk Structure

There are a number of different ways to provide service desk facilities within an organization. Deciding which structure to use must be made during the planning phase. (Other documents describe how to structure a service desk; however, a brief explanation is included here as some of the process considerations described later may depend on the selected structure.)

Table 1 Service Desk Structures

Service Desks in Smaller Support Units

Smaller organizations may not have a separate service desk; however, the service desk processes would be provided by the staff that provides second line support.

The central point of contact might be a single telephone number within the support unit and/or an e-mail address for e-mailed calls. Responsibility for picking up calls (phone or e-mail) should be allocated to a rotation of support staff. There is a likelihood that a high percentage of calls will be fixed at first contact, since the people taking the calls are usually the support specialists.

Scaling Service Desks to Larger Organizations

Large organizations usually require full-range service desks. Providing service desk support on a large scale presents some unique challenges, as well as some opportunities for efficiencies.

The large-scale service desk has the opportunity and the obligation to make its operations more efficient. The opportunity is there because economies of scale become more significant as the size of the service desk increases, diversifies, and fine-tunes its workload in ways not available to smaller operations. It is also an obligation because inefficiencies develop on a much more significant scale. Inefficiencies that were either unavoidable or insignificant in a small service desk can quickly become costly for the larger service desk.

Optimizing the efficiency of the service desk is discussed later in this document (see Optimize_Service_Desk).

The Service Desk Within the IT Organization

The service desk provides the focal point for customer access to the IT organization. It acts both as an interface between customers and IT functions and as a filter ensuring that IT staff members can complete their work in a structured way without interruption.

The service desk also provides a front-end focal point for other service management functions and processes.

Figure 1 illustrates how the service desk interacts with other entities.

Figure 1: Service desk interactions
See full-sized image.

Scope

As mentioned, one of the goals of the service desk is to provide a single point of contact for the IT organization. The question of scope addresses who receives access and the types of contacts.

Who Does the Service Desk Support?

Many organizations implement some form of central point of contact for customer or user issues. This function can be known by any of a number of titles, such as a help desk or call center. The following table is a list of the various titles and a description of each:

Table 2 Central Points of Contact

What Does the Service Desk Do?

As to what types of contact are supported, there are two major categories: incidents and service requests. The following table describes each of these categories:

Table 3 Types of Contact

Benefits of a Service Desk

The service desk provides vital day-to-day contact points between customers, users, IT services, and third-party support organizations. For customers, the service desk is very important, because it is their only exposure to the organization's level of service and professionalism.

A service desk is the bridge between the users and the technical staff supporting the services. Its objectives are to provide the following:

Implementing a service desk provides the following benefits to an organization:

The service desk can provide meaningful management information to support the business decision-making process. Information that can be provided by the service desk includes:

In addition to the tangible benefits listed above, a service desk provides value to an organization in that it:

Major Processes

The major processes within the service desk service management function (SMF) are:

Operate Service Desk

The operate service desk process addresses the tasks required to manage day-to-day service desk activities, including:

Table 4 Process Tasks

Figure 2 depicts the tasks that must be performed daily when managing a service desk.

Figure 2: Day-to-day service desk tasks

Managing Staff and Resources

In order to deliver high-quality service through a service desk, it is necessary to provide properly trained staff to process the incoming calls. The service desk staff requires technical, communication, and even language skills, if the service desk provides an international service.

Scheduling Staff

Two of the various ways to schedule staff for the service desk are described in the following table:

Table 5 Scheduling Models

While users may tolerate a certain amount of automated, front-end answering systems, it is important for them to be able to connect quickly to a live voice that can immediately respond to their problem. This live voice increases confidence in the service desk and usually decreases frustration. Both described methods require a live voice to receive a call. If most of the service desk personnel are away and user requests go unattended for long periods of time, service desk credibility and effectiveness are reduced.

A flexible, efficient, and user-friendly scheduling system is especially important for presenting a seamless infrastructure to customers. Service desks are typically established to reduce overall company costs by:

Unless efficiency is built in to ensure service desk resources are available at crucial work times, other departments might incur additional costs, which would negate the savings realized by the presence of the service desk.

Creating a Schedule

The number of people required to staff a service desk is usually determined during a planning phase. When assigning personnel to specific work schedules, the two most important considerations are:

Establishing the service desk's open hours is very important. A service desk can be scheduled to span specific times during regular business hours, or the services might be required 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week (often referred to as 24/7). This information should be determined during the planning phases of the service desk project.

Once the hours are established, it is possible to assign individuals to work specific shifts and provide adequate coverage throughout the appropriate time frames.

Another possibility to consider when determining schedules is the personal preferences of staff members. If requirements for the service desk span more than the typical 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. business hours, it might be possible to allow various unorthodox schedules, such as:

Scheduling Models

A variety of theories and methodologies govern scheduling models. The following table describes five different approaches suitable for service desk organizations. There is no one best-suited scheduling method that is optimal for all organizations; therefore, an outline of each scheduling model is included in Figure 3. The outline is a guide and point of discussion to help plan the methodology that might be appropriate for an organization's service desk.

Table 6 Scheduling Approaches

Figure 3: Scheduling model outline
See full-sized image.

The following sections contain broader descriptions for each of the scheduling models:

Half-Hour Schedules

Service desk managers may want to schedule staff members in half-hour increments for their entire phone day. This is possible if one has a known and forecasted phone call arrival rate based on half-hour increments. One can schedule the appropriate number of employees to staff the telephones in half-hour increments, which will meet the demand. The forecasted arrival rate is based on historical patterns and forecasts to determine the staff needed during any given 30-minute interval. In theory, this approach can deliver the correct number of personnel at the right time.

Table 7 Half-Hour Schedules

Self-Managed Teams (Pods)

While the self-managed team is the most ambitious strategy presented in this guide, it also has the potential for the largest return.

Each team (sometimes referred to as a pod) normally undertakes tier 1 calls and tier 2 (and possibly tier 3) support responsibilities, with members of the team moving between the roles as demand dictates.

A self-managed team is either unscheduled—the team has a shift time (for example, 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.) and a scheduled lunch break, but otherwise team members are responsible for taking calls when the calls need taking—or they develop their own schedule as required by the demand model and service levels. Service desk personnel in this model may or may not have specific phone hour goals. This is a departure from most models, and the scope of the philosophical change must not be underestimated. It has been proven to work in some organizations, but it takes a mature group of people to accomplish this successfully.

Table 8 Self-Managed Teams

Triads (or Triad-like Models)

Triad models are similar to self-managed teams; however, they usually operate on a smaller scale and with increased accountability. Typically, three people, all on the same shift, form a triad that functions with at least two of the three people on the phones at any given time. They rotate throughout the day so that each spends a specific period of time on his or her respective activities (such as six hours on delivery and two hours on non-delivery activities), depending on the goal.

While triad methodology usually requires more staff scheduling than self-managed teams, utilizing triad models at multiple sites in multiple time zones can greatly help meet service demand. Triads give flat per-half-hour delivery and may not meet the service demand without some adjustments. Also, triads require several people to act as floaters to fill holes when a triad member is not available.

Table 9 Triads

Hybrid Peak-Scheduled/Off-Peak Self-Managed or Triads

Many service desks find a purely self-managed scheduling arrangement unsuitable for all staff or all demand scenarios. An alternative that helps guarantee coverage during critical times is to use formal schedules during peak hours only. For the remainder of the day, service desk managers can use self-managed scheduling or triads. This ensures control during the critical times and may be a good intermediate step toward full self-management.

Table 10 Hybrid-Peak Scheduled/Off-Peak Self-Managed or Triads

Hybrid Scheduled/Self-Managed

Another alternative that provides some of the benefits of a self-managed schedule team is to use the half-hour schedule model for some employees, while allowing others to follow a shift-based, self-managed schedule. High volume business that uses only callbacks for second-tier support might find this model useful. However, for real-time second-tier support, managing this model is difficult because the first-tier staff needs a reliable, available second tier.

Table 11 Hybrid Scheduled/Self-Managed

Staff Absence

Scheduling must make allowances for absentee employees (both planned and unplanned). It must also make allowance for unexpected peaks or valleys in service desk activities. Unexpected periods of low activity will result in temporary over-staffing, so arrangements should be considered for surplus staff to perform other duties.

Technology note The scheduling of the service desk staff activities may be done manually if the service desk is relatively small. For larger service desks, it is appropriate to use a tool for scheduling. Resource-scheduling tools for the service desk range from Microsoft Excel spreadsheets through planning tools such as Microsoft Project to applications designed specifically for resource scheduling and allocation. A good call logging-and-tracking system may also include a resource-scheduling system as part of the resolution management portion of the application.

Staff Satisfaction and Retention

It is important for organizations to maintain staff satisfaction as well as customer satisfaction. Answering customer calls for long periods of time can be tedious and psychologically draining, as most people call the service desk to register a problem or complaint. Rotating the staff so they perform other duties as well as answering calls is one way to avoid staff frustration.

It is beneficial to retain employees who are technically adept and have the required amount of skill, training, and experience to work the service desk. This benefits the organization, the service desk manager, and the customers.

Note: Committed and motivated employees are less likely to pursue opportunities elsewhere; this retains experience and expertise for the service desk, reduces training costs, and provides solid continuity for the customers.

Individuals thrive in an environment that provides challenge, promotes open communication and teamwork, and facilitates success. Employee satisfaction influences customer satisfaction. Encourage employees to excel and provide the best possible product. It is important to monitor employee satisfaction regularly and address dissatisfaction issues as quickly as possible.

It is suggested that an organization focuses on three components that delineate the employee's relationship with the organization:

Involving Second-Line Support

In many organizations, there are dedicated staff who perform the service desk activities all of the time. In smaller organizations, it is possible that some functions might be completed by the same staff members who provide second-line support. Even in organizations where this is not the case, it is beneficial for second-line support staff to spend time on the service desk—this can have a number of benefits, such as:

Communicating with Customers

The service desk provides a channel of communications wherein users and the IT department can interact. Remember that it is a two-way channel, which provides a mechanism for the IT department to supply information to its customers as well as obtaining information from them.

Single Point of Contact

One of the main advantages of a service desk is that it provides a single point of contact to the customer for all interactions they have with the support unit and the entire IT department. The single point of contact gives the customer a sense of assurance that their problem is being handled. It also enables the service desk to build a relationship with the customer that would not be possible if the customer had to deal with a variety of departments. The single point of contact is also significant in outward communication between the IT department and users.

Communication Methods

A service desk provides a number of ways to communicate. Traditionally, contact is through the telephone, with a direct link to a support technician. However, alternatives include the facsimile machine (fax) and e-mail. These three ways to communicate allow a customer to register a call without direct contact with a technician. The use of Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) systems directing a customer to the most appropriate service desk is cost-efficient and saves time.

Depending on the physical location of the service desk, it is possible for users to visit the service desk in person. This is sometimes called a walk-up contact. However, it is possible that this type of distraction will prevent the service desk staff from providing services to others. It should be clarified that the walk-up contacts are not to receive preferential treatment just because they are physically there.

It is also important to consider providing services for the hearing impaired, visually impaired, or individuals with other types of physical disabilities. Many users with disabilities use specialized software and hardware. Service desk staff must be aware of these components and be trained in their use.

Communications Tools and Technologies

There are a number of tools and technologies available to enhance communication between the user and the service desk, including the following:

Table 12 Tools

Warning: The use of intelligent telephone systems, voice mail, e-mail, forms, and so on greatly benefit the service desk. They should not, however, be used as an electronic barrier. The careful set-up of automatic interactive systems is required to prevent the customer being passed around. If voice mail and e-mail are used, it is imperative that they be monitored regularly and responses sent promptly to the customer. Put service level agreements in place to maximize these technologies and ensure a consistent and high-quality service is maintained.

The acceptability of the use of such telephone system functions as automatic call answering, interactive voice response, and automatic call distribution can also be influenced by cultural considerations of the particular region or country.

Technology note:

Many system management tools provide the ability to detect problems or potential problems with the systems they monitor. They also enable the notification of these events to event management systems by Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) or other protocols.

These event management systems can be monitored by service desk staff who can resolve any relevant issues; however, in many cases service desk products have interfaces that allow other systems, such as event management systems, to automatically create (and in some cases to update) incidents. This allows for automatically detected issues to be raised as incidents, although it may still be necessary for the service desk to allocate them to the relevant support group. It is still the responsibility of the service desk to monitor and track these incidents.

Proactive Communications

The service desk should provide a channel for proactively providing information to customers. This information might include known issues that are likely to cause future problems or service interruptions, forthcoming changes (by means of the Forward Schedule of Changes), forthcoming releases of software (by means of the Release Schedule), maintenance activities, and so on.

If suitable tools are used to support the service desk function, the customers affected by specific infrastructure issues can be identified and advised of the situation. Advance warning of any potential problems minimizes the business impact of these issues and enhances the relationship between customers and the IT department.

Self-Tracking

Self-tracking is a mechanism that allows users to see the status of calls they have registered with the service desk. Users may want to see what progress has been made in resolving an incident or the progress of a change request through the change management process.

In some circumstances, it might be appropriate to allow users to record new incidents or service requests on the service desk system.

Many service desk tools have the ability to be accessed by means of a Web interface, allowing customers to view details held on the system without having to have proprietary client software installed on their computer. These tools may require users to log on, so that only those records associated with the specific user are displayed.

Role of the Service Desk in Major Incidents

In the event of a major incident occurring (a major incident is an incident that creates a major impact because it affects critical services and/or affects a large number of users), the role of the service desk as a channel of communications is extremely important.

The service desk staff is responsible for the following tasks:

This information should be provided to users as efficiently and effectively as possible. It should be supplied when users call the service desk and also provided through the proactive mechanisms described above.

When a major incident occurs, managers and technical staff must focus on incident resolution. This means that resources may not be available to conduct other issues that might occur, which in turn could result in service level agreements being breached. The service desk must take these issues into account when dealing with users of other services.

Performing Processes

The primary objective of the service desk is to act as a consistent interface between the users and the IT department. This section describes ways in which the service desk should interact and communicate with the IT functions of an organization.

Many of the functions performed by the service desk are performed on behalf of other service management functions (SMFs), most notably incident management and change management. However, several other SMFs are also affected. See Relationship_to_Other_Processes for additional information.

Technology note The interfaces between service management functions (SMFs) can be made more efficient and effective if the tools used to support these functions can be integrated.

Tools are available that can support a number of service management functions, including the service desk. In this case, where the same tool is used, integration of the service management functions is straightforward.

Where different tools are used, some effort may be required to achieve the desired level of integration. Most tools have some sort of external interface—often in the form of an Application Programming Interface (API) or support for industry-standard interfacing mechanisms, such as XML.

Receiving and Recording Calls

The service desk receives calls from users, gathers the relevant information, and then logs the calls. This correlates to the detection and recording elements of the detection, self service, and recording processes within the incident management SMF.

There are a number of things to consider when completing this function:

The service desk should acknowledge receipt of each call by giving the user a unique reference that can be used to identify the call if the user calls to check progress or if a support engineer needs to contact the user for further information. For calls received by telephone, the call reference should be given to the user during the telephone conversation. For calls received by other methods, the call reference should be transmitted to the user by the most appropriate method—for example, for calls that originate by means of e-mail or a Web page, the call reference can be transmitted to the user by e-mail.

When a call is received at the service desk, the staff member must determine the type of call:

If it is a service request, the staff member must determine the type of request.

Incidents

An incident is any event that is not part of the standard operation of a service and might cause an interruption to that service or a reduction in the quality of the service.

If a call is determined to be an incident, the service desk personnel must secure and record information that is used within the incident management processes.

The incident category identifies the type of issue the user is experiencing; samples of incident categories might be:

For additional information on incident categories, see the incident management SMF guide.

Categories are used in:

Deciding which categories to use depends on the requirements of the organization.

At this stage in the processing of an incident, the service desk should determine:

Note: The definitions of priority levels are usually linked to target resolution times recorded in the service level agreements (SLAs).

Initial Support

This section of the incident management process describes how to check for known fixes or workarounds already created for the reported incident.

Each incident should be checked against all known errors. If the service desk tool is integrated with the problem management tool, this can be done automatically. If a match is found, the resolution can be implemented.

Service desk personnel might use the following suggestions when implementing a resolution:

Note: Incidents that do not match known errors should be checked against existing problems currently being processed by problem management.

A problem is a condition that creates a significant impact; however, the cause is not known. A problem may be created as a result of a single significant incident or a number of separate incidents that exhibit common symptoms. If an incident is found to match a current problem, that incident should be linked to the problem record. This indicates the severity of the problem and enables all related incidents to be addressed when a solution or workaround is found.

If an incident does not match a known error or a current problem, service desk personnel should review former incidents to see if the issue occurred previously. If a match is found, and the previous incident was resolved, use the same resolution. If the previous incident is unresolved, link the incidents and inform problem management.

If no matches are found, service desk personnel should attempt to resolve the issue. If the service desk staff have an appropriate level of technical expertise, it may be possible to identify the cause of the incident and resolve the issue. If a resolution is not readily available, but there are available remote support tools, it may be possible to diagnose the cause of the incident and recreate it in order to obtain additional information.

If the service desk personnel are not able to offer a resolution to the user, the incident should be escalated to the appropriate resolution group. That group will further investigate the incident and diagnose a resolution.

Service Requests

If a call received by the service desk is not an incident, it is treated as a service request. There are several types of service requests; some of the common types are:

The types of service requests handled by a particular service desk depend on the type and size of the organization and the service desk's defined scope.

In some cases, the service desk may be able to fulfill the service request. If this is not possible, service desk personnel should secure as much relevant information as possible and then initiate the appropriate interface for the service request type. It is recommended that scripts or templates be provided for personnel to follow for each type of service request.

See the incident management SMF guide for additional information on handling service requests.

Ownership, Monitoring, and Tracking

The service desk retains ownership of all received calls from inception to closure, regardless of whether they are closed at the first call or are passed to another resolution group.

The service desk must ensure that the record of each call is updated appropriately at each stage of its progress, indicating to whom the call has been passed and when, any contacts with the originating user, diagnostic exercises, actions taken by the resolution groups, and any proposed resolution.

It is the service desk's responsibility to ensure that incidents and service requests are dealt with in a timely manner by each resolution group, especially if a service level agreement might be breached. The service desk should track and monitor the status of all open calls. Furthermore, the service desk should keep users informed of progress with their calls.

Delegation Procedures

It is important to define procedures on how calls will be delegated from the service desk to other resolution teams. Ideally, it should be possible to electronically transfer the information from the calls, and the other team should be able to acknowledge receipt of the transfer. The resolution team should also indicate that it will accept responsibility for the call. If a call is incorrectly assigned, the receiving team may reject the call and pass it back to the service desk for further research on who might resolve the issue.

Note: If there is a dispute over the call's assignment, a senior service desk staff member with the appropriate authority and responsibility should resolve the dispute. Typically, this role can be assigned to the incident manager.

When an incident is transferred to a resolution group, depending on the priority of the incident, it may be acceptable for the group to receive the incident when monitoring its incident queues. However, depending on the priority of the incident, it may be appropriate to telephone them and inform them of the incident, its priority, and the fact that it has been sent to them.

Interface to Service Level Management

Service desk personnel should refer to the service level agreements if the incident requires information from the agreement. If the service level agreement is being affected in any way by an unresolved incident, inform the appropriate service desk manager. Service desk personnel and their manager should continue to track and monitor the incident until it is resolved.

Closing Incidents

Service calls or incidents should always be closed by the service desk, even if other groups resolved the issue. The service desk closes the issue as part of its tasks in the incident management process. In many cases, the service desk is responsible for communicating the resolution details to the user who initiated the call.

It is important for the service desk to confirm that the resolution was satisfactory by checking with the initiating user. The incident should be closed only after the user has accepted the resolution.

Promoting and Marketing the Service Desk

Improving the overall reputation of the service desk is critical to the success of the IT support organization. Develop a strategy for promoting and marketing the service desk and include the following elements:

Defining the Customers

It is important to clearly identify and understand customer's requirements. Depending on the size and nature of the customer base, several customers may share the same common needs; however, it is important to understand each customer's unique business requirements. This enables the staff to send individualized messages regarding service desk offerings, resulting in a better experience and increased customer satisfaction. The target market may be divided into the following groups:

Identifying the reason for segmenting the customer base, particularly for a high-priority department, is crucial. For example, order entry, which typically requires a 24/7, on-site response, differs from a less time-critical department such as human resources, which may require only 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. telephone-only support.

Understanding Customer Needs

Prior to building the service desk, it is important to understand what the customer might require. This is usually accomplished through research.

There are several approaches to determining this type of information. One approach is to conduct a needs assessment survey with representatives of the target market to learn their immediate, day-to-day concerns. A survey distributed to all potential service desk users can provide a sampling of basic concerns. The survey should ask open-ended questions about the customers greatest day-to-day support challenges. At that time, the service desk planners can outline what the service desk plans to provide and give customer respondents an opportunity to provide their expectations of the service desk.

Another research approach is to interview key users and department heads to identify company trends in support requirements and how these needs may change in the future.

These strategies help build a solid customer-needs information base for use in developing target messages and communication plans. In addition, the strategies provide the basis for setting expectations and managing user perceptions and demands on an ongoing basis. These analyses should be a continual activity in order to maintain up-to-the-minute services for customers.

Positioning the Services

When positioning the service desk, the primary task is to clearly delineate the functions provided by the service desk and match them to customer requirements. Setting appropriate expectations provides knowledge to the users that eventually saves them time.

It might be useful to create a feature/function/benefit worksheet that maps service desk functions to customer requirements. Consider preparing a quick information sheet that describes what services are offered by the service desk, including how to request services, procedures, and forms. It might also be useful to include a section entitled "What the Service Desk Does Not Provide" that prevents customers from wasting their time and effort by directing them to the appropriate department. If possible, include lists of other resources for services not covered by the service desk.

Transmitting information to the Customers

Once the service desk audience has been defined and the service desk responsibilities described, the next step is to determine how to convey the information to customers.

What is the best method for transferring information to customers? There is a variety of ways, depending on who the customers are and their location. The following table has a few suggestions on how to transfer information:

Table 13 Transferring Information

What Information Should Be Transferred

As described in the positioning section, it is important to tell customers just what the service desk can do for them. The following is a list of possible subjects to share with the customer:

In order to publicize the benefits of the service desk, publish information about the successes of the service desk—show employees of the business what the service desk is doing to improve their work life. Demonstrate how the service desk has aided cost savings through reduced support and maintenance costs, improved purchase decisions, better relationships with external suppliers, improved customer satisfaction, and so on.

Describe the areas that require improvements, what has been done, and what future plans are in place.

When to Communicate

It is important to remember that users tend to take service desk services for granted. They do so despite the critical role the service desk plays. Continuing to promote the service desk by educating users about its successes and the services it offers ultimately results in increased user satisfaction.

First of all, whenever a new service desk is started or any services are changed, it is important to immediately advise the users.

Continual communication with users is important, especially in the following two areas:

The final product need not be an expensive, full-color brochure. A simple desktop publishing program can create a low-cost, eye-catching brochure or flyer to publicize the services and educate the customer base.

Where to Communicate

There are various ways to get information to the customer. Organizations use road shows, printed materials, e-mail, the corporate intranet, company newsletters, and presentations (from formal seminars and workshops down to brown bag luncheons). Publicity material can be provided through posters, mouse mats, screensavers, pens—any type of promotional materials. The most important thing is to make sure it is available to the customer.

Training seminars and classes provide an excellent forum for talking about the service desk and how to most effectively use its resources. The efforts spent educating users contributes to improving their self-sufficiency.

Managing Costs and Cost Recovery

When planning and developing a service desk, it is essential to consider the costs involved and how to charge the costs back to the customer. This section briefly describes high-level recommendations regarding service desks costs. However, additional information on charging for IT services (including the service desk) is described in the financial management SMF guide.

Generally, support organizations such as service desks must quantify and control costs and demonstrate a reasonable return on investment (ROI). Ultimately, the questions to answer are:

In many cases, service desks are in the challenging position of being a cost center. They cost their companies money to operate; however, they are not generating revenue, or if they are generating revenue, it is less than the costs they incur.

It is possible to organize service desks that provide external support so that they produce a profit. Regardless of whether the service desk is a cost or profit center, monitoring and tracking any costs for providing services involves senior management.

Cost Analysis

There are several steps to consider when creating cost analyses for the service desk. The following table lists ways to start an analysis:

Table 14 Cost Analysis

Once the data is secured, start the analysis. To be effective, the information must be presented in a way that makes it easy for the senior managers to understand and use to make decisions. There is a wide variety of ways to analyze data; however, the following two categories are typically used by service desks:

The following figure is a sample Cost Estimating Worksheet that might be used by a service desk when starting a cost analysis:

Figure 4: Sample cost estimating worksheet
See full-sized image.

Cost-per-Person Analysis.

It is prudent to evaluate the cost per person for service desk staffing, since staffing determines the majority of service desk costs. Direct cost per person only includes the people providing service desk support to users and the expenses associated with them, such as salary, benefits, supplies, and so on. This measure helps a company manage per-person expenditures and gives it a baseline for evaluating other, potentially less-expensive, delivery options such as temporary or outsourced staff. Direct cost per person and fully burdened cost per person should be evaluated on a regular basis (either monthly or quarterly) to identify and explain variances.

Fully burdened cost per person includes all the direct costs per person plus the costs for all of the remaining staff and management. Fully burdened cost per person measures the total service desk cost per delivery person and helps identify increases in overhead expenditures. The sample costing estimation worksheet shown above provides an example of a spreadsheet that can be used to organize this information.

Activity-based Allocation Analysis

Activity-based cost allocations associate the cost of providing the service desk services (the activity) with the departments using the resource and/or with the support type being offered. The main objective of activity-based costing is to associate cost with the activity driving it in order to facilitate cost-effective decision making. This type of cost allocation can provide a large amount of valuable costing information; however, depending on the level of detail needed, it can also require a large amount of time and effort to maintain.

The activity-based cost of the service desk can then be allocated to the appropriate departments. Allocation methods (used individually or combined to create a charging method specific to a particular organization) include: