It goes without saying that a service desk is the heart of any IT organization, responsible for providing personalized employee support and seamless experience by resolving their queries, issues or their tickets and reducing employee time spent on time-consuming manual tasks. But most companies still use outdated, inefficient traditional service desks. While using a traditional service desk, employees often complain that "The service desk is frequently overwhelmed with tickets," "We will have to wait a long time before our issue is resolved," or 'Support agent is busy at this time." It is also true that in most cases, support agents can easily get overwhelmed with the volume of tickets. As a result, employees must wait hours to resolve their issues, leading to poor employee experience and satisfaction and decreased employee productivity.

To overcome these challenges, it is recommended that businesses enhance their service desk capabilities by implementing automated services. Service desk automation is the best solution that can mitigate workplace challenges by automating and streamlining tasks without any human intervention, resulting in faster response times, and ultimately enhancing the overall employee support and experience.

In this blog, we will discuss about some of the top service desk automation ideas that can help enhance employee performance, elevate productivity and enhance the overall quality of support and services provided by your organization.

What Is Service Desk Automation?

Service desk automation uses conversational AI and machine learning (ML) to automate tasks and processes within a service desk or IT support organization. Service desk automation aims to improve support staff performance by relieving them of repetitive, low-value tasks and allowing them to concentrate on more strategic, high-impact projects. It includes incident management, problem management, change management, and request fulfillment.

By automating a wide range of manual processes, service desk automation can boost the efficiency of IT support operations and enhance employee performance by providing a more engaging and fulfilling work experience.

What Impact Does Automation Have On A Service Desk?

Automation can help organizations to standardize processes, reduce manual errors, and improve data accuracy. It can automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for agents to focus on more complex issues and improving their productivity. Automated reporting and analytics capabilities allow organizations to gain valuable insights into their service desk operations, enabling them to make informed decisions to continuously improve their services.

Furthermore, automation can also enhance the scalability of service desks by allowing them to handle a larger volume of requests and queries without adding additional resources. This can help organizations to manage their service desk operations more effectively and ensure that they are able to meet the growing demands of their employees.

Now, let’s check out the benefits of service desk automation.

Key Benefits of Service Desk Automation for Organizations

• Easy Accessibility to Information
  
  When contacting human support agents, the employee can usually expect assistance during a specific time frame. It takes longer for an agent to reach a specific employee, understand the problem, and offer a viable solution.
  
  An automated service desk provides an intelligent chatbot that allows users to get the help they need whenever needed. This conversational chatbot uses the organization's knowledge base to find precise answers to the user's questions and provide the appropriate assistance in seconds.
  
  
• Streamline Employee Onboarding
  
  To streamline the employee onboarding process, set clear goals and objectives, automate administrative tasks with technology, provide clear and consistent information, foster a welcoming culture, and continually evaluate and improve the process. This will lead to a positive and effective experience for new hires and improve efficiency for the company.
  
  
• Automation of Manual Tasks and Processes
  
  Service desk automation allows you to automate various repetitive tasks, such as gaining access to files, changing or resetting passwords, identity verification, etc. A modern service desk automates time-consuming processes such as employee hiring, onboarding, accelerating employee training, administering an employee engagement survey, and so on.
  
  This will result in reduced wait times, improved employee satisfaction, and increased productivity for the service desk team.
  
  
• Improved Efficiency
  
  Automating time-consuming, manual tasks can significantly improve IT support operations' efficiency, freeing support staff to focus on more strategic initiatives.
  
  
• Faster Resolution Times
  
  Automated processes can help IT support organizations resolve issues more quickly, allowing employees to perform better.
  
  
• Increased Accuracy
  
  Automated processes are less prone to errors than manual processes, leading to improved accuracy and reduced errors.
  
  
• Scalability
  
  Automated processes can easily be scaled to accommodate growth and changing demand without requiring additional headcount.
  
  
• Cost Savings
  
  By automating most of the tasks, IT support organizations can reduce operational costs and allocate more resources to strategic initiatives.
  
  
• Collecting Employee Feedback Effectively
  
  Collecting employee feedback effectively involves choosing the right method, creating an open and honest environment, and acting on the feedback received. This leads to valuable insights and can result in improved engagement, increased productivity, and a positive work environment.
  
  
• Automating Service Desk Ticketing System
  
  By automating the service desk ticketing system, organizations can improve efficiency, reduce response times, improve collaboration, reduce workload, and increase employee satisfaction.
  
  
• Improved Consistency
  
  Automated processes ensure that tasks are performed consistently and standardized, improving the quality of IT support services.
  
  
• Better Data Management
  
  Automated systems can better manage data, providing improved insights and decision-making capabilities.
  
  
• Enhanced User Experience
  
  Automated processes can lead to faster resolution times and improved service levels, enhancing user experience.
  
  
• Increased Agent's Productivity
  
  Service desk automation can increase support agents' productivity by freeing support staff from overwhelming tickets and queries.
  
  
• Improved Compliance
  
  Automated processes can help organizations follow best practices and comply with relevant regulations and standards. 
  
  

Amazing Statistics on Service Desk Automation

• According to a report by Forbes, the use of AI and machine learning in service desk operations is expected to grow by over 30% in the next few years, driven by the need for faster and more accurate incident resolution.
  
  
• According to TrustRadius (2022), Approximately 91% of customer service teams concurred that the use of their help desk system led to an improvement in productivity.
  
  
• The Proprof reports that 37% of organizations offer performance-based raises to their service desk agents.
  
  
• A 2020 report by Software Advice found that 57% of organizations use automation to streamline their service desk operations, with the majority automating incident management and request fulfillment processes.
  
  
• MarketsandMarkets estimated that the market for robotic process automation (RPA) in IT service management would grow from USD 87 million in 2018 to USD 680 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 50.9%.
  
  
• According to GlobeNewswire, the adoption of chatbots for service desk automation is expected to grow at a CAGR of 34.5% from 2020 to 2025. On the other hand, the citizen services AI market share is anticipated to grow to $15.09 billion (about $46 per person in the US) (about $46 per person in the US) in 2026 at a CAGR of 48.81%.
  
  
• As reported by HDI, investing in service desk automation help organizations to enhance employee productivity, reduce overall expenditure, enhance service quality, and boost employee satisfaction and customer service 
  
  

Service Desk Automation Ideas for Better & Faster Performance

Now that you have a better understanding about service desk automation, let’s look at some of best service desk automation ideas to boost employee performance.

Let's look at them one by one. 

• Automated Employee Support
  
  Automating the employee support process is one of the best service desk automation ideas your organization can look for. Automating employee support can enhance the efficiency and speed of resolving employee queries and issues. This can be achieved by implementing a self-service portal where employees can access information, submit tickets, and track their progress. When employees get timely and personalized support, they will be more invested in their company and work, increasing employee productivity.
  
  The portal can be integrated with a knowledge management system that provides quick and accurate answers to common queries, reducing the need for manual intervention.
  
  
• Robust Twitter-Age Knowledge Management System
  
  An automated knowledge management system helps organizations provide the right information to employees at the right time. Implementing Twitter-Age knowledge management gives employees access to a centralized repository of information and resources. This can include FAQ sections, a searchable database of articles and tutorials, and user-generated content.
  
  
• Automated Ticket Creation – Invisible Ticketing
  
  Automatic ticket creation process can help improve the service desk's speed and efficiency. For example, by implementing invisible ticketing, tickets can be automatically created based on specific criteria, such as the type of request, the priority level, and the relevant department. This ensures that tickets are routed to the appropriate agent quickly and efficiently.
  
  
• Employee Training using Conversational Microlearning
  
  One of the top service desk automation ideas that your organization can consider is providing personalized employee training via conversational microlearning. Because personalized employee training can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning process.
  
  For example, microlearning modules that provide quick and bite-sized training sessions can be developed, making it easier for employees to learn on the job. In this way, employees can be equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to perform their jobs successfully.
  
  Conversational Microlearning is a modern digital learning strategy that offers employees brief, concentrated training information rather than extensive manuals or courses. This approach involves delivering bite-sized lessons daily, allowing employees to spend at most 10 minutes sharpening specific skills.
  
  
• Routine Task Automation
  
  Automating routine tasks can reduce the service desk's workload and free up agents to focus on more complex issues. For example, time-consuming and tedious day-to-day tasks such as password resets, account creation, and ticket triage can be automated, allowing service desk agents to focus on more critical tasks.
  
  
• Workflow Approvals
  
  Automating workflow approvals can help streamline the approval process, reducing the risk of delays and increasing the service desk's efficiency. For example, automated approval workflows can be set up for specific tasks, such as approving new account requests, change requests, and service requests.
  
  
• Live Agent Interaction
  
  Automating live agent interaction can improve the service desk's speed and efficiency. For example, by implementing a chatbot or virtual agent, service desk agents can be freed up to focus on more complex issues while the chatbot handles routine requests.
  
  Another use case is if the user is not satisfied with the support offered by the chatbot, it will automatically pull in a live service desk agent for better and personalized support. This reduces response times and improves employee experience.
  
  
• Automated Employee Onboarding and Offboarding
  
  Automating the employee onboarding and offboarding process can improve the process's efficiency and speed. For example, automated workflows can be set up to handle tasks such as creating new employee accounts, allocating resources, and removing access when an employee leaves the organization.
  
  
• Automated Employee Survey
  
  Automating employee surveys can boost the efficiency and speed of the feedback process. For example, automated surveys can be set up to gather feedback from employees regularly, providing valuable insights into the needs and concerns of employees. This can improve employee engagement, increase productivity, and create a more positive work environment.
  
  
• Automate Alerts and Notifications
  
  Automating alerts and notifications can improve communication and collaboration between the service desk and other departments. When a ticket is escalated, a new ticket is created, or a ticket is resolved, automated alerts may be set up to notify the relevant team members. This helps ensure that issues are addressed in a timely manner and that everyone is kept informed.
  
  

Implementing these strategies can help you improve the operations of your service desk and deliver a better employee experience.

Conclusion

Service desk automation is a critical aspect of boosting employee performance in today's fast-paced business environment. With its ability to streamline routine tasks, increase accuracy, reduce response times, improve collaboration, and enhance customer satisfaction, service desk automation provides a significant advantage to organizations looking to improve their service desk operations.

This blog outlines some of the best service desk automation ideas, including automating the employee support process via chatbots, implementing knowledge management tools or a smart ticketing system. By leveraging these solutions, organizations can transform their service desk operations and gain a competitive advantage in today's ever-changing business landscape. Corporate companies must adopt these service desk automation ideas to optimize IT support, reduce costs, and improve the overall delivery of IT services.

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FAQs

• What is service desk automation?
  
  Service desk automation refers to the use of technology to automate tasks and processes within a service desk. The goal of service desk automation is to improve efficiency, reduce manual effort, and improve the overall customer and employee experience. This can be achieved through the use of tools such as chatbots, ticket management systems, knowledge management systems, and process automation software.
  
  
• What service desk functions can be automated?
  
  Functions that can be automated include incident management, problem management, change management, configuration management, knowledge management, request fulfillment, and reporting and analytics. The specific functions that are automated will depend on the organization's needs and the tools used.
  
  
• Why is automation important at the service desk?
  
  Automation is important at the service desk as it can improve efficiency, increase accuracy, speed up resolution times, enhance the customer experience, increase scalability, improve data management, and lead to cost savings.
  
  By using technology to automate tasks and processes, organizations can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their service desk operations.
  
  
• What are some service desk automation ideas?
  
  Ideas for automating tasks and processes in the service desk include automated ticket routing, self-service portals, automated escalation, automated resolution, automated knowledge management, automated change management, and automated reporting and analytics.
  
  The specific service desk automation ideas that are implemented will depend on the organization's needs and the available tools and technologies.
  
  
• What is the future of service desk?
  
  The future of service desks will be impacted by various technological and industry trends including AI and machine learning, cloud-based services, chatbots and virtual agents, mobile and remote work, cybersecurity, and integration and automation.
  
  Organizations that adopt these trends will have a competitive advantage in the rapidly changing IT environment.