1. Optimizing Your Help Desk:
Summary Document

2. This report will assist you in the optimization of your help desk by:
Executive Summary
What type of help desk is optimal for your organization?
To optimize your help desk, you should understand both your current and your optimal state in the help desk maturity model.
As you approach your optimal state, costs per user decrease while performance metrics and end user feedback increase.
This report will assist you in the optimization of your help desk by:
1. Identifying improvements that increase end user satisfaction and perception.
2. Demonstrating how to simplify the help desk and improve efficiency metrics.
3. Reducing the help desk annual cost and tickets per user.

3. There is always room for cost savings
Executive Summary
There is always room for cost savings
Average Measurable Savings
Automated Password Reset
25% of tickets
Power Users
20% of tickets
End User Training
10% of tickets
ITIL
10% total cost of ownership
End User Self Help
8% of cost
Remote Desktop Assistant
25% productivity
Knowledge Management
25% tier 1 resolution
Asset Management
10% productivity
Most companies miss out on valuable cost saving opportunities.

4. What is help desk success?
Defining your help desk and success

5. Success of the help desk is defined by two inputs
Help Desk Success
Success of the help desk is defined by two inputs
End User Satisfaction
SUCCESS:
Alignment of IT services with business requirements +
Help Desk Efficiency
Please see full report for details on measuring success
A successful help desk delivers its services in a timely and cost effective manner using the right people, processes, and technology.

6. How mature is your help desk?
Understanding the Maturity Model

7. Explaining the Help Desk Maturity continuum
To understand your help desk you need to understand it in terms of Help Desk Maturity. Help Desk Maturity is based on effective use of people, processes and tools.
Although the measure of Help Desk Maturity is truly a continuum, we have identified five discrete levels by aggregating common elements that occur around each level.
End user Feedback
IT Efficiency
Please see full report for details behind the Maturity Model

8. Identifying the levels of maturity
Help Desk Maturity Levels
Identifying the levels of maturity
This table maps Help Desk Maturity to the equivalent level in the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). CMMI can be used to measure maturity of IT process. Process is only one aspect of our Help Desk Maturity model (people, processes and tools).
13%
23%
Help Desk Maturity Levels
CMMI Levels
1. Chaos
No formal help desk. IT problems are dealt with on an ad-hoc basis.
Level 1: Process has few, if any, formal definitions and performed on an ad-hoc basis.
2. Reactive
Help desk staff and tools are identified, process is defined for tracking and escalating incidents.
Level 2: Process is defined, executed and repeatable.
3. Controlled
Help desk processes are clearly defined. Tools are introduced for basic self service and knowledge management.
Level 3: Processes objectives are aligned with business goals and are defined with greater detail. Process results are qualitatively predictable.
4. Proactive
Help desk performance expectations are quantitatively set and measured against. Additional tools and processes are introduced to alleviate help desk calls.
Level 4: Quantitative goals are clearly set and measured. Process results are quantitatively predictable.
5. Optimized
Frameworks are introduced to optimize help desk costs, metrics and end user satisfaction.
Level 5: There is a focus on continually improving process performance. Common causes of process performance variation are identified and addressed.
31%
33%

9. Where do you fit in the Maturity Model?
Identifying the appropriate maturity level for your organization

10. Factors influencing appropriate maturity level
Help Desk Maturity Characteristics
Factors influencing appropriate maturity level
The recommended attributes for each maturity level are determined from a cost-benefit analysis.
Organizations whose recommended maturity state is below the Optimized level, could achieve a higher level but typically, in doing so, the costs will outweigh the benefits.
The recommendations for each maturity level are based on a combination of the factors below.
Size
IT Complexity
Simple
Midrange
Complex
User IT Knowledge
Please see full report for details on determining your fit.
Maturity level recommendations level off as company size increases. Small organizations may have an optimized help desk at the lowest maturity levels.

11. What Should You do to Optimize?
Creating the Plan

12. Moving along the 5 stages of Help Desk Maturity
Help Desk Maturity Levels
For more specific guidance on assessing your appropriate maturity level, please see “Help Desk Optimization Tool”
Moving along the 5 stages of Help Desk Maturity
Once you have assessed your fit with a particular Help Desk Maturity Level, use the following recommendations to move along the continuum.
Level 1: Chaos
Level 2: Reactive
Level 3: Controlled
Level 4: Proactive
Level 5: Optimized

13. The three inputs that enable help desk success
Help Desk Maturity Levels
The three inputs that enable help desk success
Help Desk
People
Process
Technology
This section outlines how the key inputs to the help desk – People, Process, and Technology – can be modified to improve the efficiency of your help desk and increase end user satisfaction.
Please note that not all organizations fit the “Optimized” level. Based on your fit, another level may be your long-term goal.
Please see full report for implementation recommendations for each level
Be sure to highlight cost savings in your business case for a help desk facelift. If you have difficulties gaining buy-in, management is more likely to listen when an opportunity for significant savings exists.

14. Case Studies

15. Doubled Tier 1 Resolution Rate
Case Studies
Case Study – Controlled Help Desk
“We shut the help desk down for 1 hour every Friday and it's reserved for my hands on staff meeting. We reserve 30 minutes for training, and we also bring in guest speakers from the business, because it's good to hear what their issues are and what they do. As a result, over time, our tier 1 resolution rate has doubled.”
Company Profile
Industry
Education
Number of Employees
5600
Number of IT Employees
250
Help Desk Metrics
Number of Users Supported
5600
# of Dedicated HD Staff 11
Cost as % of IT Budget
3.5%
Total Annual Cost/User
$274.00
Total Annual Tickets/User
6.0
% of High Touch Users 5%
Key Initiatives
Improvements Initiatives Successful
Staff training
Knowledge management
Power users
Advanced reporting
ITIL (incident management only)
Key Improvements Going Forward
Full ITIL integration
End user self help
Service level agreement
Doubled Tier 1 Resolution Rate