IT service departments are twice as involved with business today, compared to five years ago, claims recent research* jointly commissioned by the Service Desk Institute and Hornbill Systems, a leading supplier of enterprise service management software. According to the research, the increased profile of IT within the business has been reflected in the new role of the service desk. In many cases with today’s organisations’ dependence on technology, IT service management and the service desk are being raised to boardroom status, with 65% of businesses having IT representation at board level, compared to 58% five years ago.

There has also been a significant increase in IT involvement in business planning, with nearly double (56%) the number of IT departments now involved in the process, compared to five years ago (31%). The research has identified that the role of the service desk has grown with the numbers of support desk staff almost doubling to meet extended round the clock, dedicated support demands. Technology has facilitated the expansion of the service desk role, making it easier to track and measure service delivery. The research states that 74% of organisations now measure internal customer satisfaction as a key performance indicator, compared with only 30% five years ago.

According to Patrick Bolger, Chief Marketing Officer of Hornbill Systems; “In the last five years we have seen IT change from being an outside function to one that is core to the business. Users throughout organisations are dependent on IT to work, which in turn has increased visibility of systems, problems and the IT teams.

“This dependency has raised the profile and growth of IT as a business function, with a real human interface. At the recent 2008 Service Desk and IT Show we talked with many visitors who have recognised the importance of integrated service desk solutions. They were looking for systems and tools that could help meet their business requirements, provide a much improved, effective service and also enhance the working environment and job satisfaction for their IT staff.”

Service desk data and workflow systems are also enabling organisations to work smarter with improved processes and adoption of best practice. Many companies have also invested in more training and development of service desk employees, introducing staff reward and recognition programmes to improve retention and career opportunities.

Hornbill’s new White Paper,
"The Changing Face of the IT Service Management Profession" is available on Hornbill's website or please contact marketing@hornbill.com.

* “The Changing Face of the IT Service Management Profession”, a new White Paper commissioned by Service Desk Institute, Service Desk & IT Support Show and Hornbill Systems. Published April 2008, Author, Brian Wall.