Service Desks have regular opportunities to identify gaps in their coverage; where users’ needs are unsatisfied or satisfied without IT’s involvement. These gaps may or may not require IT coverage, but they should be identified and tracked for consideration in the future. Examples of service gaps are:
- Users doing web searches and sometimes downloading technology solutions without contacting the Service Desk.
- Users assisting each other, sometimes through social collaboration, and consuming more resources than would have been required for IT to solve the issue.
- Level 2 and 3 support personnel supporting recurring issues without documenting the solution in the Knowledge Base and allowing for faster, lower cost solutions in the future.
When analyzing the Service Desk strategy for future budget years, it is critical that these service gaps be re-examined.