A help desk is an information and assistance resource that troubleshoots problems with computers and similar products. Corporations often provide help desk support to their customers via a toll-free number, website and/or e-mail. There are also in-house help desks geared toward providing the same kind of help for employees only.
In the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, within companies adhering to ISO/IEC 20000 or seeking to implement IT Service Management best practice, a Help Desk may offer a wider range of user centric services and be part of a larger Service Desk.
A typical help desk has several functions. It provides the users a central point to receive help on various computer issues. The help desk typically manages its requests via help desk software that allows them to track user requests with a unique ticket number. This can also be called a "Local Bug Tracker" or LBT. The help desk software can often be an extremely beneficial tool when used to find, analyze, and eliminate common problems in an organization's computing environment.
The user notifies the help desk of his or her issue, and the help desk issues a ticket that has details of the problem. If the first level is able to solve the issue, the ticket is closed and updated with documentation of the solution to allow other help desk technicians to reference. If the issue needs to be escalated, it will be dispatched to a second level.(Wikipedia)
The above functions are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, help desks also commonly deal with these issues: deskside team, network team, telecom, voicemail, VoIP, fax, application software, remote access and audio-visual issues.
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Help desk support software is a must-have for any new or existing online business. Even if the majority of your business is off-line, many people prefer online product and service support. Customers want their questions answered quickly and personnel need a way to effectively manage their work. Help desk software is an affordable, easy-to-use and useful tool for
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