Some of the key outcomes highlighted in the research are:
· 45% of respondents expect their headcount to increase over the next 12 months
· On average, starting salaries have increased for service desk professionals
· Self-service usage has increased to 81%
The SDI annual benchmarking study reveals that 45 per cent of IT professionals expect their headcount to increase over the next year, due to the growth in the adoption of IT services across UK businesses. It also highlights that service desks report that self-service usage has increased to 81 per cent. When coupled with the growing demand for larger workforces, this indicates a need for the service desk industry to be adaptable to emerging working-style trends.
The critical role of service desks in business strategy is also reflected in prospective career trajectories, with average starting salaries of both analysts and managers increasing by over ?2,000 per annum since 2013. This has also impacted the need for improved qualifications, as the industry has seen significant growth in the adoption of ITIL, SDI and Technical qualifications.
The research also demonstrated that one of the biggest impacts to the service desk industry, over the last five years, is the expansion of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) culture, with 58 per cent of service desks offering support for personal devices; up from 42 per cent in 2013. This shows increased awareness within the industry about the ways in which employee needs are evolving toward more flexible working patterns that aligned to growth within the industry.
“The research signals the progress and evolution of the service desk industry,” said Andy Baldin, vice president, EMEA, LANDESK. “Businesses are increasingly recognising the importance of effective technology services in terms of future growth and opportunity. This is also being reflected in the proliferation of BYOD approaches to enterprise working styles, which as a result is attracting the best emerging talent to this innovative growing industry.”
In-person support is on the rise in favour of the adoption of live chat, which aligns with the trend of self-service, or human-based, self-help solutions for end users. The research demonstrated that the introduction of the ‘Genius Bar’ as a communication channel, which further reinforces customer preference for face-to-face interaction. The use of this tech support channel even outperforms social media channels in terms of adoption by an average of 5 per cent.
“The need for service desks to be innovative in their approach towards flexible working is compounded with the promising outlook and growth for the industry”, said Tessa Troubridge, managing director, Service Desk Institute. “The hunger for real human communication, either in-person or via various technological platforms shows an interesting shift in the consumer landscape that is being met confidently by leading technology services providers and this is certainly something to be celebrated.”
