I get some interesting insights about the future of technology by talking to the teenagers next door. (Example: last year I asked the older one if he wanted a iPad to use at college. This unintentionally hilarious question elicited the response that iPads are ”just giant iTouches” and “for old people.” Ouch.)
In spite of the risk of appearing foolish again, I asked him a different question yesterday: what’s the most important technology he uses? Easy: his phone. Because he can get most of what he needs from that one source.
This generation is used to technology as the delivery system. They expect the process of finding and requesting and getting anything to be centralized, straightforward and user-centric. He missed the decades when technology and applications were built in silos, and users had to be trained to know where and how to get what they needed.
When we’re at work, we increasingly rely on technology (and therefore on IT) to fulfill needs for all kinds of services and business activities. In response, the purpose and scope of the IT Service Desk has evolved, but expectations and impatience continue to grow.
Beyond Traditional IT Tasks
The Service Desk is no longer just for reporting problems – in many cases it’s Grand Central Station, providing access to requests for all kinds of services and information. Innovative IT organizations are adopting a centralized, straightforward and user-centric approach to fulfilling user requests and addressing their issues with a new kind of Service Desk that flips the focus from the controlling technology supply to delivering on service demand – while managing complexity without exposing it to users. Today’s Service Desk has become a unified User Request Center that allows both IT staff and users greater visibility and adaptability.
How has your IT organization expanded the role of the Service Desk? What are your plans for future enhancement? For ideas on transforming your IT organization, listen to the on-demand webcast Serena on Serena: 30 Days to a Complete Makeover. Serena’s own IT team shares how they rolled out Serena Request Center, showcasing over 90 business and IT services to 800 employees – in just 30 days!
