How should a help desk use the ITIL Framework?

At its foundation, ITIL is a library of six core books: Official Introduction, Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Operation, Service Transition and Continual Service Improvement.

When implementing ITIL, you’ll need to design your help desk to provide:

• Single point of contact for IT interruptions
• Computer or software consultations
• Tracking capabilities of all incoming problems
• Problem escalation procedures
• Problem resolution

Implementation of best practices for help desk services is outlined in the service management best practices section of ITIL version 3. These areas include:

Knowledge management

A help desk needs a system that improves operational efficiencies by reducing the time spent to rediscover previous incidents or problems.

Problem management

A help desk should have a system that gathers information during incident management to help spot problems. This system will identify the root cause of frequent recurring incidents by capturing information in a knowledge base.

Access management

A help desk should act as the keepers of the user accounts along with password resets. Single ownership by the help desk will ensure quicker response time for end-users with username or password problems.

Service catalog

A help desk should have a published service catalog, ideally with pricing information and detailed service descriptions included.

Where can you learn more about ITIL?

The IT Service Management Foundation (itSMF) is the independent professional community and forum for IT Service Management professionals. The organization creates resources including white papers, webinars, podcasts and conferences.

The official accreditation partner for ITIL in the U.S. is Axelos. Here are a few good resources to review:

• ITIL: The Basics
• ITIL Certification