5 stressful moments that anyone working at IT service desks will recognize

There are plenty of great things about working in IT service management. Working closely with your end-users, making their lives easier, finding creative new ways to innovate. But we’d be lying if we said that it was always plain sailing at the service desk.

So, in no particular order, here are 5 stressful moments that anyone working in ITSM will recognize.

1. Security scare

This is every IT professional’s nightmare. Whether it’s an employee who has taken “working from home” to mean “using a work device to stream the latest HBO show on dodgy websites” or an ex-colleague holding onto their old laptop as a souvenir, any kind of data breach is bound to send the service desk into disarray. (Of course, you’d like to educate your end-users to prevent breaches from happening in the future, but where would you find the time?)

2. Groundhog Day

Working at the IT service desk can feel repetitive, especially when you’re on your 12th password reset before you’ve even managed to grab a cup of coffee. And dull, recurring tasks like these aren’t just annoying when you’ve got more important work to focus on; they’re expensive, too.

3. Demanding end-users

You love your customers – after all, who else do you do it for? But they can be a teeny bit demanding sometimes. (And with the consumerization of IT leading to a rise in customer expectations, it’s no wonder).

While you’d love to be able to resolve every issue for every caller straight away, sometimes that just isn’t doable, especially when you’ve got more pressing incidents to manage first. (Sorry, David from Marketing, but your broken headset issue might have to wait a few moments while we deal with this data breach.)

4. The dreaded walk-up

Let’s set the scene: You’ve got a flawless service desk system in place. Employees lodge requests via incidents and your team diligently works through them. Well, most of them do. Some colleagues are a little more difficult to convince when it comes to using new technology – they’d prefer to speak to a “real person” to help them solve their issue. And, while it’s understandable, there’s nothing more stressful than dealing with a walk-up when you’re already snowed under with incidents.

5. Firefighting

Okay, so this one isn’t exactly a moment, per se. But working reactively and dealing with incidents as they come, without being able to prevent “fires” from happening in the first place, is a major cause of service desk stress. Constantly preparing for the next emergency can take a real toll on your wellbeing and even lead to burnout if left unchecked.

Does this all sound a bit too familiar?

You’re not alone. To keep up with increasing demands, IT departments need to find a new, smarter way of working. But how do you find your first step when you’re working reactively?

Our suggestion? Start with your mindset. If your IT department is struggling to keep up with service demands, it doesn’t mean that your way of working is all ‘wrong’. But it does mean it’s probably time to switch things up. Are you ready for a mindset shift?