7 Principles for IT support

Here's my thoughts on the principles that should be considered when developing an IT support service strategy for larger organisations..

1. An IT support service must be valued. Support functions are the bedrock of IT and perception held of it. To be well regarded, a service provider must provide recognisable value through an efficient, effective Service Desk. This can be achieved through the remaining 6 principles...

2. Mentorship is vital. A Service Desk manager or team leader should have extensive IT experience because Service Desk staff need comfort in knowing they have the managerial support to learn, grow and develop interest by understanding how their work fits in to the bigger picture.

3. Process first. Service Desks need to progress high volumes of workload and handle a wide variety of customer needs. This necessitates pinpoint focus through lean processes and corresponding service monitors.

4. Lean processes enable strong team management. Without advanced processes, managers will find it impossible to ensure all needs and activities are handled adequately.

5. Don’t rely on traditional SLA’s. So much can go wrong with a service ticket’s progression. Focus should be on action triggers instead of general time-based service targets.

6. Detailed activity metrics are empowering. Individuals like to see how they’re performing. By presenting detailed work activity metrics, individuals become motivated and people management capability is greatly improved.

7. Teamwork should be maximised. Collaboration and collective effort brings many efficiencies and benefits.