2007 results
STI has been successfully providing Helpdesk training since 1989. As well as our own courses we also ran HUG (Helpdesk User Group) and HDI (Help Desk Institute) courses, on their behalf, between 1997 and 2002. This means that we have been involved with a huge number of UK based IT Helpdesks. This has given us a great insight into the challenges these Helpdesks face and the solutions that have been attempted and employed.  However, there is always more to learn!

As you may be aware, survey results for 2003, 2004 and 2006 are available on our website. Our next scheduled survey was 2008.  However, client demand has led to us carrying out the 2007 survey.

Surveys were completed by attendees on our courses, thorough the website and by some direct mailing.
The results cover a wide range of pubic and private sector organisations. A small cross section of respondents includes:

Argos
Atkins Group
Birmingham University
British Transport Police
 In Practice Systems
Link 21 
Mourant
MOD (Various)
 Northern Rock
Open University 
Renfrewshire Council
Simply Health

The total number of respondents was 322.  As usual, we have compiled the results and added some comments and observations.  We largely use the same questions each year as a means of tangibly identifying trends and change. However, we have included two new questions this year that were requested by clients.

We hope that you will find this survey an interesting and useful resource when considering your own IT Helpdesk. Look at www.sti-ltd.co.uk for old surveys.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone that took time out to respond.

If you would like to take part in the next STI IT Helpdesk Survey, or have a question that you would like asked, please email your details to enquiries@sti-ltdco.uk with a subject of IT Helpdesk Survey.    Survey material may only be reproduced with the written permission of STI Ltd.
What do you call your Helpdesk?
Helpdesk/Help Desk
54%		 Service Desk
32%		 Support Desk
6%
Other answers included Service Centre, Action Desk, Response Desk, Incident Desk, Service Line, Service Point and IT Direct.

What type of Helpdesk do you have?
Non Technical
18%		 Technical
66%		 Expert
16%
Non Technical was defined as passing virtually all calls on for others to resolve. Technical as resolving a reasonable % without referral and Expert as resolving a very high % without referral. More Technical "Non Technical" and "Expert" than 2006.
What services does your Helpdesk support?
IT Only
38%		 IT and Telephony
56%		 IT and Other
12%
2007 shows continued growth in Helpdesk supporting more than just IT.

What is the (full service) availability of your Helpdesk?
24/7
24%		 M-F
60%		 6 Days
18%		 8-6
16%
Slight increase in number of 24/7 Helpdesks and 0900-1800 still the most commonly offered availability.

Do you have a Helpdesk website or intranet site?
Yes
88%
No
6%
Plan To
6%
Many Helpdesks now encouraging customers to visit website before calling.
Can customers log calls on-line?
Yes
56%
No
24%
Plan To
20%
Continues uptake here and very practical for dealing with simple, straightforward issues. Many Helpdesks report having to make outgoing calls to go through issues reported by the customer. This can add time to the process and a degree of inefficiency. We believe that most customers would currently prefer to talk to someone rather than log their own calls.
What percentage of staff routinely wear a headset?
Overall Staff That Wear
a Headset
89%
Helpdesks Where All Staff
Wear A Headset
71%
Helpdesks Where No Staff
Wear A Headset
6%
Headset technology has come on greatly in recent years and most new starters would probably have no issues with using one.
What is your telephone call answering target?
None
18%
<3 Rings
12%
<10 Secs
18%
90% <15 Secs
8%
Call answering defined as the customer getting to speak to someone. A speedy answer is important as it is part of the vital first impression formed by the customer.
What elements make up your standard telephone greeting?
No Standard Greeting
6%
"Good Morning/Afternoon, Helpdesk" 24%
"Good orning/Afternoon, Helpdesk, Give Name" 50%
"Good Morning/Afternoon,
Helpdesk, Give Name,
How May I Help You?" 9%
Percentage Giving Name
As Part Of Greeting
69%
Those Asking "How May I Help You?" As Part Of The Greeting 9%
There does seem to be a steady move towards making the greeting shorter. This should help in making it sound brighter and less stale.
Do you have a call abandonment target?
None
51%
<5%
32%
<10%
9%
<15%
2%
More people measuring abandoned calls than in 2006. Most common targets the same.
Do you have an initial call duration target?
None
67%
<5 Mins
7%
<10 Mins
21%
<15 Mins
43%
More people targeting call duration than in 2006.
Is every call to the Helpdesk logged?
Yes
82%
No
5%
Try To
13%
As ever we suspect that the “Yes” answer may involve a little wishful thinking.

Do you give a call ref/no if initial call is unresolved?
Yes
70%
No
10%
Try To
20%
Many Helpdesks now giving/confirming the cell reference by email. This might also include the cell description and relevant SLA terms for the customer's information.
Do you give a call ref/no if initial call is resolved?
Yes
10%
No
80%
Try To
10%
A slight decrease in the “Yes” answer from 2006 and still not considered worthwhile by the vast majority of respondents.
Who has authority to close down calls?
Helpdesk Only
63%
Other Support Groups
37%
Not much change here. Most respondents, allowing other support groups to close down
calls, tend to have OLA’s in place to ensure that this is properly done.
Is customer agreement to call closure sought?
Always
56%
Usually
28%
Sometimes
13%
Never
3%
More respondents doing this than in 2006. We suspect mostly via email.
Do you have a formal complaints procedure?
Yes
66%
No
12%
Plan To
22%
Many people using their Helpdesk website to facilitate customer complaints or comments. Maybe a "comments" box is better than a "complaints" box.
Do you have formal SLA's with customers?
Yes
88%
No
7%
Plan To
5%
Numbers still rising – seen as a “must” by many service providers.
Is "staleness" an issue with helpdesk staff?
Always
25%
Usually
28%
Sometimes
45%
Never
2%
Staleness an issue for 96% of Helpdesk staff.  This is up on 2004 (93%).
If so, after how long typically?
<6 Months
13%
6-12 Months
19%
1-2 Years
54%
2 Years +
16%
The big challenge here is the fact that people who have gone stale, rarely see it in themselves. Ultimately, it is possible for a whole team to become stale!
Is stress an issue with helpdesk staff?
Always
21 %
Usually
29%
Sometimes
46%
Never
4%
Stress is an issue for 96% of Helpdesk staff. The 2004 figure was 93%.
If so, after how long typically?
<6 Months
33%
6-12 Months
35%
1-2 Years
31%
2 Years +
1%
Stress is clearly an issue to be aware of and addressed.
What is the staffing breakdown on your Helpdesk?
Male Full Time Staff
61%
Female Full Time Staff
39%
Male Part Time Staff
28%
Female Part Time Staff
72%
Average Number Of Full Time Staff 6.4%
Average Number Of Part Time Staff 1.3%
Average number of full time down on 2004 and part time staff up. Percentage of full time male staff still rising. Our 1997 survey had full time males at 40% and females at 60%!
What is the age range of staff?
17-20
2%
21-25
35%
26-29
30%
30-39
26%
40+
7%
The number of staff in the 20-30 range has gone up and the number in 30+ has gone down again. We suspect that some employers believe that younger staff cope better with new and changing technology.
What is the average number of incoming calls per week?
Average Per Helpdesk
1968
Average Per Staff Member
279
We conclude that staff now deal with an average of 9 "calls" per hour. This compares with 8.1
in 2006 and 7.1 in the 2004 survey.
What is the average number of outgoing calls per week?
No Record Kept
32%
Average By Helpdesks That Keep Records
374
The average number of outgoing calls down as the number of outgoing emails increases.
What is the average number of incoming and outgoing Helpdesk emails per week?
Average Per Helpdesk Incoming 512 Outgoing 557
Average Per Staff Member incoming 73 Outgoing 79
Email usage still increasing year on year. A few Helpdesks are only accepting customer contact by email.
What is the average number of outstanding calls/tickets/incidents?
Average Per Helpdesk
198
Average per staff member
28
Results up on 2006 and tie in with increased call rates and reduced staff numbers.
What reports are regularly produced?
None
6%
Daily
55%
Weekly
48%
Monthly
94%
All 3
41%
2007 shows a reduction in daily and weekly report production. If there are fewe staff available, something has to give.
What cooperation do you get from other in-house teams?
Excellent
6%
Good
58%
OK
25%
Poor
11%
An improvement on recent years. Perhaps as a result of increased uptake of OLA's?
Do you have OLA's with other in-house teams?
Yes
48%
No
22%
Plan To
25%
Unaware Of SLA's
5%
Operational Level Agreements define agreed working practices between service teams. They are now seen as a "must" by many IT service providers.
Allocate 100% (eg 40/40/20)
to show how vital elements are to a successful Helpdesk:
People (The Staff) 62%
Processes (Working Practices) 26%
Tools (Telephony, S/W etc) 12%
People still thought of as being the most important element of a successful Helpdesk. you could have the best working practices and most sophisticated tools, but without the right people service provision may still not be good.
In what esteem is your Helpdesk held by customers?
High
24%
Medium
65%
Low
11%
89% of customers holding the Helpdesk in medium or high esteem is actually down on 2006. This may again be linked to increased call rates and reduced staff members. We find that customers often want to talk to "someone" rather than "some thing".
In what esteem is your Helpdesk held by management?
High
45%
Medium
48%
Low
7%
Management esteem considered to have increased in the last year. Maybe we have reached a stage where many of today's managers have actually worked on a Helpdesk. It is important that "management" measure Helpdesk value in terms of quality as well as quantity. An endless array of impressive statistics does not guarentee that customers are entirely happy with the service that they recieve.
In what esteem is your Helpdesk held by other support staff?
High
16%
Medium
44%
Low
40%
Interestingly, both “High” and “Low” scores have gone up since 2004 - apparently, less sitting on the fence by other support staff! There does seem to be a conflict between having a wide breadth of knowledge (Helpdesk?) as opposed to having specialist knowledge, but in a narrower field (other support teams?).
How do you gauge your Helpdesk status over the last two years?
Rising
62%
Falling
22%
The Same
16%
As in all recent surveys, most respondents feeling that their Helpdesk status is rising. However, the number seeing it as falling is also growing each year. Perhaps this ties in with reduced staff numbers dealing with increased call rates.
What is the most common reason for IT customers contacting the Helpdesk?
Hardware
12%
Software
19%
Network
14%
 Passwords
16%		 User Error
23%		 Other
16%
There is more " help" available than ever these days, but User Error the most common reason for calling. Perhaps this reflects a lack of customer training.
Can customers view their their own open calls on-line?
Yes
79%
No
14%
Plan To
7%
This can save the customer the hassle of queing to get through and frees up time for Helpdesk analysts. Call logging must be clear, concise, tactful and logs should be regularly updated. This facility also helps meet the emotional "need to know" of the customer.
2006 results
STI has been successfully providing Helpdesk training since 1989. As well as our own courses we also ran HUG (Helpdesk User Group) and HDI (Help Desk Institute) courses, on their behalf, between 1997 and 2002. This means that we have been involved with a huge number of UK based IT Helpdesks. This has given us a great insight into the challenges these Helpdesks face and the solutions that have been attempted and employed. However, there is always more to learn!

Survey results for 2003 and 2004 are available on our website. From now on, we will be carrying out the
survey every two years. We have always opted for a “nuts and bolts” look at the way UK IT Helpdesks are
set up and operate.

Surveys were completed by attendees on our courses, thorough the website and by some direct mailing.
The results cover a wide range of pubic and private sector organisations. A small cross section of respondents include:
Open University
Oxford City Council
Strathclyde Police
iHotdesk
 MOD (various sites)
E & N Herts NHS
McGraw Hill
ODPM
 Dorset County Council
GCB
Norwich Union
Northern Rock

The total number of respondents was 297.  As usual, we have compiled the results and added some comments and observations. The 2006 survey gives a fascinating insight into the everyday life of working on an IT Helpdesk. There is more technology about in 2006 and increased use of websites for self logging and customer access to open calls.  However, most respondents still believe that having good people is the key to success.

We hope that you will find this survey an interesting and useful resource when considering your own IT Helpdesk.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone that took time out to respond.

If you would like to take part in the next STI IT Helpdesk Survey, or have a question that you would like asked, please email your details to info@sti-ltd.co.uk with a subject of IT Helpdesk Survey. Survey material may only be reproduced with the written permission of STI Ltd.

© 2006 Copyright STI Ltd.

What do you call your Helpdesk?
Helpdesk/Help Desk
57%		 Service Desk
29%		 Support Desk
7%
Other answers included Service Centre, Action Desk, Customer Services, Incident Desk and Service Point.

What type of Helpdesk do you have?
Non Technical
19%		 Technical
63%		 Expert
18%
Technical was defined as passing virtually all calls on for others to resolve. Technical as resolving a reasonable % without referral and Expert as resolving a very high % without referral. More "Non Technical" and "Technical" and less "Expert" than 2004.
What services does your Helpdesk support?
IT Only
42%		 IT and Telephony
49%		 IT and Other
8%
Helpdesks now supporting extra such as building facilities.

What is the (full service) availability of your Helpdesk?
24/7
23%		 M-F
61%		 6 Days
17%		 8-6
13%
More ITHelpdesks now supporting extra services such as building facilities

Do you have a Helpdesk website or intranet site?
Yes
81%
No
9%
Plan To
10%
A big growth area since 2004. Most people using affordable and manageable technology.
Can customers log calls on-line?
Yes
49%
No
32%
Plan To
19%
The technology to allow this is now well established.  Though it does run the risk of losing some customer interaction, there may be some savings in staffing achievable. Helpdesks with “paying” customers often report that they miss out on a business opportunity by not “personally” taking  problems and requests from customers.
Do you operate a telephone call queuing system?
Yes
76%
No
18%
Plan To
6%
It would be very rare, these days, to ring a major organisation and get no answer. Though considered better than no answer, queuing is still disliked by most customers. If they have to queue, perhaps the customer can be advised of the website, given the option of leaving a message or encouraged to send an email?
What percentage of staff routinely wear a headset?
Overall Staff That Wear
a Headset
84%
Helpdesks Where All Staff
Wear A Headset
67%
Helpdesks Where No Staff
Wear A Headset
9%
Headset technology has come on greatly in recent years and most new starters would probably have no issue with using one at all.
What is your telephone call answering target?
None
21%
<3 Rings
14 %
<10 Secs
16%
90% <15 Secs
6%
Three rings no longer the most commonly reported call answering target. This is probably as a result of the use of more sophisticated technology.  The other results shown are the most popular targets reported by respondents.
What elements make up your standard telephone greeting?
No Standard Greeting
7 %
"Good Morning/Afternoon, Helpdesk" 22%
"Good orning/Afternoon, Helpdesk, Give Name" 50%
"Good Morning/Afternoon,
Helpdesk, Give Name,
How May I Help You?" 14%
Percentage Giving Name
As Part Of Greeting
69%
Those Asking "How May I Help You?" As Part Of The Greeting 14%
Slight decline, since 2004, in giving name or offering assistance as part of the greeting. Many people believe that the longer a greeting is, the more likely it is to sound “stale”.
Do you have a call abandonment target?
None
52%
<5%
29%
<10%
8%
<15%
2%
More people measuring abandoned calls than in 2004.  Most common targets the same.
Do you have an initial call duration target?
None
68%
<5 Mins
6%
<10 Mins
19%
<15 Mins
3%
More people targeting call duration than in 2004.
Is every call to the Helpdesk logged?
Yes
86%
No
5%
Try To
9%
We still suspect that the “Yes” answer may involve a little wishful thinking.
Do you give a call ref/no if initial call is unresolved?
Yes
68%
No
12%
Try To
20%
We consider this good practice. We liken this to giving the customer a receipt, a token that proves their problem/request has been formally noted.
Do you give a call ref/no if initial call is resolved?
Yes
12%
No
78%
Try To
10%
A slight increase in the “Yes” answer over 2004. However, still not considered worthwhile by the vast majority of respondents.
Who has authority to close down calls?
Helpdesk Only
64%
Other Support Groups
36%
Very similar result to 2004. Most respondents, allowing other support groups to close down
calls, tend to have OLA’s in place to ensure that this is properly done.
Is customer agreement to call closure sought?
Always
54%
Usually
27%
Sometimes
13%
Never
6%
More respondents doing this than in 2004. We suspect mostly via email.
Do you have a formal complaints procedure?
Yes
62%
No
16%
Plan To
22%
Many people using their Helpdesk website to facilitate customer complaints or comments.
Do you have formal SLA's with customers?
Yes
86%
No
9%
Plan To
5%
Numbers still slowly rising – seen as a “must” by many service providers.
Is "staleness" an issue with helpdesk staff?
Always
25%
Usually
26%
Sometimes
45%
Never
4%
Staleness an issue for 96% of Helpdesk staff. This is up on 2004 (93%).
If so, after how long typically?
<6 Months
15%
6-12 Months
19%
1-2 Years
48%
2 Years +
18%
In some jobs it may not be a serious issue, in front line service provision it certainly is!
Is stress an issue with helpdesk staff?
Always
19%
Usually
27%
Sometimes
50%
Never
4%
Stress still on the rise for Helpdesk staff. The 2004 figure was 93%.
If so, after how long typically?
<6 Months
32%
6-12 Months
34%
1-2 Years
33%
2 Years +
1%
Stress is clearly an issue to be aware of and addressed.
What is the staffing breakdown on your Helpdesk?
Male Full Time Staff
59%
Female Full Time Staff
41%
Male Part Time Staff
30%
Female Part Time Staff
70%
Average Number Of Full Time Staff 6.8%
Average Number Of Part Time Staff 1.6%
Average number of full time down on 2004 and part time staff up. Percentage of full time male staff still rising. Our 1997 survey had full time males at 40% and females at 60%!
What is the age range of staff?
17-20
2%
21-25
32%
26-29
29%
30-39
27%
40+
10%
The number of staff in the 20-30 range has gone up and the number in 30+ has gone down.
Maybe, career paths after Helpdesk are becoming established.
What is the average number of incoming calls per week?
Average Per Helpdesk
1924
Average Per Staff Member
221
Assuming staff spend an average of 31 hours per week call handling, they deal with an average of 8.1 calls per hour. The figure was 7.1 in 2004 survey.
What is the average number of outgoing calls per week?
No Record Kept
28%
Average By Helpdesks That Keep Records
406
The average number of outgoing calls down by about 22% on 2004. This is surely as a result of increased use of email?

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