How Service Desk Automation Transforms Your IT Support Operations

The fact is that outdated service desks can ruin both good work and results. 

This is why service desk automation presents a smart way to tackle these problems without any HUGE additional costs.

This guide looks into service desk automation, how to get it going, its advantages, and important aspects to consider. 

What Is Service Desk Automation?

Service Desk Automation means using technology thoughtfully to handle IT service desk jobs with little direct human help, speeding up resolutions.‍

In fact, without automation or AI, Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) is an average of 30 hours, but with IT service desk automation, this has been halved or reduced by 70%.

This kind of automation follows set procedures, often using service desk automation tools with artificial intelligence (AI), to take care of common and repeated tasks. The main aim is to build a more flexible, quick-to-act, and effective IT support setup.

Some of the Popular Service Desk Automations Include:

• Knowledge Base Management: This automation of service desks helps IT support organize useful information. It collects answers to common tech questions and fixes. People can search this to solve problems themselves without creating a ticket. For example, you could look here to find out how to connect your phone to the office Wi-Fi instead of asking IT support.
  
• Service Management: This uses automation to manage requests and problems for IT support. These are usually called tickets. The system makes sure tickets like getting a new laptop go to the right IT person and get finished smoothly. Imagine you send a ticket for a broken keyboard; the system quickly sends it to the right IT support person to fix it.‍
• Chatbots and AI Voice Agents: These are computer helpers for IT support, you can chat or talk with. They use smart AI to understand your needs. They give quick answers or help you start a ticket. If you have a simple question, a chatbot can answer right away, or it can help you create a ticket for IT support if it's a bigger problem.‍
• Anticipating and Avoiding Service Issues: This automation of service desks helps IT support stop tech problems before they happen and cause tickets. It watches computer systems for early signs of trouble. This lets the IT team fix things ahead of time. For instance, the system might see that a printer is about to run out of ink and alert IT support to change it before people try to print and create tickets about the empty cartridge.‍
• Identity and Access Management: This automation helps IT support control who can use different systems and files. It automatically gives people access when they start and removes it when they leave. This saves the IT team from lots of manual tickets. When a new student joins, service desk automation tools can automatically set up their computer login and give them access to school programs without an IT support ticket needed for each step.
  

How to Automate Service Desks for Better IT Support

To successfully automate a service desk, you need careful planning, a good look at your processes, and a step-by-step setup. This helps get the most advantages and makes the changeover smoother for the IT support crew and the people they help.

A practical way to do this involves these main steps:

1. Look for Areas to Improve: Check how your service desk currently works to find jobs that can be automated, take up a lot of time, or often lead to mistakes.  Use information on ticket kinds and how busy agents are to see where automation can make the biggest difference.
2. Set Clear Aims and Limits: Decide on goals you can measure, like making solution times shorter or making users happier. Begin with a clear area of work, concentrating on methods that give fast positive results before moving to more involved procedures.
3. Shape and Improve Work Methods: Make certain your ways of working are streamlined before you automate them. Sketch out your current work methods, then adjust them for your automated service desk by making steps easier and having standard ways of doing things. 
4. Pick Suitable Automation Software: Select programs that fit your aims and work well with your existing IT setup. Look for dependable workflow systems, options for users to help themselves, and automatic ticket handling. 
5. Introduce and Encourage Self-Help: Give users the ability to help themselves with a full, easy-to-search collection of information and a simple self-help website. Actively tell people about these options to get them to use them.
6. Set Up Automatic Ticket Handling: Adjust your system to automatically create tickets from different sources, add tags for sorting, smartly send tickets to the right agents, and automatically pass up issues based on service agreement points.
7. Connect Your Systems: Make certain your automation tools link up smoothly with other IT and company programs (like identity checkers or HR software) for a well-integrated IT environment.
8. Begin with Small Steps, Test, and Grow: Start by automating a small number of chosen work methods. Check them carefully, get opinions, and then slowly introduce more ways to automate your IT service desk.
9. Teach Your Team and Handle the Shift: Give enough instructions on new tools and methods. Talk about the good sides of automation to answer worries and get people on board, pointing out the move to more thought-out work.
10. Watch, Check, and Keep Getting Better: Always keep an eye on how automation is doing. Follow important numbers and use this information to find spots for more enhancements and to make your automated service desk function better.

10+ Service Desk Automation Ideas to Improve Your Workflow

Putting IT service desk automation in place creates many ways to improve how IT support works. It also makes the experience better for users. Here are some practical automation ideas:

1. Automatic Ticket Creation and Smart Categorization: Automatically create tickets from email, chat, or web forms. Systems read info to sort and rank them. This saves agent time and assigns tickets faster.
2. Smart Ticket Sending and Assignment: Assign tickets automatically. This can be based on agent free time, skills, or workload. It can also depend on the issue type.
3. Self-Help Password Fixes and Account Control: Let users change passwords or unlock accounts safely online. They don't need an agent. This frees up agent time a great deal.
4. Automatic User Starting and Leaving Processes: Make onboarding and leaving simpler. Automate jobs like creating accounts. Also, automate giving and taking away access rights. This happens at the right time. It makes things safer and follows rules better.
5. Forward-Looking SLA Care and Automatic Escalations: Monitor Service Level Agreements (SLAs) automatically. Warn agents if they are close to missing an SLA. Automatically send tickets to a higher level if SLAs are not met.
6. Helpful Knowledge Article Ideas in Context: Link your knowledge base to the ticket system. Suggest helpful articles to users creating tickets. Also suggest them to agents working on tickets.
7. Automatic User Messages and Status News: Keep users in the loop with automatic thank-yous, progress news, and confirmations when their tickets are solved.
8. Automatic Customer Happiness (CSAT) Polls: Automatically send CSAT polls after a ticket is solved to get quick opinions for making service better.
9. Forward-Looking Problem Spotting and Alerting: Use automation to watch IT systems. Automatically create tickets if there are possible problems. Warn teams about issues before users notice them.
10. Ready-Made Replies for Usual Questions: Give agents saved answers for common questions. This helps them respond in the same way every time. It also makes them quicker.
    

Main Benefits of Service Desk Automation

Using service desk automation brings big pluses for the company, IT crews, and the people using the services, improving how well things work and how happy people are. Automation lifts output, sharpens the user journey, and lowers day-to-day expenses.

Benefits of Using Service Desk Automation in Businesses

• Lower Day-to-Day Expenses: Cuts down on hand-done work, saving agent time and materials. More than 22% of tickets can be dealt with without hand-on costs through automation.
• Better Use of People and Tools: Automation helps skilled IT personnel work on more forward-thinking projects.
• Better Rule-Following and Less Danger: Makes sure steps are followed the same way every time, cutting down on mistakes and security breaches.
• Greater Ability to Grow: Manages more tickets coming in without needing a similar jump in staff numbers.
• Information for Better Choices: Gives facts that help in making smart decisions and always getting better.

Benefits for the IT Team and Agents

• More Effective Work and Higher Output: Agents handle more tickets and solve issues quicker; automation can shorten solution times by up to 90%.
• Less Hand-Done Work: Gets rid of boring jobs, making burnout less likely.
• Fewer Mistakes: Makes service dependable and correct.
• Better Team Spirit: Passing on everyday tasks leads to people feeling happier in their jobs.
• Attention to More Important Work: Allows people to spend time on tricky problem-solving and forward-looking projects.

Benefits of Service Desk Automation for End-Users

• Quicker Problem Solving: Cuts down on user waiting time and annoyance.
• Help Available Anytime: Automatic self-help gives assistance around the clock.
• Better User Journey: Quicker, dependable service and ways for people to solve things themselves improve happiness. 69% of people like to try self-help first.
• Steady and Trustworthy Service: Common ways of doing things make support dependable.
• More Control Through Self-Help: Gives users the means to find answers fast.

What Impact Does Automation Have on a Service Desk?

Automation greatly changes the IT service desk's role. It changes its place and importance. It alters how IT support is given and seen. And in doing so, helps move from just fixing problems to actively managing service

• A big change is for the agent's job. Common tasks are now automated. Agents can focus on solving harder problems. They give proactive support. They help users use tech better. They improve the customer's experience.
  
• This requires agents to think sharply. They also need to work well with others. For daily work, automation makes things run much better. Issues are fixed faster (shorter MTTR). More problems are solved on the first try (better FCR). Automated service desks can handle more incoming tickets successfully.
  
• Automated systems help use information better. Data is gathered and reviewed more effectively. This helps in looking at trends. It spots potential problems early. It helps in making smart choices. This guides automation to predict and reduce issues
  
• Service quality and consistency also improve. This is because of standard, automated processes. The ability to grow is also better.In fact, according to HBR, employees who use automated IT service desks report 29% higher satisfaction scores.
  
• Finally, good self-help options and faster fixes really boost user control. This also makes users much happier.

Top Challenges in Service Desk Automation

Although helpful, IT service desk automation comes with several difficulties that companies need to sort out for a good setup and the best results.

1. First Costs and Complications: A large early spend on tools and know-how can be a hurdle. The planning and rollout steps can also be complicated and take a while.
   
2. Linking with Older, Legacy Systems: Making new automation tools operate with existing, older IT setups can be a big technical challenge, possibly causing data silos.
   
3. Team Reluctance to Change: Staff might be hesitant because they worry about their jobs or find it hard to adjust. Good ways of managing change are very important.
   
4. Setting Up and Improving Work Methods: Finding the right ways of working and changing them well before automating is very important, but often not given enough thought.
   
5. Too Much Automation or Wrong Automation: Poorly planned automation can create new problems and annoy users, possibly leading to a reduction in your user base.
   
6. Ongoing Upkeep and New Versions: Automation setups need constant upkeep and new versions to keep up with changing company needs.
   
7. Data Safety and Privacy Worries: Automated systems, especially with AI, bring in new safety risks that must be handled to keep data safe and follow compliance laws.
   
8. Not Enough In-House Know-How: The special abilities needed for setting up and looking after automation tools might not be there, meaning outside help or learning is needed.
   
9. Handling What People Expect: If hopes are too high about what can be done or how fast things can be set up, it can lead to letdowns.
   
10. Made-to-Order Difficulty vs. Adaptability: Solutions made very specific can be hard to update or maintain, while some off-the-shelf tools might not be as adaptable as needed.

Best Practices for Implementing Service Desk Automation

Putting service desk automation in place needs a proper plan. It requires careful thought and also needs a drive to always improve. This isn’t just limited to buying technology.

Following good methods helps you get the most from automation.

1. Set Clear Aims and Limits: Look at automation goals with company needs. Think about making users happier or lowering costs. Start with a manageable size. Focus on areas that will make a big impact.
   
2. Start Small, Repeat, and Grow: Begin by automating simple tasks that give big results. This shows success early on. Learn from this. Then slowly add automation to other work methods.
   
3. Look at and Improve Methods First: Make sure your current flow of working is good. Do this before you automate anything more. This way, you won't make slow processes worse.
   
4. Include Everyone Involved: Talk with the IT team. Include people who use the services. Also talk to managers during the process. This gathers helpful ideas and feedback.
   
5. Pick the Best Tools Carefully: Choose software that fits your needs now and later. Think about what the tools do. Consider if they can handle more work later. Check how they connect with other systems. Look at the help the seller provides
   
6. Put User Experience First (UX): Make automated steps easy to use. Self-help websites should also be easy for everyone. This includes IT helpers and the people they assist. This encourages them to use the tools.
   
7. Put Money Into Learning and Managing Change: Prepare your team for new ways of working. Give them good training. Talk clearly about the benefits. This helps with worries. It gets everyone ready to do more thoughtful work.
   
8. Build a Strong Collection of Information: Having a complete online help guide is important. It must be easy to find and is key to self-help. It also helps automations using AI.
   
9. Set Up Solid Oversight and Safety: Create clear rules for managing automated systems. Make sure strong data safety steps are in place.
   
10. Always Monitor, Check, and Improve: Always watch how well your automation performs. Follow key numbers. Listen to what people say to improve your process. Keep making your automated service desk function better over time.

Essential Features of Service Desk Automation Software

Choosing the right service desk automation program is very important for changing IT support. A good system should have a full set of essential features to help make tasks easier. These important features include:

1. Automatic Ticketing System: Main ability for handling the whole life of a ticket, including making tickets from many places, automatic sorting/ranking, smart sending, and status watching.
   
2. Strong Workflow Automation System: Allows for planning and looking after automated ways of working, often with picture-based tools and if-then thinking, without needing lots of coding.
   
3. Full Self-Help Website: An easy-to-use website for people to send/watch tickets, look at the collected information, and use a list of services.
   
4. Connected Information Base Handling: Tools for making, sorting, finding, and keeping up a central place for information, often with AI-suggested ideas.
   
5. AI and Machine Learning Abilities: For smart chatbots, digital assistants, future-telling data checks, automatic suggestions, and Natural Language Processing (NLP).
   
6. Solid Reporting and Information Review: Screens and tools to watch important performance numbers, make special reports, and get an understanding of how the automated service desk is doing.
   
7. Good Connection Abilities (APIs): Able to link up smoothly with other IT management tools and company programs.
   
8. SLA Care and Escalation Rules: Features to set, watch, manage Service Level Agreements, and automate passing up issues.
   
9. Multi-Way Communication Support: Central place for managing talks from email, chat, phone, social media, and web forms.
   
10. Adaptability, Growth Potential, and Safety: Ways of working that can be changed, ability to grow with the company, strong safety points, and control over who can do what.
    
11. Ready-Made Replies: A collection of pre-written answers for common problems.
    
12. Teamwork Features: Tools letting agents work together on tickets and share information.

Improve Your Service Desk with Thunai for AI Automation

Although rule-following service desk automation has greatly improved service desks, Artificial Intelligence (AI) moves these activities into a fresh era of smartness, forward-thinking, and individual tailoring. AI gets smarter, changes, and makes clever choices, deeply changing IT support.

Automation led by AI removes redundant activities and saves your company both time and money!

Here Are Some of Thunai’s Service Desk Automation Use Cases:

• AI Voice Agents That Work 24/7: With AI agents, you can automate resolutions using intelligent and responsive voice agents that reply based on pre-set responses of a knowledge base you upload. Make sure that human agents spend time only on issues that aren’t resolved here.
• Jira Service Desk Automation: Automate service tickets and Jira tickets using voice agents and email agents, so you can make sure support teams have faster issue turnaround and responses.

• AI Email Agents: With email AI agents, you can respond to customer issues with relevant, more personalized responses, making your customers feel seen and valued a lot quicker and more affordably, 24/7.
• AI-Helped Knowledge Handling: AI automates making and improving knowledge base articles and smartly suggests useful material. With this, you can create a HUGE library of support articles based on your documents, conversations, and even client calls.
• Smart Suggestions for Agents: Thunai provides live help to human agents, bringing up information and proposing answers to help them handle more technical issues a lot quicker and with more accuracy.

Want to see how Thunai can transform your support in real time? Try Thunai for free to see it in action.

IT Service Desk Automation FAQs

What is automation as a service?

Automation as a Service (AaaS) provides automation capabilities through a cloud-based subscription. AaaS lets businesses automate tasks and workflows without needing in-house infrastructure. Users access and manage automation tools remotely via a service provider.

What are the 4 steps of automation?

Typically, the four steps of automation include: First, identify processes suitable for automation. Second, design how the automation will work. Third, implement and thoroughly test the solution, and then fourth, monitor its performance and optimize as needed.