* Corporate help desk are significantly understaffed
Corporate help desks are significantly understaffed in the minds of the IT leaders who run them, according to the results of a recent poll from IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology.
The poll of more than 1,400 CIOs shows technical support teams are on average 40% smaller than they optimally should be. Overall, the ratio of internal end users to tech support pros is 136:1. When asked what the ideal ratio of end users to tech support employees, the mean response was 82:1.
Big companies with more than 1,000 employees are in the best tech support staffing position. Those firms report a ratio of end users to IT staff of 118:1 vs. an ideal of 82:1. Leaders from midsize firms have more challenging tech support circumstances if staffing is any indication. Those businesses with 250 to 499 employees have an average ratio of end users to IT support staff of 131:1, when leaders say the ideal would be 64:1.
“Many managers, particularly those with organizations experiencing growth, are realizing their technical support or help desk teams can no longer keep up with increasing end-user needs,” says Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “An understaffed technical support function can lead to a frustrated and less productive workforce, which ultimately affects the company’s bottom line.”
If your tech support group is lean, there are a few steps to take to ease the job for your support technicians. Locking down desktops with a standard configuration makes it easier to support. Implement automated help desk systems, post FAQ files on your corporate intranet with instructions for fixing common problems, and consider implementing ITIL practices.
