When a help desk is working perfectly, it can feel like the center of a company. It's a source of internal support for employees with IT problems, a self-service hub for troubleshooting customer issues and connecting them to the proper support agents, and a repository for product issues, solutions, and other data.
The help desk statistics below show how deeply embedded a help desk can be and how it continues to change as customer needs shift.
The rise of self-service has made the online help desk more crucial than ever before. While help desks now encompass both traditional agent support and self-service options, customers increasingly prefer self-service—which is becoming even more powerful when paired with generative AI. These customer-centric support options also improve CX and satisfaction ratings.
1. Eighty-one percent of consumers expect more self-service options, but only 40% of businesses think they have enough. (NICE)
2. Only 16% of customers prefer getting help over social media or on forums. (SuperOffice)
3.When online information bases are user-friendly and provide the information customers need, 91% of them are willing to try these support options first. (AmDocs)
4. The use of chatbots is surging, with 68% of people having already interacted with an automated customer service chatbot. (Ipsos)
5. Resolving IT help desk tickets in North America comes at an average cost of $22 per ticket. (Global Help Desk Services)
The pandemic accelerated a shift toward self-service digital interactions—technological advancements and changing customer needs played a major role in making more resources available online. As employees and customers searched for new ways to solve problems, the help desk shifted to handle requests from new channels and connect agents and customers.
6. The global average share of digital interactions nearly tripled in just three years, jumping from 20% in June 2017 to almost 60% by July 2020. (Statista)
7. The ITSM market is projected to grow to $5.2 billion by 2028. (Absolute Reports)
8. A study found that in response to COVID-19, 64% of IT leaders expect to boost their investments in automation over the coming years. (Inference Solutions)
9. Eighty-four percent of shoppers are willing to spend more to get better customer service. (Gladly)
10. While 55% of baby boomers say they won't give up on support until after contacting multiple people, 55% of millennials and Gen Z customers will use the service or product less, 52% won’t buy from that business again, and 44% would spread teir negative experience by word of mouth if self-service doesn’t help. (Gartner)
The help desk has always been a resource for employees, whether through solving a technical issue or providing guidance and insight on how a tech stack functions. As stacks and knowledge bases changed and grew and the help desk started funneling customers to the proper departments, its impact on employees expanded, too. By implementing a robust issue tracking and resolution system and working alongside agents to solve problems, the help desk is more indispensable than ever.
11. Ninety-one percent of customer service teams agreed that help desk systems increase productivity. (HubSpot)
12. Employees who feel supported by their IT department are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs overall. (Microsoft)
13. Knowledge sharing within an organization can lead to a 20% increase in productivity. (VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems)
14. Generative AI can significantly streamline help desks by reducing support ticket volume by 60%. (Rezolve)
Repetitive tasks drain energy and eat up time. Because help desks deal mostly with common problems, help desk automation can have an outsized impact, freeing agents for more complex support issues. From virtual assistants and chatbots to knowledge bases and other self-service options, automating help desk functions helps everyone.
15. A lack of staff with AI experience is seen as the biggest holdup (57%) to the adoption of AI in ITSM. (ITSM Tools)
16. Leveraging AI can significantly reduce IT help desk response times from an industry standard of more than seven hours to three seconds. (Atera)
17. Automating some help desk tasks could help the 88% of IT professionals who anticipate their jobs becoming more challenging in the coming years. (ITSM Tools)
18. The use of AI in knowledge management is on the rise—but with caution. Nearly half (46%) of respondents are still in the evaluation phase, indicating a measured approach to this innovative technology. (APQC)
19. Companies using automation typically respond to customer issues 37% faster than those relying solely on manual methods. (Gorgias)
The future of customer service, and by extension, the help desk, is intelligent, AI-powered virtual assistants, chatbots, and customer service tools that enhance customer support. The convenience, low cost, and 24/7 availability of these tools improve first-contact resolution rates, speed up problem-solving, and make tracking and analyzing trends easier (and use that information to improve business value with better help desk reporting)—all while empowering help desk teams to pursue solutions to any problem.
20. Nearly 9 in 10 (88%) customers interacted with a chatbot last year. (Tidio)
21. Customer satisfaction with chatbots for complex issues remains low, with only 35% reporting efficient problem-solving in most interactions. (Ipsos)
22. Forty-one percent of customers prefer live chat over email and phone support. (Kayako)
23. Businesses using automation resolve customer tickets 52% faster than businesses that don't. (Gorgias)
24. Nearly 40% of younger generations (Gen Z and millennials) abandon customer service issues if they can't be solved through self-service options. (Gartner)
Self-service options, including static or AI-enhanced self-service, empower customers and employees to find solutions quickly and independently.
The latest help desk solutions increase customer satisfaction and give employees access to tools, training, and expertise that might otherwise be unavailable (or siloed off from them). Increased productivity and happier customers are a win-win for everyone.
25. A seamless transition between self-service and assisted customer service channels leads to big wins—93% of respondents reported high satisfaction when switching channels was smooth and easy. (Gartner)
26. Over three-quarters (77%) of customers say they have a more positive view of organizations that offer self-service options for getting support. (Higher Logic)
27. Help desk systems and knowledge bases are the two most common tools provided to customer service teams to improve customer support. (HubSpot)
28. Nearly half (47%) of companies with a knowledge base reported a boost in sales. (HubSpot)
29. Almost 80% of customers expect organizations to offer self-service support tools so they can find solutions independently. (Higher Logic)
The help desk landscape is in constant flux, driven by technological advancements and evolving customer expectations. By staying informed about the latest trends and IT help desk statistics, you can ensure your help desk is equipped to handle the ever-shifting needs of customers and employees.
ITSM from ServiceNow lets your IT team work from a single platform to reduce complexity and deliver better service. AI-enhanced tools allow your team to automate workflows, deploy intelligent chatbots and virtual assistants, create self-service portals, and much more.
