The term SPOC refers to a Single Point of Contact support organization. This means that all IT issues, service requests, problems and incidents are first directed to the level 1 service desk to be logged in the ticketing system, and then either resolved at level 1 or dispatched to another source of support where the ticket can be resolved. Read More

% Resolved Level 1 Capable is a Desktop Support metric. It measures the percentage of tickets resolved by desktop support that could have been resolved by the level 1 service desk. This happens when the service desk dispatches or escalates a ticket to desktop support that could have been resolved by the service desk, or when a user bypasses the service desk altogether, and goes directly to desktop support for a resolution to their problem. Although the metric is tracked at desktop support, it has strong implications for both desktop support and the service desk.

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One of the most common questions I hear from IT support managers is “How many techs should I have in desktop support?” It’s a great question, but one that is rarely answered adequately. The result is that many desktop support organizations are not staffed properly because they do not follow any sort of proven methodology when making headcount decisions. Instead, they rely on “gut feel” or “instinct” when it comes to staffing desktop support. Compounding this situation is the fact that many desktop support groups do not follow a strict SPOC (Single Point of Contact) support model, and end up handling large numbers of incidents that could and should be resolved by the service desk. It’s no wonder then that many desktop support groups are overstaffed, and hence very costly.

In this blog, MetricNet defines a rigorous methodology for determining the appropriate technician headcount for desktop support. Following the approach outlined in this article, desktop support organizations can be assured that they will be staffed to meet the needs and expectations of their customers, while simultaneously delivering services in an efficient, fiscally responsible manner.

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The average Desktop Support organization tracks fewer than 5 KPI’s. However, there are literally hundreds of KPI’s that have been defined for Desktop Support. The vast majority of these metrics, however, are only marginally relevant – at best!  When it comes to KPI’s for Desktop Support, less is more!

In today's blog I discuss Incident First Contact Resolution Rate for Desktop Support.

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Service Desk consolidation is one of the key megatrends that MetricNet has identified in the support industry. Consolidation holds the promise of lower costs, and higher customer satisfaction for service desks worldwide. But the migration from many to few is fraught with peril when it comes to service desk consolidation.

In this blog, MetricNet will discuss the factors behind the Service Desk Consolidation trend, and the benefits that can be gained from Service Desk Consolidation.

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Most companies believe that the cost of desktop support consists entirely of the personnel, technology, and facilities that comprise the desktop support organization. From a pure accounting perspective, this may be true. However, there are many other, less obvious costs (some would say hidden costs), that must be taken into account when determining the true cost of Desktop Support. These include the cost of defects, the “penalty cost” for not following a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) support model, and workload costs that are a direct result of the IT environment itself.

In this blog we use benchmarking data to demonstrate that the true cost of Desktop Support is often much higher than expected.

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