Service Desk Analyst Duties and Responsibilities

A service desk analyst is an information technology (IT) professional who helps users troubleshoot problems with computer hardware or software. They answer user questions, evaluate problems and problems with IT equipment and applications, and help solve these problems for users. They also work closely with other IT staff to help with tasks that are beyond their knowledge or experience.

Service desk analysts must balance creative and technical problem solving, customer service, and collaboration to ensure that staff across the organization can access and use the software and resources they need to get to work.

 Duties and responsibilities of the Service Desk analyst.

While the functions of the service desk analyst may depend on your organization and level of experience, many of the basic functions remain the same:

Field service requests coming

One of the primary functions of a service desk analyst is to handle incoming requests and requests for help from end users, whether by email or by phone. They take detailed notes on the problem encountered by the user, determine the steps they can take to resolve the problem, and manage the flow of incoming support requests. This involves asking questions to determine the full extent of the user's problem.

Resolve IT support requests

If possible, service desk analysts directly resolve technical issues for users as they arrive. In some organizations, this may involve remote accessing the user's computer and changing the system and settings. In other cases, the service desk analyst guides you through the steps you can take to resolve the problem yourself. For relatively simple problems, the service desk analyst can quickly find a solution to the problem without the IT department taking further action.

Submit advanced cases

Service desk analysts direct user support requests to higher-level IT support specialists and experts if they can't solve the problem on their own. They provide supervisors or specialists with notes about the problem, the steps already taken to resolve the problem, and diagnosing the user's problem. For particularly complex cases, the service desk analyst can receive the user's hardware so that IT specialists can perform analysis and determine how to fix the problem.

Maintain service records

Throughout the user support process, service desk analysts keep detailed records of user problems with software and hardware. These notes can help diagnose and repair complex problems and provide IT departments with data on recurring issues and problems reported by multiple users. By keeping detailed records, the service desk analyst can also view a user's history of software or hardware problems and make recommendations to avoid future problems.

Perform system tests and updates

Service desk analysts support users by performing system tests and upgrades after completing the necessary troubleshooting and repairs. This helps prevent future problems and service outages and ensures that troubleshooting and updates have not caused problems in other parts of the system. They can also guide users through updating and installing software and peripherals.

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