Marketing
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Communicating IT’s contribution to the business and employees is crucial. A proper communication plan enables effective marketing of IT. Set up a clear service desk mission & vision statement and communicate it to your users.
Putting a meaningful brand name on an IT initiative will help the IT team communicate the value in a memorable way. “CIO survey revealed that branding specific IT projects or services is among the most effective and popular marketing practices.” Branding the service desk builds positive associations in users’ minds and builds goodwill. Create a logo, brand message, or a slogan to increase awareness and gain attention from users. Brand building exercise is a continuous project that improves awareness and adoption over a period of time.
The Value of Acceptance and Awareness
Help desk services only have value if they are being used. When a help desk is functioning properly, it is able to assist end-users with regard to technology usage, and also solve problems (either on the spot or through appropriate escalation). A properly functioning help desk promotes productivity, saves money and becomes a central repository of actual “experience” to improve future technology plans and decision making.
To realize all these benefits, end-users must believe that the help desk is capable of providing the required assistance. That belief comes from actual experience and the quality of the services provided. To realize “acceptance”, help desk services must be provided in a manner consistent with the overall strategic IT management vision.
Awareness is equally important. If the end-user community is not sufficiently aware of the help desk mission, and the services provided, it is unlikely that utilization and “acceptance” goals can be met. This is the purpose of a help desk “marketing program”.
If you do not put in a ticket and insist on calling or stopping by, your request has a good chance of getting jotted down on sticky note or random piece of paper and getting lost in the shuffle …