Is there any future for the IT helpdesk? AI and automation could render it ‘redundant’ within three years

IT helpdesk staff are often the source of great stories about user incompetence, but they could be on their way out, according to new research from Nexthink.

A survey of 1,000 global IT workers finds that eight-in-ten believe the current service desk model will be unrecognizable within three years, with a similar proportion saying that new technologies will render it ‘redundant’ by 2027.

Meanwhile, 87% of IT workers told Nexthink that with digital transformation making enterprise IT environments both larger and more complex, incident response is ‘economically unsustainable’ unless helpdesks can be given a more proactive role.

“The ultimate value of any technology is how well it enables people to do their jobs and how it impacts overall company productivity,” said Yassine Zaied, chief strategy officer at Nexthink.

“Right now, businesses are spending billions on digital transformation, yet seeing mixed results at best. Whether it’s underperforming devices, failed adoption projects, or botched migrations, business efficiency is constantly being halted by poor digital experiences.”

However, while there’s agreement that the service desk needs to evolve, there’s no consensus on what should come next.

Virtually all the survey respondents said that new technologies – particularly those around AI and automation – made them excited about the future of end user computing, and that it was an attractive future career route.

However, two-thirds said they feared that these technological changes could impact their own career prospects moving forward.

More than nine-in-ten believe the service desk will evolve into the ‘experience desk’ in the coming years, and that this will require significant technological change.

IT helpdesk workers will need to upskill to stay relevant

Workers will need to upskill in terms of improving their understanding of the employee experience, generative AI skills, and the ability to deliver technological training and instruction.

But there’s some frustration with colleagues, with three-quarters of IT staff saying that employees are resistant to carrying out their own IT fixes for themselves. A similar proportion put this down to a lack of employee training, and a general resistance to change.

“IT is going to be the nexus for all productivity enablement moving forward, and this research shows that IT workers are already looking to make that transition. The only question is whether executives will provide the resources investment needed to support them in this journey,” said Zaied.

“Efficiency isn’t merely a technical problem, it’s about the day-to-day human experience. Simply trying to fix problems as they arise means playing a losing game of whack-a-mole. Instead, organizations need to take a holistic approach to employees’ digital experience by building better functioning environments that can improve productivity, rather than impeding it.”

Two years ago, a report from remote-desktop software and remote support software firm Splashtop found two-thirds of IT helpdesk workers were reporting unsustainable levels of stress.

Nearly all were facing hiring challenges, retention issues, and skill shortages, the study found. As a result, two-thirds reported challenges with maintaining basic IT support goals.

“With many employees working remotely on a regular basis, IT and helpdesk staff face higher ticket volumes, more diverse set of devices to support, and greater security challenges,” said Splashtop CTO Philip Sheu.