IT Support Best Practices

While all best practices are important, implementing a structured incident management process is fundamental. This ensures that all IT issues are properly logged, categorized, prioritized, and resolved efficiently. It provides the foundation for measuring performance, identifying trends, and continuously improving your IT support operations.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) for IT support include:

• First contact resolution rate
• Average resolution time
• SLA compliance percentage
• Customer satisfaction scores
• Ticket volume and trends
• Cost per ticket

Regular reporting and analysis of these metrics will help you identify areas for improvement.

This depends on several factors including your organization's size, budget, IT complexity, and strategic priorities. Many organizations adopt a hybrid approach, keeping some support functions in-house while outsourcing others. Consider these factors:

• In-house teams typically have better knowledge of your business context
• Outsourced support can provide 24/7 coverage and specialized expertise
• Managed service providers often bring established processes and tools
• Cost structures differ (capital vs. operational expenditure)

To reduce ticket volume while maintaining service quality:

• Implement a comprehensive self-service knowledge base
• Analyze recurring issues and address root causes
• Provide user training on common procedures
• Use automation for password resets and routine tasks
• Deploy proactive monitoring to catch issues before users report them
• Implement chatbots for first-line support

Essential IT support tools include:

• Help desk ticketing system
• Remote support and desktop sharing tools
• Network monitoring and management software
• IT asset management system
• Knowledge base platform
• Automated password reset tools
• Performance analytics and reporting dashboards

Choose tools that integrate well with each other to create a seamless support ecosystem.