As a business owner, you’ve come across artificial intelligence at one point or another. Maybe you can use an AI-powered chatbot to answer your customers’ questions or conduct lightning-fast data analyses of your customers’ browsing and buying trends. What do you think: will AI make IT service desks obsolete?
Whether you and your team embrace AI or fear it, this question has been on everyone’s minds for good reason.
The Traditional Roles of IT Technicians on the Desk
Whether in-house or independently run, information technology teams have been around for decades, assisting all sorts of companies with equipment and vital networks. These teams manage and maintain software, hardware, and connectivity. IT professionals also install programs, monitor cybersecurity, and troubleshoot incidents as they arise.
Of course, you might have a few different members in a well-balanced business IT team to handle various tasks. Network engineers, software developers, and Help Desk technicians are a few of them, and the latter has much to say about artificial intelligence in IT.
The Newer Role of Artificial Intelligence in Information Technology
As digital systems become more complex, even new and evolving technology is making IT departments struggle to keep up. About 87% of 1,000 IT workers covered by a Nexthink survey claimed they needed more proactive capabilities to stay afloat. About 96% of these participants already use or are poised to use AI-powered tools for anticipating and dealing with incidents.
So, will AI make IT service desks obsolete? If you go by those percentages, it’s unclear whether AI will replace service desks. Still, service desks will certainly prove redundant without incorporating AI in some way. That’s why 95% of these technicians claim their departments are looking for productivity-boosting strategies and end-user satisfaction.
Advancements include Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning, which help with service desk automation. It takes care of tasks like providing customers with self-service activities and offering chatbot customer support by answering frequently asked questions. Should technicians fear being replaced altogether, though?
Does AI Stepping In Mean IT Teams Are Stepping Out?
Does incorporating AI for Help Desk efficiency mean you have to say goodbye to your IT team? A long-time author and AI researcher, Dr. Emily Chang, doesn’t think so. Dr. Chang explains that companies can never truly replace humans since organizations will always have issues requiring spontaneity, creativity, and complex problem-solving skills.
Instead of wondering whether AI will make IT service desks obsolete, business owners should consider the many benefits they could harness with this service desk innovation and support. Could AI be the first support for repetitive tasks and simple problems with higher-up service desk jobs to escalate problem-solving? Could your business free up personnel for crucial interactions that need a human touch?
Will AI make IT service desks obsolete? They might, but AI can offer some valuable assistance if you notice the shift in IT capabilities at work or if a team can barely keep up with your brand’s technological demands.
