Term of the Moment
Core M
Definition: help desk
A source of technical support for hardware or software. Help desks are staffed by people who can either solve the problem directly or forward the problem to someone else. Help desk software provides the means to log in problems and track them until solved. It also provides the management information regarding support activities. See tech support and help desk ticket.
The Help Desk Process
Help desk software must be able to effectively support all the possible paths that a service request may follow from start to completion as is diagrammed here. (Illustration courtesy of Help Desk Technology Corporation.)