Nearly half prefer to use the phone to solve IT problems
Cupertino, March 22, 2021 – The role of the IT department is becoming increasingly important: a global survey of 500 office workers by OTRS Group[1] has revealed that the majority of office workers (90 percent) increasingly need IT department support since they have been working from the home office for longer periods of time. The reason given by 43 percent is that they can’t just turn to a colleague to solve a problem, so they have to contact the IT team directly. The second most frequently cited reason (40 percent) is that it is more difficult to access many systems from home.
Of the 10 percent who respond that they don’t need more IT support in the home office than they would otherwise, the majority (36 percent) cite as the reason that they would be doing exactly the same work at home, so there would be no additional need for IT support.
Almost half expect a response from the IT team within 30 minutes
When asked how quickly IT support should ideally respond, 47 percent answered within 30 minutes. 22 percent are satisfied if the help desk responds within 60 minutes. The reality is close to meeting expectations: 72 percent say their IT support responds to a problem within 30-60 minutes.
Surprisingly, the majority (43 percent) still prefer to pick up the phone to contact the IT department. 25 percent prefer to send an email, 19 percent prefer to describe their problem in person, and 12 percent prefer to open a ticket.
Delayed IT support causes lack of productivity
54 percent cite that if IT support is delayed, they could work less productively and therefore become frustrated. In terms of complaints regarding the IT department, lateness is also an issue, with 36 percent stating that it takes too long to respond when asked about their main complaint. 21 percent believe that the problem is usually not solved on the first attempt. When asked about this, 20 percent say that they never really know what the current status of their IT request is.
“The survey shows how important the role of the IT department is – especially at home office times”, says Christopher Kuhn, COO of OTRS Group. “While the need for support is growing, the study is also a proof that there is still potential to improve. To keep track of the many telephone inquiries, it is worth documenting them in an ITSM system. Therefore, companies should make timely arrangements to equip their IT departments with the best tools and keep them motivated.”
More info on OTRS at: https://otrs.com/product-otrs/
About OTRS Group
OTRS Group is the manufacturer and the world’s largest provider of the service management suite OTRS, awarded with the SERVIEW CERTIFIED TOOL seal of approval.
It offers companies industry-independent solutions for structured communication in customer service, IT service management and security management. In addition to the core product OTRS, the security solutions STORM and CONTROL ensure efficient cybersecurity incident management and transparent documentation in accordance with standards such as ISO 27001.
Among its customers are Lufthansa, Airbus, IBM, Porsche, BSI (Federal Office for Security in Information Technology), Max Planck Institute, Toyota and Hapag Lloyd. OTRS is available in 40 languages. The company consists of OTRS AG and its six subsidiaries OTRS Inc. (USA), OTRS S.A. de C.V. (Mexico), OTRS Asia Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), OTRS Asia Ltd. (Hong Kong), OTRS do Brasil Soluções Ltda. (Brazil) and OTRS Magyarország Kft. (Hungary). OTRS AG is listed on the basic board of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. For more information, see www.otrs.com.
[1] OTRS Group conducted a survey online via Pollfish between February 11 – February 26, 2021 among 500 office workers in Germany, USA, Brazil, Malaysia and Mexico.
