Hey there, curious about the relationship between the number of service desk agents and ticket resolution time? Turns out, it’s not as straightforward as you might think. In a span of 13 months, we dug into data from over 2,000 SolarWinds® Service Desk IT service management (ITSM) customers to bring you the eye-opening SolarWinds State of ITSM Report 2024.
Surprising Results: Agent Numbers vs. Ticket Resolution
On average, it takes about 21 hours to resolve an IT service-desk incident. However, the time taken to tackle tickets varies greatly across companies. Some breeze through tickets in under an hour, while others struggle for an average of 100 hours. Interestingly, the education sector takes around 33 hours to resolve a ticket, while the financial industry manages it in just 14 hours. What’s the deal with such stark differences? Well, as we delved deeper, we discovered that having more agents doesn’t necessarily mean issues get resolved faster. In fact, our data showed that the more incidents each agent handled, the quicker they tended to resolve them. Increasing the ratio of agents to employees didn’t have a significant impact on average incident resolution time. So, having more agents doesn’t always mean smoother sailing.
Unpacking the Mystery: Why Fewer Agents Might Be Better
Why does adding more agents to the mix not always lead to increased efficiency? One possible explanation could be Parkinson’s Law, which suggests that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. In simpler terms, having more time to do a task might actually make you take longer to finish it. On the flip side, when time is limited, people tend to be more focused and efficient. In the realm of ITSM, an agent with three tickets to close in an hour will strive to meet that goal. But if an agent only has one ticket to tackle within the same timeframe, they might take the full hour to complete it. While fewer agents might seem like a recipe for quicker resolutions, it also brings the risk of stress, fatigue, and burnout.
Combatting Burnout: The Role of Automation
The pressure to close tickets swiftly can lead to rushed solutions that sacrifice quality. Speed-driven work often results in compromised service quality and can contribute to employee burnout. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report, burnout costs the global economy a whopping USD 8.9 trillion. Automation emerges as a game-changer in this scenario, cutting down average ticket resolution time by over three hours. Automated processes like ticket routing, incident categorization, and AI enhancements can significantly boost efficiency and user satisfaction. By embracing automation, organizations can reduce missed service-level agreements (SLAs) and achieve faster resolution times across the board.
Empowering Fewer Agents: The Magic of Automation
Implementing automated processes not only speeds up ticket resolution but also allows small teams of agents to handle a substantial volume of tickets effectively. Features like AI-driven recommendations for issue resolution take the guesswork out of the equation, enabling agents to troubleshoot with precision. By investing in automation solutions, organizations can empower their teams to focus on high-value tasks and deliver top-notch service.
Driving Independence: The Role of Self-Service Portals
Encouraging a culture of independent problem-solving among non-tech staff can lead to a reduction in ticket volume. By providing comprehensive knowledge-base (KB) articles, organizations can equip users and service desk agents to resolve issues swiftly. Stay tuned for our next article in the State of ITSM series, where we’ll delve deeper into the effectiveness of self-service ITSM.
Focus on IT Optimization, Not Just Agent Numbers
Looking to enhance your service desk efficiency? It’s not just about adding more agents—it’s about optimizing your IT processes. Investing in IT optimization can yield better results than simply increasing headcount. For more insights, check out the SolarWinds State of ITSM Report.
