Let's face it-no matter the size of the company or the dependability of the computer system, we all rely on the service desk to keep our computers going. As an employee that started in a smaller company that was swallowed up by a larger company and then swallowed up for a huge company, I've had my fill of dealing with service desk solutions.
The small company had a team of computer experts who ran around all the building trouble shooting issues all day. They were great - they kept us productive. If you were lucky, when you ran into one of the team, you could twist their arm into solving a problem without have to go through the service desk and getting ticket number!
The next company was so large that you rarely saw the same tech twice so that dreaded call to the help desk was necessary, but generally they escalated the ticked if you were completely broken down and you'd see someone within a day.
Then there's the huge company-here's a scenario of how the whole process works. You call the service desk and a recording tells you that you can go online and register your problem and you are thinking-hello, if my computer worked and I could go online, then I wouldn't be on the other end of the phone. Next, someone in India answers the phone because it's much cheaper not to be efficient. The only way you can communicate is by asking them to repeat everything they say until it finally sinks in.
Then they say-here's your ticket number, you'll need to take your computer to the tech. So you board the company shuttle-computer clenched tightly-and ride to another building. Then you find the floor with the computer guys, explain your problem and give them that coveted ticket number so they can start work on your computer. If you are lucky, your computer will be done by the end of the day. So then you ride the shuttle back, forward your phone to your cell, and go shopping for the rest of the day because there is NOTHING you can do without a computer.
And somewhere a CEO wonders why productivity is down...