An IT help desk is the single point of contact employees use when technology gets in the way of work: a locked account, a laptop that won’t boot, a printer nobody can find, an email that looks suspicious. It’s the most visible part of IT, and the one employees judge the whole department by. A good help desk resolves most issues on the first call and logs everything so recurring problems get fixed at the root. A bad one is where tickets go to die.
In this guide
- What an IT help desk does
- Support tiers explained
- In-house vs. outsourced help desk
- What an IT help desk costs
- Response times to expect
- How Sixwatch runs the help desk
- FAQ
What an IT help desk does
- Answers user requests by phone, email, chat, or portal
- Logs every request as a ticket with a priority and an owner
- Resolves common issues directly: password resets, software installs, access requests, device setup, connectivity problems
- Escalates complex problems to engineers
- Tracks metrics: first-call resolution, time to resolve, ticket volume by category
- Spots patterns. Twenty tickets about the same application in a month is a problem to fix, not twenty problems to close.
Help desk support tiers
| Tier | Handles | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 0 | Self-service: knowledge base, password reset portal | Employee resets their own MFA |
| Tier 1 | First contact; quick fixes and known issues | Password reset, printer mapping, Outlook not syncing |
| Tier 2 | Deeper troubleshooting; technicians with system access | Application errors, device rebuilds, network drops |
| Tier 3 | Engineers; infrastructure and root-cause work | Server failures, security incidents, firewall changes |
Well-run help desks resolve 70% or more of tickets at Tier 1.
In-house vs. outsourced IT help desk
| In-house | Outsourced (part of managed IT) | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Business hours, minus PTO and sick days | Extended or 24/7 |
| Staffing | 1 technician per 50 – 75 users | Shared team; scales with headcount |
| Cost, 50 users | $65,000 – $90,000 / yr for one technician, plus tools | $12,000 – $30,000 / yr for help desk alone; included in most managed IT plans |
| Depth | Limited to the technician’s skills | Tier 1 – 3 available |
| Knowledge of your environment | High | High after onboarding, if the provider assigns named technicians |
| Ticketing, metrics, reporting | Only if you set it up | Included |
Most companies under 150 employees outsource the help desk as part of managed IT services. Larger companies often keep Tier 1 in-house for desk-side presence and outsource after-hours and Tier 2–3 through co-managed IT.
What an IT help desk costs
- Outsourced help desk only: $20 – $50 per user per month
- Included in managed IT: part of the $75 – $300 per user monthly rate
- In-house technician: $65,000 – $90,000 salary fully loaded, plus $2,000 – $5,000 per year for ticketing and remote support tools
- Per-ticket pricing: $15 – $40 per ticket, common for overflow arrangements
Response times to expect
| Priority | Example | Response | Resolution target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | Whole office down, ransomware | 15 – 30 minutes | 4 hours |
| High | One user can’t work | 1 hour | Same business day |
| Normal | Slow computer, software request | 4 hours | 1 – 2 business days |
| Low | How-to question, new monitor | Next business day | 3 – 5 business days |
Ask any provider for these numbers in the SLA. “Prompt response” isn’t a number.
How Sixwatch runs the help desk
Sixwatch’s end-user support and help desk is staffed by named technicians who know your environment, not a rotating call center. Critical issues get a 30-minute emergency remote response and same-day onsite support across Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. Founder John Owens has 25+ years in IT, and our 5.0 Google rating is mostly about the help desk: people who called with a problem and got a person who fixed it.
Book a 15-minute call or request a proposal.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an IT help desk and a service desk? A help desk is reactive: it fixes what’s broken. A service desk is broader, handling requests, changes, and IT service management. In practice most businesses use the terms interchangeably.
How many help desk technicians do I need? Roughly one per 50 to 75 users for in-house support, more if you have multiple locations or 24/7 needs.
How much does an outsourced IT help desk cost? $20 to $50 per user per month on its own, or included in managed IT services plans.
What is first-call resolution? The percentage of tickets resolved on the first contact without escalation. 70% or higher is a healthy benchmark.
Can an outsourced help desk provide onsite support? If the provider is local. Remote fixes handle most tickets, but hardware failures and network issues still need someone in the building.
Need a help desk your employees will actually call? Book a 15-minute call · Request a proposal