If your Service Desk feels constantly behind or struggling to deliver, you’re not alone. In this guide, we unpack the real causes of overwhelm and underperformance - and the practical steps that restore control fast.
Across industries, one trend has become nearly universal:
IT Service Desks are more overwhelmed today than at any other point in the last decade.
Ticket volumes continue to rise.
Users expect faster resolution.
Systems are more complex.
And yet, IT teams frequently report that improvement is harder to achieve than ever before.
If you lead an IT Operations or Service Delivery function, you’ve likely felt this pressure firsthand. Many organisations assume the Service Desk is underperforming - or that adding headcount, new tools, or automation will fix everything.
But after working with dozens of organisations facing this exact challenge, one truth stands out:
This article breaks down the real causes of Service Desk overload, how to evaluate your environment, what “good” looks like in modern IT Service Delivery, and the steps leaders can take to regain control.
When an organisation experiences chronic backlog, slow resolution times, and rising user frustration, the instinct is often to:
But none of these address the foundational issues that lead to overwhelm.
Let’s break down the most common systemic causes.
1. The Service Portal Isn’t Doing Its Job
For most users, the IT Service Portal is supposed to be the gateway to support. The problem is that in many organisations, the portal:
When people cannot find what they need within 10–15 seconds, they give up.
They email.
They call.
They message someone they know in IT.
And every one of those bypasses becomes a ticket.
Gartner research suggests up to 40% of Service Desk demand originates from requests that should have been handled through self-service - but weren't, because the portal experience failed the user.
When your portal isn’t working, your Service Desk becomes the fallback for everything.
2. Your Service Catalogue Was Built for IT, Not the Business
A Service Catalogue should act as a clear menu of what IT provides.
Instead, in many organisations, Catalogues:
If users cannot confidently choose the right service, they choose the wrong one - or none at all.
That creates:
Every ambiguity in the Catalogue results in unnecessary work for the Service Desk.
3. Every Resolver Team Works Differently
Inconsistent ways of working are one of the biggest internal contributors to overload.
When teams such as Infrastructure, Applications, Security, Networks, Field Support, and Cloud Operations all interpret priority, ownership, escalation, and “done” differently, the Service Desk ends up:
This slow, fragmented workflow is why two-thirds of tickets take longer than necessary.
The more variation in process, the more overwhelmed your Service Desk becomes.
4. Asset & Configuration Visibility Is Weak (or Nonexistent)
A Service Desk cannot resolve issues quickly if they don’t know:
When the CMDB or asset inventory is inaccurate - or missing altogether - analysts must spend significant time collecting information.
In many organisations, 60–80% of delays occur because analysts lack key configuration or asset insights.
Without strong visibility, even simple tickets take too long.
5. You’re Not Measuring the Right Things (or Anything at All)
Service Desks are often evaluated on traditional SLA metrics:
These metrics may satisfy auditors but tell you almost nothing about why the Service Desk is overwhelmed.
High-performing IT teams also measure:
Once you elevate your measurement approach, the root causes of overload become easier to see and act upon.
6. You Introduced New Tools, Automation, or AI Before Fixing the Foundations
This is one of the most common - and most damaging mistakes.
Modern IT organisations often purchase:
But when these technologies are layered on top of:
they don’t solve anything.
In fact, they often break things faster.
Automation doesn’t fix a broken system.
It accelerates whatever the system is already doing.
Until the foundations are addressed, tools will not reduce the workload on your Service Desk.
Below is a checklist you can use to self-assess your environment.
If you answer YES to four or more of these, you’re dealing with structural overload - not performance issues.
Service Portal & Catalogue Assessment
Process & Operating Model Assessment
Data & Visibility Assessment
Measurement & Improvement Assessment
If these symptoms look familiar, you don’t have a “people problem” - you have a Service Delivery system problem.
High-performing Service Desks share six common characteristics.
Let’s break them down.
1. The Service Portal Is a Clear, Intuitive, High-Adoption Experience
Users:
A strong portal reduces up to 30% of manual tickets.
2. The Service Catalogue Is Clean, Logical, and Written in Business Language
A strong Catalogue:
When the Catalogue works, the entire Service Delivery chain becomes easier.
3. IT Works as One Team, Not Seven Different Ones
Instead of isolated teams, a unified operating model ensures:
This consistency is the single most impactful change organisations can make.
4. Visibility Is Embedded Into Every Process
With accurate asset and configuration data:
Visibility is the backbone of effective Service Delivery.
5. Metrics Drive Improvement, Not Pressure
Modern IT teams track:
Metrics should point to improvement, not blame.
6. Automation and AI Are Implemented the Right Way
Rather than introducing automation reactively, high-performing teams:
When done well, automation reduces workload—not adds to it.
These steps require no major budget and no large transformation project.
1. Analyse Your Top 10 Ticket Drivers
Identify which categories generate the highest workload.
Focus improvement efforts there first.
2. Rewrite the Service Catalogue in Business Language
Clear language reduces ambiguity and incorrect tickets.
3. Fix One High-Volume Request Workflow
Choose one:
Redesign it end-to-end for speed and clarity.
4. Create a Basic Asset Inventory
Even a simple version dramatically improves resolution speed.
5. Track Five Key Metrics for 30 Days
Suggested metrics:
Patterns will emerge quickly.
In the short video below, Kirk Penn walks through the Service Desk Overwhelm Diagnostic Map and explains how to use it.
If your Service Desk is overwhelmed or underperforming, it’s almost never because the team isn’t performing.
It’s because:
Once you strengthen the system, the Service Desk stabilises - every time.
If your Service Desk is constantly overwhelmed and you’re not sure where to begin, SMS offers a free, no-obligation 45-minute review to:
No pressure.
No sales pitch.
Just clarity. Book Your Free Review Here.
Q: Why is our Service Desk always behind?
A: Because the system around it - Catalogue, portal, processes, visibility - is not supporting it.
Q: Do we need a new ITSM tool?
A: Tools rarely fix structural issues. Fix the foundations first.
Q: Should we increase headcount?
A:More people help temporarily, but the root causes persist.
Q:Will automation reduce workload?
A: Only if implemented after stabilising processes.
Q: Where should we start?
A: Start with your top 10 ticket drivers and your Service Catalogue.