Most people who’ve worked an office job have had the experience of trying to track down a member of the IT staff when their computer isn’t working properly. If your company’s IT staff works efficiently and has the right tools to do its job, you’ll be back online in no time. But unfortunately, many folks have probably had the experience of sitting, waiting and hoping their problem gets sorted out before the working world begins to pass them by.

“For employees, there’s perhaps nothing more frustrating than not being able to get online, or access files on the server that allow you to get necessary work done,” says Bob Kelly, a help desk management expert with Dell KACE. “The average employee isn’t going to care about the processes used to fix their problem, but they’ll be plenty concerned about getting the problem fixed in a timely and efficient manner.”

While technical glitches have always come with the territory in office environments that rely heavily on networks, it perhaps has never been more important for IT departments to manage requests for help in the most efficient way possible. Especially for larger companies where IT departments are dealing with a constant flood of requests, the right help desk management tool can make all the difference.

“With the right help desk management tool, IT departments can prioritize requests and use a system that will help them resolve problems in the most timely and effective manor,” says Kelly.

When IT experts are selecting a system management appliance, it’s important they don’t overlook the options offered by the help or service desk management features. A good help desk management tool will allow an IT department to organize tasks by department of the company, and prioritize those tasks based on the importance of completing each one.

Therefore when used properly, the help desk management tool prevents IT staff from attacking problems haphazardly and hoping for the best results. And if an IT staff wants to evaluate how they are doing, a sophisticated help desk management tool will compile reports on the time used to combat certain problems, which can further enhance the department’s troubleshooting approach.

So if you find yourself satisfied with the time it takes to resolve computer problems that aren’t allowing you to do your job, chances are your IT department has integrated a help desk management program that works.