Which statement best describes the purpose of the service desk practice?
ITIL 4 Foundation, objective 6. Purpose and key terms of 15 ITIL practices medium
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The options
Correct To capture demand for incident resolution and service requests, and to act as the entry point and single point of contact for users
Correct. Both halves of the purpose are stated: capturing demand from users, and being the service provider's single point of contact with its users.
Not correct To restore normal service operation as quickly as possible after an unplanned interruption
That is incident management's purpose. The service desk captures and often resolves incidents, but restoration is the incident practice's objective, not the desk's defining purpose.
Not correct To establish and nurture links between the organization and its stakeholders at strategic and tactical levels
That is relationship management, which works at strategic and tactical levels. The service desk is the operational contact point for users.
Not correct To set clear business-based targets for service levels and monitor delivery against them
That is service level management. The service desk operates within agreed targets rather than setting them.
Why
The service desk is defined by its position in the flow — the point where user demand enters the organization — rather than by the type of work it performs. That is why 'single point of contact' appears in the purpose. Note also that the service desk is a practice, not necessarily a physical location or a single team.
Where this comes from
- Cited
- ITIL 4 syllabus clause 6
- What it says
- The service desk captures demand for incident resolution and service requests and is the single point of contact for users.
Practise this
Reading one question is not practice. The trainer will draw a set from objective 6 and space the ones you get wrong.