Most often, the purpose of a help desk is IT support, either to serve external customers or internal customers (employees) needing technical support. But some businesses broaden it to a more general term for a customer support, customer service, or customer advocacy team.

The help desk serves two primary functions: It answers questions customers may have about products or services. It assists customers with technical support and solutions to problems. A help desk system streamlines support requests within a single interface.

IT help desks provide answers to users’ technical questions related to products and services. At their most basic, help desks are locations where employees can request and receive assistance with IT-related problems, particularly in regard to products, services, and in-house tools, platforms, and devices.