The characteristics that Service Desk is moving towards are:

1. Increased use of self help – As customers and users become more technologically savvy, they are getting braver nowadays to execute remedial efforts.  Compared to a few years back, these group of customers have become bolder and have embraced technology quicker than ever before. It is therefore a good time for Service Desk manager to re-look into their FAQs and knowledge bases so that their customers can help themselves.
2. Improved knowledge bases with contextual searching – the tools I work with today have appalling knowledge base design.  The categorization of knowledge leaves much to be desired as is with the search function.  Even a simple wizard-based kind of troubleshooting steps is non-existent.  I’m using a very famous and probably the world’s best helpdesk system but yet, the knowledge base module is not quite to my standard. In time to come, you will find better knowledge base designs with better search engines.  I will also expect vendors to adopt wizard based diagnostic/troubleshooting process; much like the current Microsoft’s Troubleshooter.
3. Reduction or elimination of deskside support – With customers becoming bolder and technology-savvier, this characteristic is bound to follow suit. Now that customers are able to perform remedial actions on their own, deskside support will be reduced.  Furthermore, with technologies such as remote access becoming a common tool in all organizations, IT no longer need to be on-site to assist the customer.
4. Provision of services through a fully integrated service catalog – a service catalog lists down your organization’s service provision along with the description of such services, the service level for service fulfilment, service entitlement, associated cost and procedures to obtain such services.  Comparing analogically, you can imagine the service catalog like a menu in a restaurant.  In time to come, your customers and users can order services right from their desktop where the system will only display the services that they are entitled to.  The request will then be automatically subjected to an automated approval workflow and service providers are constantly reminded of unfillled services so as to meet the service level.
5. Remote rebuild & self healing workstations – these are technologies that are available today.  For example, Microsoft Vista has an inbuilt self healing system where computers are kept running reliably by automatically detecting and resolving many known problems—requiring little or no effort from the user.  It’s here in the operating system and before long, it’s moving to specific applications.  Even software developers are improving their software with such technologies so as to minimize support.
6. Tight integration with IP Telephony – Voice Over IP is cheap; Caller ID makes it personal; Service Desk professional can be mobile and yet reachable through a single number; audio conferencing can be made on the fly; video conversation is available; instant messaging communications is available – no wonder organizations are embracing IP Telephony.