The support functions in any organization are known more by their failures than their success. Imagine a scenario where a new user joins, given a laptop with his login name and one time use password, a user guide with the clear instructions on how and when to use what applications which are additionally intuitive by default, all polices and processes available on ahot button on the desktop, a comprehensive directory of employees in outlook, phones with his name and extension clearly displayed, his laptop and all applications run as he has expected on all days and as much as you can add to this fantasy. The user will never come to know of existence of IT function in the organization. He/she will come to know of it when he searches the phone number of IT helpdesk, which he would do when he is met with an’ incident’.

The IT helpdesk would be very happy to be called for anything other than resolving an incident. Not that they don’t want to resolve an incident, but they want to avoid an incident because they know each incident is a disruption to users’ work. The helpdesk and the IT managers would be very happy to be unknown for that matter.

But is it possible to create an environment where a user would never need to call helpdesk? Is that ‘Zero Incident’ a reality or fiction?