For many organisations, the traditional 9-to-5 working day is no longer the norm.
Whether it's remote work, flexible hours, global teams or employees choosing to work when they're most productive, people increasingly expect to access IT support whenever they're working - not just during office hours.One thing is clear…
The working day has changed
Freshservice recently analysed IT support data and found that 47% of IT requests are now submitted outside standard business hours. By the time many IT teams start work on Monday morning, they're already facing a backlog of password resets, MFA unlock requests and access requests submitted over the weekend.
→ Read the comprehensive research in Freshworks' article
Most of these requests aren't unusual or complex.
They're the routine, repetitive tasks that every IT team deals with:
The challenge isn't necessarily the volume - it's the timing.
When requests arrive around the clock, organisations face a choice:
For many organisations, the third option offers the best balance between employee experience and operational efficiency.
A well-designed self-service portal allows employees to find answers without needing to raise a ticket.
Knowledge articles, AI-powered search and guided request forms help users solve common problems in minutes rather than waiting in a queue.
For straightforward requests, automation can go a step further by completing tasks automatically - for example:
The result is faster resolution for employees and fewer repetitive tasks for service desk teams.
The goal isn't to replace IT teams with AI.
Instead, automation and AI allow support staff to spend less time on repetitive administration and more time solving the issues that genuinely need human expertise.
When routine requests are handled automatically, IT teams can focus on improving services, supporting strategic projects and delivering a better experience across the organisation.
As organisations grow, relying on email and manual processes becomes increasingly difficult to manage.
Modern IT service management (ITSM) platforms bring together:
These capabilities help organisations provide consistent support, regardless of when employees are working.
If you're still relying on shared inboxes or manual processes, introducing a modern ITSM platform can provide a strong foundation for future growth.
At BDQ, we help organisations implement and optimise modern IT service management solutions, including Freshservice, HaloITSM, Jira Service Management and more. Our focus is on delivering practical implementations that improve service delivery through self-service, automation and clear reporting, while keeping adoption straightforward for both IT teams and end users.
If you'd like to discuss how automation and self-service could improve your IT support, get in touch with BDQ.