Five things to look for in a great on demand service desk

As IT teams face growing demands and shifting priorities, the pressure to maintain seamless user support while driving strategic progress has never been greater. For many organisations, an on demand service desk offers a smart solution: flexible, scalable IT support that complements in-house teams and enhances end-user experience.

But not all service desks are created equal.

If you’re exploring this route, here are five things to look for in a service that won’t just keep the lights on, but will elevate how IT works across your organisation.

1. A service that flexes with your business

Support needs aren’t static. If your user base grows or contracts, your service desk should be able to adapt quickly, without punishing you on price or requiring constant renegotiation.

LIMA’s recently refreshed On Demand Service Desk is built on a scalable pricing model that reflects your real-world usage. You pay a base rate for up to 200 users, with a reduced per-user rate beyond that. It’s designed to be commercially sensible and operationally simple. No need to overcommit before you’re ready.

Plus, with optional out-of-hours cover, you can extend support to 24/7 when needed for chosen users, without the overhead of building and managing a night shift.

2. Clear and consistent response times

Uncertainty is the enemy of productivity. When users log tickets, they need to know when to expect a fix. IT leaders need confidence that SLAs are being met.

The best service desks offer clarity and consistency. That’s why we’ve simplified our model: instead of five priority levels with varying response times, LIMA now operates with four clear priorities. P1s receive a response within 15 minutes, and all other issues now receive a guaranteed initial response within one hour. It removes the guesswork and sets clear expectations, for users and IT teams alike.

3. Faster resolution when it matters

Response times are only part of the equation. What users really care about is how quickly their issue gets resolved, and how often it gets fixed right the first time.

LIMA’s updated SLA framework includes a significantly reduced resolution target for high-priority issues. P2 incidents, for example, now have a two-hour fix target. For operational requests (previously considered low priority), we’ve introduced proper resolution timeframes, removing the old “best effort” standard and replacing it with outcomes you can plan around.

4. Support that goes beyond break-fix

A modern service desk shouldn’t just be reactive. The right provider can also support key operational and change activities, freeing your team to focus on strategic projects.

With LIMA, you gain access to proactive support for user onboarding, configuration changes, Microsoft 365 administration, and more. These are often the tasks that quietly eat up internal IT capacity. Handing them off to a trusted partner lets your team shift focus to the initiatives that move your organisation forward.

5. A reliable partner with proven experience

Trust matters. When you bring in a third-party service desk, you’re not just buying hours, you’re choosing a partner to represent your IT function to the business.

LIMA brings 27 years of experience in managed services, with an ITIL-aligned delivery framework that ensures best-practice support and strong governance. We work closely with our customers to align support delivery to internal priorities, and our people are focused on solving problems, not just closing tickets.

Final thoughts

Choosing an on demand service desk isn’t just about filling a gap. Done right, it’s a strategic move that improves user satisfaction, reduces internal workload and helps your IT team deliver greater value to the business.

If you’re ready to look beyond break-fix support and start building a smarter, more responsive service model – we’re ready to help.

Lean on LIMA. Get in touch today to learn how On Demand Service Desk can work for your team.

Contact LIMA at 0345 345 1110 or enquiries@lima.co.uk.