'They lack the tools to help themselves': IT teams complain minor issues are stopping them from addressing the big problems

Date:
Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:16:38 +0000

Description:
Employees are troubling IT workers with minor issues, but IT teams are
lacking the tools and resources to focus on bigger issues.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Pro Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Half of IT professionals say they're pestered with simple, everyday tech problems AI at the helpdesk could troubleshoot and potentially fix without distracting IT teams Cross-department collaboration could also iron out frequent issues New research has claimed most companies still lack the right IT tools to get work done efficiently, leading to huge losses in time for workers at all levels.

More than half (53%) of UK IT professionals surveyed by TOPdesk admit they're frequently asked to fix everyday tech problems that employees could probably resolve themselves with the right tools and resources. A lack of self-service systems in particular is pushing employees to rely on IT teams for even the most minor disruptions, pulling them away from more meaningful work. Article continues below You may like Digital friction is quietly crippling UK productivity, and AI could be the turning point Employees are wasting thousands of hours a month on admin - so is AI the answer? IT teams are being hit with outages due to missing vital alerts IT teams are wasting time on trivial issues At the same time, there's a clear mismatch in terms of responsibility 52% of IT workers think employees cause most issues, but 64% agree that employees don't understand IT well enough to fix them even if they are relatively simple fixes.

As for the fix, more than half (55%) believe AI could improve IT helpdesks by adding automation and self-service support to reduce some of the unnecessary workload. However at this stage, only around one in three use automation in service desk tickets (36%) or first-line IT support (34%). A fifth (19%) of
IT workers also cite outdated service management tools and processes holding them back.

"Businesses need to recognise that investment in the right tools will enable employees to resolve many of the disruptions they face autonomously," TOPdesk Head of Customer Enablement Hannah Salt wrote.

Besides getting access to the right tools, human connection is a clear demand too. The majority (84%) believe improved cross-department collaboration could further reduce disruptions. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign
up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The right tools "will repair fractured relationships, improve internal
culture and leave IT more time for higher value work and increased collaboration," Salt concluded. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/they-lack-the-tools-to-help-themselves-it-teams- complain-minor-issues-are-stopping-them-from-addressing-the-big-problems


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