How rising customer expectations are reshaping IT support
Customer expectations are on the rise: Microsoft’s Global State of Customer Service Report states that 55% of customers expect a higher level of customer service year on year. From food delivery to streaming services, our everyday experiences as consumers are faster, smarter, and more personalized than ever before. And now, those same expectations are shaping the way people engage with internal IT support. Whether it’s response time, self-service options, or tailored communication, your end users expect IT support to match their best B2C experiences.
The good news? Meeting these evolving expectations isn’t just possible – it’s a huge opportunity to improve service desk efficiency, customer satisfaction, and your team's reputation. Let’s explore what’s driving these changes in customer expectations, how IT teams can respond, and which metrics to track for continuous improvement.
What are customer expectations (and why should your IT team care)?
Customer expectations are the set of assumptions or standards customers bring into their interactions with your IT service desk. These include:
- Implicit expectations, such as fast response times
- Interpersonal expectations, like friendly and empathetic communication
- Expectations based on the customer journey, including seamless handoffs between departments
- Consumer expectations, shaped by best-in-class B2C experiences
In IT, failing to meet customer expectations doesn’t just cause frustration – it can hurt team efficiency, reduce trust in IT support, and lead to a flood of unnecessary support tickets. On the flip side, exceeding customer expectations boosts satisfaction, reduces workload, and builds a culture of trust and collaboration.
Trends driving rising customer expectations
The pressure on IT teams isn’t random. It’s fueled by clear, global trends that are changing the way end users expect to interact with support services.
1. The B2C effect (consumerization of IT)
Modern customers are shaped by their best experiences – whether that’s Amazon, Netflix, or Apple. These companies set a high bar for what fast, intuitive, and personalized service looks like. That same expectation carries over to internal services like IT.
For IT teams, this first means recognizing that the standards being set for their services are no longer within their own control. As TechTarget puts it, "in our technology-rich environment, we first need to recognize that customer expectations are being set by their best experiences with technology — and those expectations are being set by someone other than the IT department."
2. Real-time expectations
From delivery updates to chatbots, customers are used to real-time communication. This translates to IT support expectations too – users want instant responses, ticket updates, and visibility into issue progress. Waiting three days for a response from IT? That’s no longer acceptable. A delay of even a few hours can feel like poor service.
Waiting three days for a response from IT? That’s no longer acceptable.
3. Omnichannel interactions
Your end users use multiple channels to communicate with your IT support – email, chat, self-service portals, and even walk-ups. But they expect these to be unified. If your IT support team offers multiple service options but they don’t share data or context, customers will have to repeat themselves – and satisfaction drops.
4. Tech-savvy, independent users
Your end users are more tech-literate than ever. They’re confident in solving basic problems – if they have access to clear, relevant resources. A clunky knowledge base or outdated FAQ forces them to submit tickets they’d rather avoid.
That’s why modern IT service desks need to provide structured, easy-to-navigate self-service content – often tailored by role, team, or device.
5. Remote and hybrid work
Remote workers rely heavily on IT to stay connected. They expect the same level of support no matter where they are, what time zone they’re in, or what device they’re using. Service delays or unclear processes can severely impact productivity.
IT departments need tools and workflows designed to scale across locations and deliver support that’s always-on and always-relevant.
How IT teams can respond to rising customer expectations
You can’t change customer expectations – but you can change how your team responds. Here are five ways to adapt:
1. Move from reactive to predictive support
According to Gartner, predictive support uses “continuous monitoring and […] trend analysis to prevent service-impacting events or incidents and guarantee performance and availability. Predictive services reach out to individual customer[s] before specific issues, which may be unknown and unpredictable, manifest themselves.”
Instead of reacting to problems, IT teams can proactively reduce downtime, data loss, and negative experiences. Problem management plays a crucial role here by analyzing root causes and preventing recurring incidents, so users experience fewer disruptions in the first place.
Want to get started? Begin by identifying recurring issues and setting up automated alerts or monitoring tools to flag them early. Or check out these other problem management best practices.
2. Break down silos with a single point of contact (SPOC)
Too many service requests require navigating multiple departments – IT, HR, Facilities, etc. This causes frustration and delays. A single point of contact or SPOC centralizes service requests through a single platform, creating a smoother customer journey.
With a SPOC, users don’t have to guess which department to contact. Whether it’s through email, chat, a walk-up, or your self-service portal, they know where to go.
3. Use IT personas for personalized support
One-size-fits-all IT doesn’t work anymore. Different roles have different needs – developers, marketers, and execs use different tools, and they expect tailored support.
IT personas help you segment customers not just by job title or department, but by how they interact with technology. This lets you:
- Understand your end users more deeply
- Deliver targeted updates, guides, and alerts
- Create personalized experiences based on real use cases
4. Optimize self-service experiences
End users want to solve problems themselves – but only if it’s easy. To offer effective self-service, your IT support team needs to provide:
- A user-friendly self-service portal where end users can access all available resources, submit issues, and track progress in one place
- A well-structured knowledge base that is integrated into the portal, allowing users to quickly find answers to common problems
- Regularly updated content within the knowledge base to ensure its relevance and accuracy
While many IT teams keep their knowledge base internally focused, for self-service to truly work for your users, it needs to be easily accessible. This empowers your users to find solutions on their own, which not only improves their experience but also frees up your support team to focus on more complex issues.
Pro tip: aim for at least 20–30% of your knowledge base content to be reviewed or updated every quarter to keep the information fresh and relevant.
5. Build a culture of continuous improvement
Meeting rising customer expectations isn’t a one-time fix – it’s a mindset. Encourage your team to:
- Gather customer feedback consistently
- Use it to improve workflows and communication
- Align service improvements with business goals
Even small wins – like shaving off a few hours from a ticket resolution – can add up to big results.
How to measure customer expectations of your IT support
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Use these metrics to track and improve how well you meet customer expectations:
- Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Quick post-ticket surveys to capture how customers feel about each interaction.
- Customer Effort Score (CES): Measures how easy it is for users to get help.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): Tracks overall brand loyalty and satisfaction.
- Ticket deflection rate: Shows how many users solve problems via self-service vs. submitting tickets. Find out which other knowledge base KPIs to track.
- Feedback sentiment analysis: Analyze tone in end user comments and ratings.
The cost of falling short
Failing to meet rising customer expectations can have a significant impact on your IT team. Here's how:
1. Reduced productivity
When IT issues aren't resolved quickly or effectively, users spend more time troubleshooting or waiting for solutions. This delays work, affects employee efficiency, and reduces overall productivity.
2. Repetitive support requests
Unresolved problems lead to repeated support tickets, putting additional pressure on IT teams and increasing the workload unnecessarily.
3. Loss of trust
Consistently falling short can erode trust in the IT department, leading to end users seeking alternative solutions outside the official support channels, which is often referred to as shadow IT. Shadow IT creates more problems for IT teams, as it can introduce security risks, cause system incompatibilities, and create confusion around support needs.
The bottom line: When IT doesn’t meet customer expectations, it can lead to lost productivity, repetitive tickets, and a loss of trust that drives users to find their own solutions, creating even more challenges for IT.
How ITSM software helps you meet (and exceed) expectations
Modern ITSM software helps IT departments deliver better service and meet today’s high customer expectations. With the right platform, your team can:
- Automate repetitive tasks, reducing resolution times and freeing agents to focus on complex issues
- Empower users through self-service, with user-friendly portals, AI-powered suggestions, and searchable knowledge bases
- Set up a SPOC, giving users one unified experience across departments
- Track customer feedback and performance metrics in real-time
- Customize workflows and service catalogs, adapting to different IT personas and user needs
Tools like TOPdesk’s ITSM software are designed to support these capabilities right out of the box – helping your team increase efficiency, customer satisfaction, and service desk reputation.
Curious how to pick the right ITSM tool for your needs? Check out our free ITSM Buyer’s Guide at the end of this post.
Final thoughts: exceeding customer expectations starts now
Customer expectations aren’t going to stop rising – and that’s a good thing. They’re a wake-up call for IT teams to deliver smarter, faster, and more human support.
By understanding the trends behind these expectations and adapting your service strategy accordingly, you’ll:
- Improve efficiency
- Reduce tickets
- Deliver more personalized experiences
- Boost customer satisfaction
- Future-proof your service desk
The result? End users who feel empowered, not frustrated. Agents who focus on what matters. And an IT department that’s not just meeting expectations – but exceeding them.
Want to go deeper? Download our free ITSM Buyer’s Guide to discover how to choose the right ITSM software that will help you get there.
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