Service desk standard operating procedures (SOPs) are a great way to systematize working practices and lead to a more consistent experience for agents and end-users. Done well, they can be used to build up a solid knowledge base for your technical teams, which will improve response times, fix rates, and customer satisfaction.
When designing an SOP, the key lies in keeping it simple and clear, and making sure it incorporates everything the user needs to follow it accordingly. And the smartest way to put it into practice is to build it directly into your service desk solution to ensure availability and better organization.
Here, we have put together guidelines to design a successful SOP, including an extra free downloadable template with an example for logging incidents. We will also show you some ideas on how to incorporate this documentation into InvGate Service Management.
Let’s get started.
What is a service desk SOP?
SOPs are detailed, written instructions describing the step-by-step procedures that must be followed, in this case, for service desk processes and IT support tasks.
These reference documents let you consistently capture and normalize specific tasks within your service desk. Plus, they ensure that your services can be documented and explained well to deliver service effectively, consistently, and safely.
Ideally, when you create SOP documents, you deliver them to agents immediately, meaning that their ITSM tools and processes are engineered to deliver instructions or reference guidance while they are working.
Scope: incidents, requests, and escalations
When teams start documenting service desk work, they usually discover that one SOP isn’t enough. Incidents, service requests, and escalations may look similar at intake, but each one requires its own process and, in most cases, its own document.
An incident SOP typically walks through classification, prioritization, response expectations, and resolution steps. A request SOP documents how approvals work, which tasks follow standard fulfillment paths, and when work moves outside the service desk. Escalations often need a separate SOP that explains when a ticket moves up, what information must be included, and who owns communication after the handoff.
Thinking in terms of processes helps shape the documentation. Instead of writing a single, generic SOP, teams end up with a small set of focused ones—incidents, requests, escalations, and often others like major incidents or access management—each describing a clear flow from start to finish.
Why it matters: consistency and training
Defining SOPs gives the service desk a shared way of working. For example, with ticket handling: tickets follow the same steps, escalations happen for the same reasons, and outcomes stop depending on who happens to be on shift. Over time, that consistency shows up in response times, reporting, and user expectations.
SOPs also shape how teams train. New analysts learn defined processes instead of relying on shadowing or informal tips. When procedures change, updates happen in one place rather than through corrections after the fact. The result is a service desk that can scale, onboard faster, and maintain quality even as people and tools change.
The main benefits of using SOPs in your service desk include:
- Make support activities easy to follow.
- Provide content for training new staff.
- Ensure a more consistent experience for end-users.
- Facilitate templates and automation.
- Enable a platform and format for sustainable Knowledge Management practices.
- Improve the quality, accuracy, and efficiency of IT support.
- Ensure tasks are carried out per best practices.
- Facilitate continual improvement.
- Provide support for Governance, Risk, and Compliance processes.
InvGate Service Management fulfills this by incorporating features like auto-generated sub-tasks, automated messaging, and knowledge articles that are available directly from the ticket view, as well as providing support to agents through the ticketing process flow.
What to include in a service desk standard operating procedure
Every organization is different, and each type of process has its own specific requirements. In this sense, the SOP format you choose should be based on the nature of the process, the level of granularity needed, and the target team and colleague.
Something to keep in mind when designing any SOP format is to ensure it is clear, concise, and easy to follow. This will guarantee that it’s efficient and can be used consistently across your service delivery teams.
All this being said, the three most commonly used SOP formats are:
- Simple
- Flow chart
- Hierarchical
This table looks at the three types, what to include in each, and how to use them effectively:
| Simple |
A simple SOP format presents the key steps of a process in a very high-level document. |
Best suited for routine, very straightforward procedures with limited variations. |
Document format will include:
- Purpose
- Scope
- Procedure
- Supporting documentation |
| Flow chart |
A flow chart SOP showcases processes with multiple potential outcomes or decision points. This format visually maps the process, guiding colleagues through each step and its possible results. |
Best suited for procedures that rely on workflows so folks can visualize them. |
Document format will include:
- A flowchart to represent each stage of the procedure.
- Clear map of the start, end, and decision-making stages.
- Links to supporting documentation if appropriate. |
| Hierarchical |
A hierarchical SOP is a more detailed document that captures the end-to-end procedure, its support network, and all dependencies. |
Best suited for large, complex, or technical SOPs. |
Document format will include:
- Overview.
- Table of contents.
- Tasks organized by stages and roles.
- Detailed instructions for the task. |
Roles, workflows, prioritization, and SLAs
Every SOP should state who is responsible at each step of the process. That includes who owns the ticket, who can approve changes in status, and when work moves to another team or tier.
Workflows describe how tickets move from intake to closure. Alongside that, prioritization rules explain how urgency and impact translate into response expectations. SLAs tie those priorities to measurable targets, giving analysts clear guidance on timing instead of relying on judgment calls.
Knowledge and documentation standards
SOPs should also define how work is documented. Notes, resolution details, and user communication need a consistent level of detail to support reporting and future troubleshooting.
Knowledge expectations belong here as well. The SOP can state when an article should be created or updated, what information it must include, and how analysts should reuse existing documentation. Clear standards help prevent gaps, outdated content, and inconsistent ticket histories.
Tools like InvGate Service Management offer an intuitive Knowledge Management system where each SOP can be quickly turned into a knowledge article for efficient use. As users search for topics or work on specific issues, related articles are suggested in real time, making the support process more streamlined and effective.
Remember: the clearer your SOP document, the better the information available to users, which will directly improve employee efficiency.
How to create, roll out, and maintain the SOP
Creating a service desk SOP starts before anything is written down. Teams first need to agree on how each task should actually be done, then document that process in a way others can follow without extra explanation. Clear procedures come first; the SOP exists to make them usable.
Work with what already exists. Many teams already have informal checklists, internal docs, or habits that can be standardized instead of rewritten from zero. Using an existing documentation style also helps keep SOPs consistent with the rest of the organization.
Input from the service desk and technical teams matters early on. Their day-to-day experience highlights which processes cause delays, confusion, or rework, making it easier to decide which SOPs to write first.
Step-by-step and revision history
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Define the procedure before documenting it
Agree on the best way to handle the process with the people who actually do the work. Clarify inputs, outputs, decision points, and ownership before writing anything down.
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Choose a consistent format
Use a simple structure that works across all SOPs, such as purpose, scope, steps, exceptions, and escalation rules. Reusing the same format makes documents easier to scan and maintain.
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Write the steps in execution order
Document the process exactly as an analyst would follow it during a ticket. Keep instructions specific, avoid assumptions, and include required fields, handoffs, and timing expectations where relevant.
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Review with the service desk and technical teams
Validate the SOP with the teams involved. Look for unclear steps, missing scenarios, or rules that don’t reflect how work actually happens.
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Publish the SOP where work happens
Store SOPs inside the service desk or knowledge base so they are available during ticket handling, not hidden in shared drives or external tools.
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Track changes with a revision history
Record the date, author, and reason for each update. Even small changes should be visible so teams know which version to follow.
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Collect feedback and update regularly
Use feedback from analysts, metrics, and recurring issues to refine the SOP. Updates should reflect real usage, not theoretical improvements.
This approach helps keep SOPs usable, current, and aligned with day-to-day service desk work.
How often should you update an SOP?
SOPs should be reviewed on a regular cadence and updated whenever the process they describe changes. Most service desk teams set a scheduled review at least once a year to confirm that steps, roles, and rules still reflect how work is done.
Outside of planned reviews, updates are usually needed after tool changes, new services are introduced, SLAs are adjusted, or recurring issues expose gaps in the procedure. Analyst feedback and ticket quality reviews often highlight when an SOP no longer matches day-to-day operations.
Keeping updates small and frequent works better than waiting for a full rewrite. Regular maintenance helps SOPs stay usable, trusted, and aligned with real service desk work.
Download the service desk SOP template
There are many examples of service desk processes for which you can design SOPs to be followed. It’s always important that you cover each stage of the workflow, and that your company’s specific requirements are considered in the design.
Here we have put together an example SOP for logging incidents that you can download below and adapt to your own work scenario. It contains the following aspects of the process:
- Logging the incident
- Categorization
- Prioritization
- Initial support
- Investigation and diagnosis
- Escalation
- Resolution
- Closure
Using the template in day-to-day operations
Service desk analysts can use the SOP template we provided above as part of their daily work operations. This might include activities like logging, categorizing, and prioritizing incidents, fulfilling requests, or communicating with groups of people.
When using SOPs, bear the following in mind:
- SOPs should be constantly updated and adapted to changing needs and scenarios.
- Incorporate any new procedures and be prepared to adjust if anything isn’t working appropriately.
- Progress iteratively with feedback. Build annual review (at a minimum) and feedback sessions into your review cycle to ensure your SOPs remain fit for purpose and use.
- Use Knowledge Management tools to gather ideas and feedback on SOP content, as well as the built-in rating system to gauge effectiveness.
Where to store it and how to enforce it
SOPs should be stored inside the service desk or its knowledge base, where analysts already work. Linking them directly to ticket categories, workflows, or request types makes them easier to apply during live operations.
Enforcement comes from process design, not reminders. Teams usually enforce SOP usage by:
- Tying SOPs to onboarding and certification, so analysts are trained on them before handling tickets independently.
- Aligning workflows and automation with SOP steps, making the documented process the default way of working.
- Using quality reviews or ticket audits to check adherence, focusing on recurring gaps rather than individual mistakes.
- Assigning ownership for each SOP, with responsibility for updates and approval when changes are needed.
When SOPs reflect real work and are reinforced through tools and reviews, following them becomes the easiest option rather than an extra task.
SOP vs. process flow — what’s the difference?
In practice, process flows help teams understand how work is structured, while SOPs guide analysts through execution during daily operations.
A process flow describes the sequence of steps at a high level. It shows how work moves from one stage to another and where decisions or handoffs occur, often using a diagram. In a service desk context, that might be a ticket lifecycle, but it could just as easily be a change approval path, a knowledge article review cycle, or an onboarding request that starts outside the service desk.
For example, a ticketing process flow might look like this: Ticket submitted → ticket categorized → priority assigned → ticket assigned to support → escalation (if needed) → resolution → ticket closed
That flow shows what happens and in what order. It also highlights decision points, such as whether escalation is required, but it does not explain how to categorize the ticket, how to decide priority, or what information must be added before moving to the next step.
An SOP uses the same process flow and adds execution detail. It explains how analysts should categorize tickets, which impact and urgency levels map to each priority, when escalation is mandatory, what checks must be completed before resolution, and how closure should be documented.
In short
Service desk SOPs can make a big difference in help desk performance. They can make processes easy to follow, support a more cohesive user experience, and improve automation and Knowledge Management activities.
The tricky part of working with SOPs is ensuring they are clear enough to standardize processes effectively. The solution? Start by defining your procedures with a strategy: prioritize clarity, gather team feedback, and choose a format that fits your needs.
Once you have designed them, all you have to do is build the SOPs into your ITSM tool and processes to make it easy for agents to leverage.
If you’re ready to explore further what InvGate Service Management can do for your SOPs and Knowledge Management strategy, book your 30-day free trial and look through the tool in your own time.
