SDI® - Service Desk Analyst
2 Day Course (Virtual Training)

Topics

This course covers the key areas of the SDI Service Desk Analyst Professional Standard, including:

Professionalism

• The purpose and value of the service desk
• The role and responsibilities of the Service Desk Analyst
• Service desk vision, mission and values
• Organisational policies, governance and personal accountability
• Service attitude and professional behaviour
• Teamwork, collaboration and relationship management
• Cultural awareness
• Environmental, Social and Governance considerations, including sustainability and health and safety

Analyst Skills

• Effective communication across different channels
• Verbal, non-verbal and written communication
• Active listening and questioning techniques
• Troubleshooting and problem-solving approaches
• Emotional intelligence and rapport-building
• Managing negative reactions, conflict and negotiation
• Professional interaction management
• De-escalation techniques
• Maintaining a positive and confident approach

Managing the Employee Experience

• Factors that influence employee experience
• Well-being in a service desk environment
• Work-life balance
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
• Challenger safety and continual improvement
• Emotional resilience and stress management

Practices, Processes and Procedures

• The difference between practices, processes and procedures
• Incident management
• Major incident management
• Service request management
• Recording, categorising and prioritising incidents and requests
• Resolving and closing tickets
• Smart shifting
• Functional and hierarchical escalation
• Problem management
• Change enablement
• Release management
• Service level management
• Knowledge management
• Information security management

Managing the Customer Experience

• Customer experience principles
• Customer satisfaction and feedback
• Customer experience metrics and surveys
• Managing expectations and communication throughout the support lifecycle

Resources, Technology and Enabling Tools

• Service desk support tools and technologies
• Remote support
• Self-service and knowledge bases
• Collaboration tools
• Omni-channel support
• Automation and adaptive automation
• Service desk reporting and metrics

Artificial Intelligence

• How AI is used in IT service management
• AI chatbots and virtual agents
• Smart ticket classification and routing
• Incident prediction and root cause analysis
• Benefits and challenges of using AI in a service desk environment

Pre-Requisites

There are no formal prerequisites for attending the course, although delegates will benefit from some experience of working in, or with, a service desk or IT support environment.

Delegates preparing for the SDI Service Desk Analyst exam should have:

• A working knowledge of the IT service and support industry
• An understanding of the demands placed on a service desk
• Awareness of common support processes and operational requirements
• Familiarity with the technology available to service desk staff
• A desire to work within, or develop within, an IT service and support role

Examination

The course supports preparation for the SDI Service Desk Analyst qualification exam.

• 60 multiple-choice questions
• 60 minutes
• The pass mark - 39 correct questions (65%)
• Higher Mastery – 52 correct question (87%)

The SDI Service Desk Analyst qualification recognises an individual’s knowledge of customer service and support competencies and confirms that they understand the skills required to work effectively within the IT service and support industry.

The v9.0 qualification structure is weighted as follows:

• Professionalism — 15%
• Analyst Skills — 25%
• Managing the Employee Experience — 10%
• Practices, Processes and Procedures — 25%
• Managing the Customer Experience — 10%
• Supported Technology and Enabling Tools — 10%
• Artificial Intelligence — 5%

The exam is independently administered and proctored by PeopleCert.

Delegates who pass the exam can be expected to demonstrate an understanding of service desk roles and responsibilities, apply essential analyst skills, summarise and follow service desk processes and practices, and identify service desk tools and technologies.

Who are the SDI?

The Service Desk Institute, known as SDI, produces internationally recognised standards for service desk and IT support professionals. These standards define key service desk roles, including the Service Desk Analyst and Service Desk Manager, and form the basis of SDI’s professional training courses and exams.

SDI’s standards are created by industry experts from around the world and are designed to support professional development, consistent service delivery, and the improvement of IT service and support.

SDI also produces the Global Best Practice Standard for Service Desk, a recognised quality reference model created specifically for service desks. This standard helps organisations assess service desk maturity, improve effectiveness, and demonstrate the value of the service desk to the wider organisation.

Dates For SDI® - Service Desk Analyst

VIRTUAL training

• 8 - 9 September 2026
• 1 - 2 December 2026