Should the Service Desk be included in the Service Catalogue

By ITIL® from Experience©

The elements to consider are:

The type of Service Catalogue discussed and;
If the organization offers a Service Desk service.

When the Catalogue discussed is a User1 Service Catalogue, at minimum it must contain information on how to contact the Service Desk. Thus, the Service Desk should be mentioned regardless if the organization considers the Service Desk a function2 or a service.

When the Catalogue discussed is referring to a Customer3 Service Catalogue then, the Service Desk should be included when the organization offers a Service Desk "service." In other words, Customers can "order/buy" the service of a Service Desk instead of setting up their own function. On the other hand, when the Service Desk is a means-to-an-end thus, is included/bundled as part of the end-to-end service it should not be included (see Is the Service Desk a service).

However, it is important to realize that even though I.T. may not offer the Service Desk service to its Business Customers, the Service Desk can still be a service offered internally within I.T. to operational groups like the Application Development group. In this case, the Service Desk service should at least be included in the Service Portfolio4 as it ensures that it is taken into consideration during strategy discussions and decisions which may affect its fit-for-purpose.5

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