A Bureau in Transition

The U.S. Census Bureau faced a critical challenge that many large federal agencies encounter: how to provide consistent, efficient technical support to thousands of employees across multiple locations. With workers ranging from headquarters staff to field representatives, each with different technology needs and varying levels of technical expertise, delivering effective IT support was becoming increasingly complex.

The existing service desk struggled to keep pace with growing demand. Wait times were increasing, resolution rates were declining, and both employees and IT staff were frustrated by fragmented systems that made tracking and resolving issues difficult. With the Bureau’s increasing reliance on technology for daily operations and the approaching 2020 Decennial Census, a more robust support solution was urgently needed.

“Technology touches every aspect of our operations,” explained a Bureau IT manager. “When our systems don’t work or employees don’t know how to use them effectively, it impacts our ability to deliver on our mission.”

The PST Approach: Beyond the Typical Help Desk

When Prime Source Technologies took over management of the Census Bureau’s Enterprise Service Desk in 2019, we saw an opportunity to completely reimagine technical support. Rather than simply answering calls and tickets, we envisioned a comprehensive support ecosystem that would improve the experience for both employees and the IT team.

“We didn’t want to just maintain the status quo,” recalls our Service Delivery Manager. “We wanted to transform the entire customer service experience while driving measurable efficiency improvements.”

Our approach focused on five key strategies:

Unified Support Experience:
We consolidated previously fragmented support channels into a single, cohesive service desk that provided consistent support regardless of how employees reached out for help. Whether through phone, email, web portal, or in person, employees received the same high-quality service with unified tracking and accountability.

Process Optimization:
We conducted a comprehensive analysis of existing support processes, identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Using ITIL best practices, we redesigned workflows to streamline issue resolution and implemented clear escalation paths for more complex problems.

“Many of the issues we were seeing repeatedly could be prevented through better processes,” notes our Process Improvement Lead. “By addressing root causes rather than just symptoms, we drastically reduced recurring problems.”

Knowledge Management Revolution:

We recognized that many support requests involved the same questions and issues. Our team built a comprehensive knowledge base that:

• • • Documented common problems and their solutions
    • Provided step-by-step guides for frequent tasks
    • Captured institutional knowledge previously held only by experienced staff
    • Enabled faster training of new support personnel
    • Supported self-service options for employees     

Data-Driven Improvement:
We implemented robust metrics and reporting to track every aspect of service desk performance. This data-driven approach allowed us to:

• • • • Identify trends in technical issues
      • Spot opportunities for proactive intervention
      • Optimize staffing based on peak demand periods
      • Track and improve key metrics like first-call resolution rate and customer satisfaction
      • Provide leadership with visibility into IT support operations

Professional Development Focus:
We invested heavily in our service desk staff, recognizing that technical knowledge alone wasn’t enough. Our team members received training in:

• • • • • Customer service excellence
        • Census Bureau-specific operations and terminology
        • Effective communication with non-technical users
        • Problem-solving methodologies
        • Advanced technical skills

“The difference was immediately noticeable,” reports a Census Bureau employee. “The service desk staff didn’t just log tickets – they took ownership of problems and genuinely wanted to help.”

Decennial Census: The Ultimate Test

The 2020 Decennial Census presented an extraordinary challenge for the service desk. During peak operations, the Bureau’s workforce swelled to include hundreds of thousands of temporary workers, many using technology provided by the Bureau for the first time.

This massive influx of users could have overwhelmed the support system, but our preparations ensured the service desk was ready:

• Developed specialized training materials for temporary census workers
• Expanded self-service resources focused on census-specific applications
• Created a dedicated support team familiar with field operations
• Implemented temporary surge capacity to handle increased call volume
• Established proactive monitoring to identify widespread issues quickly

“The service desk became a critical enabler of the 2020 Census,” notes a senior Census Bureau official. “When you have hundreds of thousands of people using technology to collect the nation’s data, effective support isn’t just nice to have – it’s essential to the mission.”

Measuring Success: Efficiency Gains and Beyond

Under PST’s management, the Enterprise Service Desk achieved remarkable improvements in efficiency and effectiveness:

• First-Call Resolution Increase: The percentage of issues resolved during the initial contact increased from 45% to over 78%, dramatically reducing follow-up calls and employee downtime.
• Average Handle Time Reduction: The average time to resolve a support request decreased by 37%, improving both employee productivity and service desk efficiency.
• Knowledge Base Utilization: The implementation of a comprehensive knowledge base reduced repeat calls for common issues by 42% and enabled faster resolution of complex problems.
• Cost Per Ticket Reduction: Through process improvements and increased efficiency, the average cost per support ticket decreased by 28%, providing significant cost savings to the Bureau.
• Customer Satisfaction Improvement: Employee satisfaction with IT support services increased from 67% to 91%, as measured through regular surveys.
• Self-Service Adoption: The percentage of issues resolved through self-service options increased from virtually zero to 31%, freeing up support staff to focus on more complex issues.

Beyond these metrics, the service desk transformation yielded broader benefits:

• Reduced employee downtime due to technical issues
• Improved adoption of new technologies and systems
• Better visibility into recurring issues, enabling proactive problem resolution
• Enhanced security through consistent application of IT policies
• Valuable data about technology usage patterns to inform future investments

A Culture of Continuous Improvement

Perhaps the most significant change wasn’t in systems or processes but in culture. The service desk evolved from a reactive “break-fix” operation to a proactive partner in the Bureau’s mission.

Regular review meetings examined performance data to identify improvement opportunities. Feedback from both employees and support staff drove continuous refinement of processes. Close coordination with other IT teams ensured alignment on priorities and emerging issues.

“We established a virtuous cycle,” explains our Service Delivery Manager. “Better data led to better decisions, which led to better performance, which generated even better data.”

Looking Forward: The Modern Service Desk

The transformed Enterprise Service Desk now serves as a model for federal technical support operations. As technology continues to evolve, so does the service desk, with recent innovations including:

• Enhanced remote support capabilities
• Expanded use of automation for routine tasks
• Advanced analytics to identify patterns and predict issues
• Integration with enterprise systems for seamless support
• Expanded self-service options including AI-assisted troubleshooting

This evolution ensures that Census Bureau employees can focus on their critical work of collecting, analyzing, and sharing America’s data, confident that expert technical support is always available when needed.

“The service desk transformation demonstrates what’s possible when you approach technical support as a strategic function rather than just a necessary cost,” notes a Bureau IT director. “The efficiencies we’ve achieved translate directly to better service for the American public.”