Outsourced Helpdesk – Pros and Cons

Outsourcing IT services and technical support to an external IT provider is one of the most common forms of outsourcing, with outsourced technical support being the most common. Any company that wishes to outsource its help desk or IT support must understand the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing.

Owners need to consider how outsourcing can work operationally and also how responsive the service provider is to their business needs. In many cases, outsourcing services or customer service can improve customer responsiveness, satisfaction and retention. Organizations can develop a real presence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing 24 hour support and service for employees and customers.

An increasing number of SMEs and SME organizations will choose to fully outsource IT support services; however, an increasing number are using managed service providers to complement their existing internal IT teams. This can augment existing resources with additional technical expertise or provide after-hours coverage.

Here are some pros and cons of outsourcing technical assistance:

Pros

• Flexible capacity The volume of IT technical support and customer services may have peaks and troughs or seasonal differences. Outsourcing this functionality to a supplier allows it to increase and decrease demand, while you pay a fixed monthly fee.
• Cover 24x7x365. Outsourcing your IT and support needs to third parties means your business and customers can access technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Generally, you need 5 or 6 people to operate 24 hours a day, this requirement disappears.
• Focus on basic business skills. The external assistance service allows you and your team to focus on your main commercial and technical activities.
• Finance and opex. Outsourcing generally offers an opex model with predictable and fixed costs.
• Experience. Third-party IT vendors have a group of highly qualified engineers who provide a full set of skills for their business. This can include computer engineers, security consultants, software developers, and network engineers, all under contract.
• Resources In addition to technical support, the company can proactively manage, monitor and support your IT.

Cons

• Culture Your team may need to adapt to using an external provider. However, if managed correctly, the transition should be seamless.
• Quality. Many people may be concerned about quality or whether the supplier is not professional enough.
• Security. Cybersecurity and privacy are key issues; You must ensure that your provider is reliable and takes security seriously.
• Cost Companies tend to favor a predictable cost model. Therefore, companies need to understand the elements of fixed costs and whether there is a cost per call involved.
• Visibility Will you have visibility of activity and service reports?
• Relationships The use of third parties may be an anonymous matter. You need to make sure your provider is a partner, with real touch points and a caring account manager who understands your business.

Summary

The potential benefits of external technical support are obvious, however, companies must ensure that they are using a trusted supplier that truly serves as an extension of their current role, rather than offering a fundamental change that can affect quality or customer experience. . customer. There are many other non-technical factors to consider, such as culture, mentioned in this Forbes article.

It should also be clear from the start of your expectations; Will IT support calls answer? First line? Second line? Supplier and customer calls? Call volumes? How do you identify the caller?

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