Outsourcing your Technical Support Process

As a company that creates and sells lifetime technical support software, companies always ask us to outsource their support. Sometimes our customers ask us because the answer is the key to using Freshdesk in technical support. Sometimes friends, friends, and businessmen ask us why outsourced technical support is still a topic of discussion in some circles. And sometimes they ask us why we are here, and we just need to have an opinion.

But I think it is essential for all companies, from growing companies to large companies, to know exactly why they should or should not outsource their technical support processes. And, more importantly, what kind of problems should they expect to solve. There are advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing, and you should consider them before deciding to outsource. Here's a direct comparison between outsourcing your technical support and your internal maintenance:

First Round: Total Cost Of Ownership

When you outsource, it means that you are paying someone to hire support representatives, train them, get resources, and do whatever it takes. Of course, you pay for calls to go overseas, but in the end, with less stringent VOIP and telecommunications regulations, outsourcing your technical support is often less expensive than doing it yourself.

When it comes to the total cost of ownership for your technical support process, outsourcing can collect the first blood without sweating. If the value of people increases the greatest success of their technical support, the outsourcing of the equipment to a low-cost center in the world can save many in the end-of-year report.

Second Round: Increase Or Decrease The Scale

There comes the point in the life of every tech support worker when you realize you have more tickets than the team can chew. Or that many agents are dealing with lines that don't ring as often as necessary. Now, with these scenarios, the solution is to expand or shrink your support team accordingly. This usually means that you need to find the right people to add or remove from technical support and find them quickly.

Now, if you have outsourced technical support, you have the option of choosing a supplier that can scale or impact anywhere. The provider is the one who needs to expand or divide the support team. They are the problem, not you. You are eliminated from the decision and save a lot of stress, time, and money. And if you don't outsource it, well ... you have an idea.

There are ways to develop your technical support in-house without developing the team, so blind outsourcing or leaving the burden to your supplier may not be the best idea.

Third Round - Quality Control

There is a reason why companies always prefer to create their support team, and that's a good thing: when you outsource your technical support, you have no control over the quality of the support.

When you outsource technical support, you mainly take responsibility for ensuring that your customers get complete and correct answers to their questions. You have no control over the superiority of agents to guarantee customer satisfaction. All of your customers' requests can be answered, but have they been answered accurately and completely? You have no idea.

Outsourcing takes that power away from you. You can only lead and hope for the best.

Round four: be "in touch"

When it comes to staying in touch with customers, you have to admit that outsourcing does not put you in a position to receive direct customer feedback. It has all the numbers and the numbers that show that the contractors are doing everything in their power to satisfy their customers, but they don't have access to the basic facts; they don't have a direct view of their customers. And if you set up your internal support team, you will interact directly with your customers and have a good idea of what drives your customer.

Verdict: If you want to resubmit technical support feedback on your product and business process, do it yourself.

Fifth Round - The Rule Book

Okay, that becomes a little more subjective. Can you solve all your technical support problems with a troubleshooting manual?

The problem with outsourcing is that these call center agents are not your employees. They have no practical experience in product development and are probably not technical experts in their field. This means that they will need to undergo extensive training before they can start assisting their customers. And this training is usually done by developing a detailed problem-solving manual detailing everything that can go wrong, how it can be fixed, and outsourcing it.

As long as most support requests are within the limits of this manual, outsourcing should work as well (if not better) than your employees. However, if your requests for assistance involve more technical knowledge, a lot of tacit knowledge, and the ability to quickly request information from the product team, outsourcing the resource is a surefire means of disaster.

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Outsourcing IT Help Desk Support (5 Benefits to Consider)

Nothing frustrates a client more than bad IT support when they need it. When SME customers have questions or problems regarding a product or service, their first point of contact is customer service. Unfortunately, many organizations do not have fully equipped technical support solutions; their budgets simply ignore costs. How can organizations react quickly and provide high-level services without compromising call quality and customer satisfaction?

Outsourcing technical support is the solution

IT outsourcing frees up time for your IT staff and allows them to focus on strategic operations and revenue-generating ideas, rather than fighting support fires. Your customers' problems are dealt with by experts who use the latest technology to provide support solutions more effectively and efficiently. Read below to discover the top five benefits of outsourcing technical support services.

Increased support availability

Most companies follow a traditional 9 to 5-hour work schedule. However, many of these companies transact behind the scenes outside of regular business hours. For example, customers who shop online sometimes need immediate assistance, depending on the transaction. Not having technical support outside business hours can lead to frustrated customers, complaints and other avoidable headaches. Outsourcing to qualified companies during off-peak hours, in different time zones, provides support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by a real person, not by script or automatic response

Easily reach your appeal goals

Many internal support representatives have good intentions, but they do not have the knowledge or experience to handle all calls. Outsourcing technical support to a supplier with specialized agents will provide a level of service that rivals or exceeds the level of customer service provided in your organization. There are a variety of IT companies, especially in a city like Boston, who can help technical support with better call handling by qualified agents, keeping in mind your service level goals.

Better response time

Technical support generally includes remote access; take control of a computer or account without physically being there to solve the problem. This allows faster response times to diagnose and resolve problems, saving labor, transportation, and materials. Downtime is greatly reduced when help can be dispatched immediately, instead of responding within hours. Employees are not productive when they cannot work and companies lose money with each passing minute; This problem is mitigated or avoided thanks to external assistance from the helpdesk.

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Best Help Desk Software Systems For Your Business

Customer service is not just a way for companies to resolve complaints. It is also a crucial aspect to improve the competitiveness of companies and stimulate sales opportunities. However, with the number of processes involved in providing customer service, this can be quite a daunting task. To simplify the process, you will need auxiliary software. In addition to satisfying customer requests, technical support solutions can help companies: maintain a positive relationship with customers, generate leads based on information, or provide a tactical starting point for decision-making. more efficient businesses to meet the needs of the market.

However, with the myriad of technical support solutions competing for your money, the scenario can be overwhelming for many companies. We are here to help you choose the right software for your needs, describing what we believe to be the best technical support software solutions available on the market. Please note that the software solutions on this list are intentionally selected to vary in order to offer a wide range of options, depending on the size of your company, your industry, and your objective. Some will target small companies, while others will target large companies. However, some are strong in some respects, while others take a more general approach. Amidst these confusing scenarios, we also suggest what appears to be the best universal option that simply offers the best value for money and can meet the most common customer service requirements. Hopefully, by browsing our list, you can find a solution that meets your needs.

Service table

On the scale of IT service center software and call center support, I think SolarWinds Service Desk (formerly Samanage) has struck the perfect balance. I recommend trying it. The call center includes a self-service portal, a service catalog, a centralized knowledge base and an SLA administration tool, which work perfectly.

Service Desk is also ready-to-use software. Administrators will not have to go through a tedious installation process and customization is entirely optional. This makes it quite flexible, as it can update whatever it deems necessary based on input requests and computer quirks.

From an end-user perspective, it would be difficult to find a better fit. It's easy to manage, track, and use, and since many service desks try to stand out by offering something shiny or new, it's refreshing to have a utility that's always reliable and that does the job. work properly.

Zoho, generally known for its accounting software, also has an impressive management software division, of which Zoho Desk is the first offering. What sets it apart from other assistive software is its integrated organization. This utility uses dashboards accessible through the cloud to organize customer tickets in real time. Tickets can be organized by management to indicate those who are late, those who are near the critical moment for their solution and those who are new.

However, Zoho finds it difficult to manage large workloads. Data can often be lost or overlooked, making it unreliable for medium and large businesses. They also find it difficult to migrate information from pre-existing tools and software. For IT teams that already excel, you probably don't want to invest in a support software platform that requires a tedious installation process.

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3 Reasons a Managed Dedicated Server is Essential for Any Modern Business

If the average modern office adds all the documents, spreadsheets, or other data they use daily and prints them out, you'll be amazed at how much each click, action, and feature produces. When it comes to physical records and reports, we are meticulous in storage and security; so why don't we do the same with our digital files?

A dedicated server in the UK, especially in combination with external administration, may be the solution for the permanence and security required for all data produced. Here are some reasons why a dedicated server is a great option for you:

Secured access

Compared to cheaper and less reliable servers, opting for a dedicated and professionally managed service can ensure you have access to everything you need at all times. Although a poorly managed or poorly designed server can cause downtime, whether for internal services or even for the website and other online functionality, the choice of outsourcing the management of the dedicated server to specialists reduces downtime. and makes sure you can get what you need, when you need it.

Greater flexibility

Choosing to outsource the administration of a dedicated server not only saves time in terms of maintaining and managing your service, but also offers more flexibility in terms of access for all your equipment, from applications to services. This makes it quicker and more efficient than ever to hire new employees, major changes in the use of the software, etc.

Support specialist

Having trouble accessing or experiencing hosting problems on your website? By choosing to use a third-party company to set up and manage dedicated servers in the UK, you take advantage of a hotline with industry experts, who can offer quick and workable solutions to problems you encounter. as well as an overview of any additional updates you can make.

If you are looking for a reasonably priced professional company that can offer and manage a dedicated server for your company, Clouvider can do all of that and more. Contact us today to learn more about how dedicated servers can improve the way your business works.

When it comes to cloud services and software as a service (SaaS), we all know of regular cloud providers. But for large and small businesses, there is a huge world of opportunities and resources available in addition to the most popular cloud storage and cloud services: Google, Dropbox, Salesforce, Amazon and Microsoft.

In this guide to business services, we take a look at 24 incredibly valuable services that solve real business problems. You may have heard of it. Many may be new to you. All are capable of generating almost instant profits, without having to invest in infrastructure.

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Environmental Site Assessment Services

Phase I of environmental assessments

Phase I SEA is an investigation that aims to uncover any negative environmental impacts before a real estate transaction occurs. A Phase I SEA is based on examination of the archives of federal, state and local governments and organizations, historical archives, site survey and stakeholder interviews, etc. This process is conducted in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E 1527 - Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments.

A phase 

· Establishes recognized adverse environmental conditions in relation to dangerous substances and petroleum products.

Defends innocent homeowners and under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)

Provides an indication of existing or past emissions or the physical threat of a release of any hazardous substance or petroleum product to structures, soil, groundwater, or surface water at a site.

Phase II environmental assessments of the site

A phase II SEA is an additional investigation into the negative impacts detected during a phase I ESI investigation. It establishes the extent of any contamination or unfavorable condition based on in-depth investigation and makes recommendations on the restoration material. The process is carried out in accordance with ASTM E 1903, Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments.

A Phase II SEA may include, but is not limited to, the following:

Soil Sampling

Disposal Services

Groundwater Sampling

Asbestos Surveying

Underground Storage Tank testing and removal support

Microbial Evaluation

Waste Characterization

Lead Based Paint Investigations

Environmental transaction screens

An environmental transaction screen (ETS) is an economical alternative to initially carry out a phase I SEA when certain criteria are met. This selection process is used, unlike a phase I SEA, when information suggests that few adverse environmental conditions will be identified. The transaction filtering process is carried out before the acquisition of the property, in accordance with standard ASTM ASTM E 1528 practice for environmental site assessments.

For the transaction screen:

Establishes Environmental Due Diligence And Innocent Defense Of Landowners Under CERCLA

Requires a site visit

Requires examination of government documents and historical sources

Use a questionnaire to get information about the owner and / or operator of the property.

At the end of any environmental assessment service, the client receives a complete technical report with photographic documentation, site-specific maps, conclusions and recommendations.

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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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What Is Help Desk Software

Customer and user satisfaction is essential to the idea of ​​success for most organizations. You can manage technical support for a product your company sells, or you can be a computer scientist who operates technical support for a large internal user base. The situation is usually the same (users of a service that sometimes has problems) as the objectives (to solve problems quickly and make people happy). With these support platforms, your IT department can better manage user issues and reduce the time between complaint and resolution.

Technical support software is at the heart of a well-run help center and is a vital consideration for business owners. In fact, it is one of the main priorities of a company, be it a small or medium company (SME) or a large organization. Fortunately, there is no shortage of options to choose from, as there is a wide variety of auxiliary software. Some solutions are more suitable for SMEs, while others are more suitable for large organizations; Still others are better suited to internal IT operations than organizations that handle customer requests. Also, not all technical support software is created the same way.

For example, technical support software such as Cayzu, Freshdesk, HappyFox, Vivantio Pro and Zendesk Support include social links that allow you to get tickets on social networking sites like Twitter. This could be an important resource for a business dealing with a large customer base, but it is not as important (or even relevant) for someone who uses the system simply as an internal platform for IT services. .

Other technical support software, such as Jira Service Desk, provides additional security measures and identity management features (mainly Single Sign-On or SSO), which can be the main differentiators of some companies. SSO provides users with the ability to define a set of login credentials for various applications. Be aware of these types of security features.

In this summary, we tested the top 10 support software offerings, including Agiloft Service Desk, Cayzu, Freshdesk, Freshservice, HappyFox, Jira Service Desk, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus 9.3, Vivantio Pro, Zendesk Support and Zoho Desk. All of these technical support solutions are available as software as a service (SaaS) solutions. This means that you do not need to install technical support software on a local machine. Like SaaS solutions, all proven technical support software can run on other people's servers, which can attract many small and medium business owners.

ITIL membership

During testing, we discovered that some assistance programs stood out from others in one important way: participation in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). ITIL is an established service structure used primarily by IT management companies. It is a set of best practices that includes various checklists, procedures, processes, and tasks. Having ITIL effectively govern the way your business does things can be costly and beneficial, depending on your industry. ITIL should be followed as much as possible, even if it seems a bit arrogant for small businesses.

Proven technical support software is divided into one of two fields: those that follow ITIL guidelines and those that do not. The most advanced services tested follow ITIL, including Freshservice, Jira Service Desk, and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus 9.3. They would make more sense to large companies working in the service management industry, perhaps overseeing data centers or large companies where service level agreements (SLAs) and penalties are more than buzzwords. If your company follows ITIL, you should opt for a support software offering that respects the ITIL structure.

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