From startups to multinational corporations, technology is a cornerstone of business success. However, as the demands on IT infrastructure grow, many companies struggle to keep up with everyday issues. Full-time employees spend an average of 8.47 hours per week figuring out issues due to a lack of someone to help with their questions. That results in wasted productivity and frustrated employees. That’s where IT help desk outsourcing comes in.
From offering faster response times to providing access to a larger pool of IT experts, outsourcing offers a wide range of benefits. Around 55% of organization leaders provide multiple support channels for reaching out. An outsourced IT help desk can align with that, offering various support lines to ensure people get the help they need in the way they prefer.
Table of Contents
What Is an IT Help Desk?
Collect Information Before Starting
10 Reasons to Outsource Your IT Help Desk
1. Faster Response Times
2. Remote Support Capabilities
3. IT Help Desk Scalability
4. Less Wasted Employee Time
5. Access to More IT Specialists
6. Cheaper and More Predictable Costs
7. After-Hours Support
8. Standardized Solutions
9. Incident Response Planning
10. Boosts Internal IT Team’s Focus
What Is an IT Help Desk?
An IT help desk functions as a critical support hub, assisting users with technological issues. People first turn to it when they have problems with their computer systems, software, or any other technology-related questions. The help desk can quickly resolve most types of everyday issues. They use tools such as emails, phone calls, and a ticketing system to track requests and escalate problems that can’t easily be solved.
How Does an Outsourced IT Help Desk Work?
When a user encounters a technical problem, they reach out to the outsourced IT help desk through various channels such as:
- Phone calls
- Emails
- Chat services
- Ticketing systems
Upon receiving the issue, the help desk team logs it into a support ticket, capturing essential details like the user’s identity and a comprehensive problem description. This ticket acts as a record for tracking the issue’s resolution process.
The help desk evaluates the issue to determine its complexity. This step decides if the help desk team can resolve the problem quickly or if it needs to be escalated to a specialist with more specific expertise. The resolution process varies based on the nature of the issue:
- Simple issues: These are most common and are often resolved during the initial contact. The help desk agent provides direct instructions or remotely accesses the user’s system to fix the problem.
- Complex issues: These are sent to higher-level technical experts with the necessary skills to tackle more complicated problems. It may require anything from remote access to coming on-site to help.
Once the issue is fixed, the outsourced help desk follows up with the user to ensure the solution has been effective and the problem is fully resolved. This step often involves:
- Confirming user satisfaction
- Closing the support ticket
- Collecting feedback
This process focuses on fixing technical problems, enhancing the overall user experience, and finding opportunities for service improvement. Through efficient problem-solving and feedback collection, the IT help desk plays a pivotal role in keeping things running.
10 Reasons to Outsource Your IT Help Desk
An IT support team always aims to solve issues quickly, keep users happy, and help maintain a productive work environment. We’ll discuss ten key reasons for outsourcing your IT help desk.
1. Faster Response Times
IT issues can pop up anytime, whether minor glitches or significant problems. An outsourced IT help desk can significantly improve response times because more staff is available than an in-house team. Additionally, they have a more streamlined and efficient ticketing process, ensuring users get help in order of priority.
2. Remote Support Capabilities
Remote workers and businesses with multiple office locations can struggle to provide consistent IT support. Additionally, internal staff are limited by their numbers. With 44% of companies taking a digital-first approach to processes, outsourcing is an effective frontline support system that can remotely handle requests from any location.
3. IT Help Desk Scalability
As businesses grow, IT support needs can surge without warning. Outsourcing your IT help desk enables easy scaling, matching support to your business’s current demands. That means quick adjustments to your support needs, ensuring your team gets help when needed without the extra cost or time spent hiring.
4. Less Wasted Employee Time
Work is rarely predictable as unexpected situations, problems, or other events happen. That’s why full-time workers spend an average of 2 hours recovering from distractions daily as they constantly shift gears. An outsourced IT help desk can help reduce that by supporting issues with quicker resolution, in turn decreasing the number of distractions.
5. Access to More IT Specialists
Navigating complex IT issues requires a broad range of expertise. Outsourcing your IT help desk connects you with a diverse team of IT specialists, ensuring that no matter the problem, there’s always someone with the right skills to tackle it. This access enhances problem-solving efficiency and service quality, benefiting your business operations.
6. Cheaper and More Predictable Costs
Budgeting for IT support can be tricky, with costs that fluctuate. Outsourcing your IT help desk introduces predictable costs, turning a variable expense into an agreed-upon fee. Since IT help desks specialize in providing IT support, they offer users more at a lower price than hiring in-house staff to do the same routine problem-solving.
7. After-Hours Support
While most incidents happen during the day, disasters can sometimes occur at night. An outsourced IT help desk means having 24/7 support on major issues, with minor issues being a priority the following morning. That helps ensure business continuity, minimizing the impact of downtime and keeping after-hours workers better covered.
8. Standardized Solutions
Standardizing IT support solutions can streamline operations, but achieving this in-house can be challenging. Outsourcing offers access to providers with proven strategies and processes already in place, ensuring efficient and consistent service delivery. This uniformity improves issue resolution times and enhances the overall reliability of your IT support.
9. Incident Response Planning
Effective incident response is crucial for minimizing IT disruptions. Outsourcing your IT help desk ensures you benefit from expertly crafted incident response plans. These plans outline the best processes to quickly address and resolve issues, reducing downtime and safeguarding productivity. That allows businesses to maintain business continuity better, even when IT challenges arise.
10. Boosts Internal IT Team’s Focus
Outsourcing routine help desk tasks allows your internal IT team to focus on more impactful tasks, such as those designed to drive growth and innovation. That leads to higher productivity and a better use of in-house resources. Help desk teams specialize in handling everyday issues, making it a more cost-effective way to pay for IT support.
Should Your IT Help Desk Be Outsourced?
Opting to outsource your IT help desk can be a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. In an era where technology underpins every aspect of operations, the ability to swiftly address IT issues is essential. Outsourcing offers a streamlined solution, cutting down on wasted time, frustration, and troubleshooting costs.
An outsourced IT help desk brings several key benefits to the table. It ensures quicker response times to tech issues, which is crucial for keeping downtime to a minimum and operations running smoothly. With support available through various channels like phone, email, and chat, users get access to a wide range of IT experts who can tackle any challenge. As a scalable solution, even if there’s an influx of support requests, they’re fully equipped to handle them.
Businesses can concentrate more on growth and innovation by entrusting routine IT tasks to an outsourced help desk. Given all the benefits, outsourcing your IT help desk is worth considering for any business aiming to enhance its IT efficiency and productivity at an affordable cost.
Is your business struggling with IT support costs or not getting the timely help you need? Get in touch with us for a consultation through our contact form or call us at: +1 (800) 297-8293
