Many business leaders wonder whether it is better to run IT help desk services in-house or to opt for IT outsourcing. Here are the benefits of outsourcing your IT help desk, plus an analysis of what types of companies should and shouldn’t outsource their IT help desks.
Benefits of IT Help Desk Outsourcing
Helpful reporting tools. Because they specialize in providing IT outsourcing, many IT help desk service providers offer reporting tools that your business may find useful. For example, your marketing department may appreciate knowing which products customers ask most frequently when they call your IT help desk. Some companies even offer complete transcripts and records of every customer call they answer.
Additional management controls for your network. Establishing outsourced IT help desk services often means adding new IT structures to enable your outsourcing partner to better serve customers. In this way, outsourcing your IT help desk makes your entire network more controllable and reliable.
Better communication with the user. Because IT support providers are specialists in helping customers, outsourcing their support services often results in better communication with users.
Lower costs. The ultimate benefit of outsourcing IT help desk services is that it generally saves businesses money.
When it makes sense to outsource your IT help desk services
Outsourcing IT help desk services is especially smart in the following situations:
1. When your users tend to have common questions. If your clients tend to ask the same questions over and over again, IT outsourcing is a great idea. This makes it easy for your outsourcing partner to answer customer questions consistently.
2. When you need more time to focus on core business processes. If your workers spend too much time answering IT questions and don’t have enough time to build the heart of your business, it may be the perfect time to outsource IT.
3. If you can’t afford to create an IT help desk internally. Setting up an IT help desk can be a lot of work, and many companies simply cannot afford to buy the infrastructure necessary to create an in-house call center.
When not to outsource your IT help desk services
IT outsourcing for help desk services is less beneficial for businesses in the following circumstances:
1. Your company uses complicated proprietary IT solutions. If your technology is new, proprietary, or very unfamiliar to the outside world, your employees will likely be better equipped to answer customer questions.
2. Your company has fewer than 200 employees. If your company has fewer than 200 employees, you probably won’t see a high volume of customer calls with questions, and therefore it may make more sense to keep your IT help desk in-house.
3. Observe customer reaction from outsourced IT services. If there is any negative customer reaction to IT outsourcing, you should switch to a new IT helpdesk provider or have employees answer your questions internally.
By following the tips above, you can find an IT help desk situation that saves your business money and keeps your customers engaged.
