Can Help Desk Outsourcing Work for Your Business?
Introduction
When asked how much time a company’s internal IT staff, or those IT falls on if there is no IT staff, spend dealing with user issues, managing the ticket queue, and performing tasks that steal time from high impact projects to build your business, the answer is usually “too much.” But while that response may be glib, it’s no less true.
As your company changes and grows, the impact of this demand increasing can be difficult to manage without a strong IT infrastructure and smart use of available resources. But the complications in trying to achieve this scalability are compounded when your in-house IT cannot keep up and more so if you don’t have a dedicated IT team. Whether this is on account of budget restrictions, the time and monetary cost of hiring and training, or because the coverage you need doesn’t necessarily mean you require more staff, your department – and therefore the rest of the company – will still suffer for it. This is where a managed services IT provider (MSP) can help bridge the chasm between your current IT and where you need to be for continued success.
Helpdesk outsourcing, in particular, is a common and useful offering that many companies employ as part of a service model, whether they fully or only partially contract out their IT needs. There are several benefits to keep in mind when you’re considering whether it’s right for your company.
Optimize In-House Staff
Your people understand your business better than any MSP could. However, if they’re too busy slogging their way through repairs or troubleshooting, they can’t make the best use of their time. Helpdesk outsourcing unloads an unnecessary burden from an already strained department without removing the knowledge and expertise that your people bring. Your staff then focus on more involved projects and management level organizational goals, like strategy or on business processes. If you don’t have an IT department an MSP will allow your staff to return to their main, business role helping move the business forward in the way you originally intended.
Minimize Persistent Problems
A well-managed help desk can provide the supervision and analysis that your people may not have time to perform themselves. The help desk can provide reliable assistance at any time throughout the workday, so there are no lags or gaps in service for end users when your IT staff don’t have the availability. Furthermore, a well-staffed help desk has the resources to analyze the ticket data. This cuts down on recurring and known issues, as your MSP has the ability to recognize patterns and address consistent problems.
Proactive Maintenance
With an MSP providing coverage for your help desk along with comprehensive oversight and analysis, you’re provided with better solutions that enable more stability as you grow. iCorps’ help desk services include recording and tracking of reported problems. Analysis of these occurrences provides insight on gaps or issues in your current environment and leads to recommendations for fixing those holes in a pro-active and cost-effective way.
A department without the right support can only continue to flounder, risking your ability to remain efficient and competitive. If your VP, CIO, or IT manager is constantly addressing user and desktop support themselves, it may be time to consider outsourcing a few key services, including help desk, to an MSP like BrownSpider IT Services.
28A Church Lane, East Peckham enquiries@brownspider.co.uk 01622 691155
