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Covid-19 has put a spotlight on technology and how companies can manage the mass shift from office to home working. If your company is struggling to support an increasingly remote workforce, hiring and staffing an internal IT support team and help desk might seem like the answer. Before we get too far, we should note that outsourced Service Desk is just one component of the Elevity technology management offering. We wanted to share some general knowledge about what small and medium organizations (under 100 team members) consider when they look at outsourcing their technology support.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and rise of remote work revealed that most business are unprepared to support their work from home staff. You might suddenly be aware that you need help desk support and are and consider outsourcing IT, including a help desk component.
There is a definite and growing shift toward outsourcing IT, including help desk support, to improve the end user experience and more effectively control IT budgets. Today, we will address when you should consider outsourcing IT support to give your staff the support it needs to help your company grow and thrive.
WHY OUTSOURCING MAKES SENSE
The first and most obvious reasons many small and medium-sized businesses outsource technology management is to save money and improve productivity. In fact, 24% of small businesses outsource IT support to increase the efficiency of their business. Another 18% do so to get expert assistance, 16% do it to be more flexible and 15% do it to give more free time to their employees.
We understand that many organizations are reluctant to outsource IT and help desk functions to an outside organization. We know that some companies are concerned that an outsourced staff might not be aligned with the customer organization’s goals and culture. In those cases, employees can become frustrated when they can’t get the help and support they need.
However, we have seen that an outsourced managed technology provider is usually better able than an in-house IT team to provide reliable and accurate service. This is because help desk SLAs often have targets created with industry benchmarks for metrics such as first-contact (or first call) resolution levels, Priority 1 resolution times and average call-waiting times.
BUT OUR I.T. IS UNIQUE!
You may wonder how an outsourced solution can support the specialized or proprietary services that your company uses in the normal course of business. The good news is that a professional managed technology provider can support most services and software types, including many that an internal help desk team could never hope to master.
That means that an outsourced IT support team will free up your team into core business needs while managing routine and mundane technology and help desk challenges. Considering how difficult it is to retain talent these days, it is vital that you’re able to offer your employees a more rewarding workplace experience.
SUPPORT YOU CAN BANK ON
An outsourced IT service and help desk can offer a predictable cost each month for these vital services. When talking to an outsourced provider, find out how they charge for services and discuss how they will manage changes in volumes and modifications to services and service levels.
It is important to note that most managed technology and help desk providers offer different levels of service and quality. Make sure that the help desk solution you choose is not only aligned in terms of the specific technical support you’ll need, but also do some digging to determine how they line up in areas like company culture, security policies, and pursuing innovation.
The best technology management and help desk services should not offer a bland, corporate call center experience, but a personal touch. At Elevity, we’re big enough to offer world-class service yet small enough to provide individualized support, thanks to a dedicated, local team of experts who will handle your account. When you contact your assigned Client Success Specialist, engineers or our 24/7/365 Midwest-based Service Desk to address any issues, you’ll hear a friendly and familiar voice who knows you and knows how to get things done. That’s not just marketing speak, we have a Service Desk Customer Satisfaction of 4.93 out of 5 and a first call resolution rate better than 84%.
The Elevity Service Desk is just part of a fully managed technology solution from Elevity. We layer service desk support with our technology strategy, security and solutions to give organizations peace of mind and a strategic advantage in the market. To learn more, reach out to our team of technology experts and see if engaging a managed technology and help desk service is right for your business.
