Interscale Content Hub – An outsourced IT help desk is a third-party service that provides technical support to a company’s employees and customers.
This can include fixing computer problems, answering questions about software, and solving other IT issues.
Take the AEC industry, for instance. Technology is playing an increasingly critical role there, so having a reliable and efficient IT help desk can make all the difference between a project’s success and costly delays.
So, let’s get down to basics, shall we?!
What is an Outsourced IT Help Desk?
An outsourced IT help desk involves transferring the responsibility of managing IT support services to a third-party provider.
These services typically encompass troubleshooting, technical support, and customer assistance for various IT-related issues.
Outsourcing these functions allows companies to maintain continuous support without maintaining a large, in-house team.
This approach offers flexibility and access to specialized expertise, which is critical for the health and efficiency of IT infrastructure.
For example, the report “How to Outsource Help Desk Successfully: A Step-by-Step Guide” by Keith Sayewitz of Auxis points out that many North American businesses are turning to help desk outsourcing to cut costs and improve performance.
The reason is because they’re getting bombarded with service requests and they don’t have enough staff.
This outsourcing allows companies to leverage external resources to manage their IT support effectively.
In their guide, “Implementing a New Service Desk,” Mechdyne IT Service says outsourcing can help businesses manage the growing number of IT support tickets effectively so that they can deliver high-quality service.
Why Do Companies Need to Outsource IT Help Desks?
There are lots of great reasons why businesses should outsource their IT help desks.
The first and most important benefit of an outsourced IT helpdesk is cost reduction.
Yep, outsourcing helps businesses save money while still getting great support.
The Digital Minds BPO report, “Ultimate List of Key Outsourcing Statistics for 2024,” says that outsourcing can cut operational costs by as much as 70% by eliminating the expenses associated with hiring, training, and maintaining an in-house team.
Ultimately, your company can redirect funds to other key areas, boosting its financial health and competitiveness.
Another great thing about outsourcing IT help desks is it frees up your company to focus on what it does best.
When help desk functions are outsourced, you can redirect internal resources towards core business activities.
This switch lets internal IT teams focus on big projects instead of routine troubleshooting, which boosts overall productivity and spurs innovation within the company.
Another great thing about outsourcing IT help desks is scalability and flexibility.
Outsourced solutions can be easily scaled up or down to meet changing business needs, so you can be sure that support levels always align with demand fluctuations.
This flexibility is especially useful when the company is growing fast or going through seasonal changes.
And don’t forget that outsourcing can give companies access to a pool of experienced IT professionals who are up to date with the latest technologies and best practices.
This kind of expertise can be really useful for smaller businesses that don’t have the resources to maintain a highly skilled in-house team.
The “Ultimate Guide to IT Outsourcing” by Dataprise shows how using external expertise can help you provide better service and run your business more efficiently.
Just so you know, you can find out more in “How to Improve IT Help Desk Performance: Simple Tweaks for Big Impact.”
Features of an Effective Outsourced IT Help Desk
One of the best things about them is that they’re there for you 24/7. Having support available 24/7 is key for quickly solving problems, avoiding downtime and keeping the business running smoothly.
Having support available 24/7 means users get help whenever they need it, no matter what time zone they’re in. Pretty impressive, right?
Another thing help desks do is provide support through different channels, like phone, email, chat, and ticketing systems.
This multi-channel approach means users can reach out through whatever method they prefer, which makes their experience better and more satisfying.
Another great benefit is that they manage Service Level Agreements (SLAs) really well.
As we know, SLAs set out what’s expected of the outsourced provider in terms of performance and response times.
Clear SLAs mean you can count on consistent and reliable support, and they hold the provider accountable for their service quality.
We also really need to be able to see how effective the outsourced IT help desk is.
Keeping an eye on things with regular reports and data analytics helps us monitor performance, spot trends and make data-driven decisions to improve service quality.
These analytics are vital for keeping a top-performing service desk up and running. They help us see where we can do better and track how well our strategies are working.
The Dataprise guide shows how important it is to be proactive in maintaining strong IT operations.
These features help prevent problems and ensure that IT systems work well.
So, instead of just dealing with problems when they come up, an effective help desk looks out for problems and fixes them before they affect users.
This proactive approach helps keep the IT environment stable overall.
For further information, please refer to “How to Start an IT Help Desk from Scratch That Actually Solves Problems?“
Choosing the Right Outsourced IT Help Desk Provider
First and foremost, it’s vital to check out the provider’s reputation and experience.
Make sure you check out how they’ve done with other businesses and IT environments similar to yours.
This checking process makes sure that the provider can give you great support, time and time again.
Then, the chosen provider should be able to tailor their services to meet your business’s specific needs and scale their operations as your company grows.
This adaptability is key for keeping up with changing business needs.
According to Dataprise, flexibility in how you provide your services is vital to long-term success.
Then think about how their tools and tech fit with what you need and how they’ll fit in with what you’ve already got.
Mechdyne makes a good point about how important it is to make sure everything lines up so that you can deliver services efficiently and reliably.
Dataprise also says it’s vital to have strict security protocols in place to keep business information safe.
And yes, the provider should adhere to industry standards and regulations to ensure data security and compliance, especially when handling sensitive information.
Up-to-date security measures keep business data safe and help you follow the rules.
Our team at Interscale is dedicated to providing services that meet the highest industry standards and best practices.
We’re confident we can meet and even exceed your expectations.
Over the past year, we’ve successfully closed 8,553 tickets, delivered 85 projects in the last 18 months, kept the average helpdesk wait time to just 1 minute, and resolved 90% of tickets within an hour.
These numbers show how efficient we are and how dedicated we are to providing the best service.
What do all those figures mean for you?
Our reporting and analytics tools let you measure the performance of your IT help desk, track your KPIs, and find ways to improve.
Our expert consulting services help you develop and implement a strategy for ongoing improvement so that your IT help desk is always running at its best.
If you’d like to know more about how we can help your IT helpdesk, we’d love for you to check out our Helpdesk Support page and schedule a personal consultation.
And we are ready for a one-on-one meeting with you. Let us show you how we can become your go-to partner for optimising IT support and driving your business forward.
In Closing
If you outsource your IT help desk, you’ll save money and get access to top-notch IT support.
It’s pretty obvious what the effect is: your team can focus on what matters most, your core business.
This outsourced IT help desk approach is a great option for small businesses looking to make the most of their resources or large enterprises that need advanced IT support.
