Your IT helpdesk is a critical component of your business. Not only does it help solve your IT problems, but it supports all of your business operations. To put it simply, your business could not live without it, and when it fails so does your business. An efficient, productive and competent IT helpdesk is therefore essential; anything less can cost you business and money.
Yet by running your own IT helpdesk, which is often a more expensive and inefficient option, you could be costing your company exactly that. As the following advantages of outsourcing demonstrate, more efficient and cost effective IT support could make your business more competitive and productive. The total cost to your business of in-house IT support could go well beyond the extra financial cost incurred.
Owning and Running your Own IT Helpdesk
Owning and running your own IT helpdesk offers a number of benefits. A dedicated onsite professional will work with the rest of your staff, day in, day out, gaining valuable insight to your business’s specific IT needs and challenges.
In addition, if your business is very small and only employs a few people, your IT support needs may be limited and it may seem to make more financial sense to keep your IT support in house.
Yet, even in these circumstances, your company may still benefit from outsourcing some aspects of your IT support. What happens if your company website goes down at the weekend preventing customers from purchasing items or if you cannot meet an important client deadline because of a 6pm IT system glitch?
Consider the Disadvantages
In most instances, companies will find that maintaining an in-house IT helpdesk is often more expensive and more inefficient than outsourcing IT support. Not only will you have the cost of the wages for your onsite IT staff, but you’ll also need to invest in regular training in order to ensure your on-site staff remain technologically current and up to date.
In addition, there are a number of business challenges and risks of relying on a small number of key IT support employees. For example, managing a number of concurrent IT problems may stretch a limited IT helpdesk and result in lengthy, costly waits.
Moreover, what impact would the loss of a key member of your IT team have on your business? How will you cover holidays or even unanticipated sick leave?
Outsourcing Saves Money and Reduces Business Risk
Outsourcing your IT helpdesk can offer a number of real business advantages. Firstly, outsourcing often proves more cost effective for your business, as you will only pay for the services you need.
For example, a monthly service plan will often save your company money, proving less expensive than the total cost of wages, benefits and training. Secondly, by offering a guaranteed continuation of service offsite, outsourcing I.T support removes the business risk of staff turnover or unanticipated staff sickness.
More Efficient Resources Result in Increased Productivity
An outsourced helpdesk provides your business with more resources, as and when you need them. Response times are also often reduced. Remote access allows for faster and more efficient troubleshooting. This not only solves your IT problem faster but also minimizes employee downtime, restoring productivity and saving your company lost money.
Increased Availability and More Specialized Support
An in-house help desk will often only work during normal office hours and unfortunately IT problems can occur at other times. An outsourced help desk can help to solve this problem, by offering 24/7 availability, making your business more competitive and responsive to the needs of your clients.
In addition, many IT companies offering outsourced support services specialize in an industry or a sector. This specialist knowledge can help agents troubleshoot common industry issues faster, whilst being more responsive to the needs and challenges of your business and employees.
More cost-effective and efficient, an outsourced help desk offers your company significant business advantages. At iSupport, we can offer your company this and more. We’re experts in help desk software and customer support solutions. We’ve provided specialist support to organizations in the manufacturing, education, government, communications, technology, and professional services sector.
Contact us today to discuss how we can help you, call (888) 494-7638 or contact us online.
