Outsourced Help Desk – Pros and Cons

Contracting with an outside organization to provide technical support is one of the most widely used forms of outsourcing. However, companies considering outsourcing helpdesk services must understand the pros and cons and set outsourcing goals.

Outsourcing is often discussed financially, but the impact of help desk outsourcing is much greater. When used as internal support, productivity can be affected at both the administrative and file levels. As a customer service resource, an outsourced service desk is a key factor in customer satisfaction and retention. In other words, the potential impact of outsourced help desks, for better or for worse, is widespread, and careful goals and choices are critical to a company's success.

Below are some of the pros and cons that have come up regarding outsourcing the help desk.

Pros

Flexible Capacity -  A help desk service and Customer Service volumes may have peaks and valleys, or seasonal differences. By outsourcing this feature to your provider, you can expand or reduce based on demand and pay a fixed monthly fee.

24x7x365 coverage. Outsourcing your IT needs and third-party support gives your business and customers 24x7 access to technical support. Usually 24 or 24 hours would require 5 or 6 people, but this requirement no longer exists.

Focus on core business competencies. An external help desk support services allows you and your staff to focus on your core business and technical activities.

Financial and operational costs. Outsourcing generally provides an operating cost model at a fixed and predictable cost.

Expertise. Outsourced IT providers have a group of highly trained engineers, who provide a wide range of business skills. This includes IT engineers, security consultants, software developers, and network engineers, all through a contract.

Function. In addition to the help desk, the company can proactively manage, monitor and support IT.

 Cons

Culture. Your staff may need to adapt to the use of external providers. However, if managed correctly, a seamless migration is possible.

Quality. Many people may be concerned about quality or whether the supplier is not professional enough.

Security. Cyber security and privacy are important issues. You must ensure that your provider is reliable and takes security seriously.

Cost. Because companies tend to prefer predictable cost models, companies need to understand the fixed cost component and whether it includes call charges.

Visibility. Is there visibility of activity and service reports?

Relationship. The use of third parties may be anonymous. You must ensure that your provider is a partner. You need a real point of contact and a courteous account manager who understands your business.