Outsourcing vs. In-House IT Help Desk

Small and medium-sized enterprises increasingly rely on information technology (IT) to dramatically increase productivity, improve efficiency, and increase competitiveness. But when an IT accident occurs, small businesses suffer. This is because most small businesses cannot afford to have IT professionals on their payroll and it can take hours or even days to call an IT specialist. That is bad news.

The good news is that it is becoming more affordable for small businesses to outsourced service desk and level the competition for business tycoons. This section discusses the key differences between outsourcing IT help and IT guru staff retention, and discusses the benefits each option offers.

Benefits of IT Help Desk Outsourcing

One of the main benefits of outsourcing an IT help desk is the potential for cost savings. Outsourcing your IT helpdesk saves your IT professionals the salary and benefits costs, saving you business costs in terms of payroll. And if everyone's technology works smoothly, you don't have to spend money on IT to be idle.

Another reason why small businesses choose to outsource their help desk service is 24x7 availability. In-house IT professionals typically work from 9 a.m. at 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. But what if your workers or customers need help after hours? When outsourcing with a trusted IT company really pays off. In addition, external IT help provides faster response times than internal services, and generally faster than internal services. This is because internal deployments often only have one person responsible for the needs of the entire company. Employees continue to wait for help, not only reducing productivity but also negatively impacting customer service.

An added benefit of external IT support is that you can find a niche or industry-specific company. When it comes to troubleshooting, solving common industry problems, and proactively addressing issues, this can go a long way.

Benefits Of Maintaining It Support Internally

While there are many benefits to outsourcing an IT help desk, there are also benefits to maintaining internal IT support. A great advantage of in-house IT help desk over outsourced IT is that on-site professionals work daily with other staff. This allows you a comprehensive understanding of your specific business IT needs and the identification of potential obstacles. The valuable information obtained by internal experts can be difficult to replicate with outsourced IT.

Also, many small businesses have only a few payroll accounts, so IT support needs are minimal. If this is the case for small businesses, it may make financial sense for one of today's employees to take on additional responsibility for IT support. If you maintain IT support internally, make sure that your IT team members have clearly defined responsibilities. Also, be aware that you may need IT coverage during unusual days or hours of work.