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Computers are the lifeblood of many businesses—even just a minute of system lag results in delays and backlogs. Meanwhile, large-scale errors in information technology (IT) operations cost significant time and money if they are not immediately resolved.
IT support outsourcing offers a cost-effective and fast approach to addressing such issues. However, you must plan diligently to maximize the benefits of hiring a service provider.
Follow our tips to create a foolproof strategy for outsourced desktop support.
Practical Ways To Outsource Desktop Support
Desktop systems digitally host multiple business processes. These systems are so integral to operations that even the slightest lag or the occasional blue screen causes worry for employees. They imagine how much overtime they must endure to get back on track.
Usually, you would have an in-house IT team quickly resolve such technical issues. But building this non-revenue-generating unit is costly, especially if you need the budget for more important tasks such as product and service improvement.
Besides, why maintain a whole IT unit if most of your daily IT challenges concern only desktop solutions?
Back-office outsourcing provides an affordable way to quickly and effectively solve desktop problems. You just need the right business process outsourcing (BPO) partner to reap the rewards.
Consider the following outsourced desktop support tips when seeking a reliable provider.
1. Identify Scope and Limitations
As you start planning your outsourcing investment, never forget these three words: goals, needs, and challenges. Whether you want to fully or partially outsource desktop support, you must clarify those factors to ensure returns and cost savings.
Each IT service requires different levels of expertise, so overhead costs also vary. Clearly define your specific IT needs to best streamline your team’s daily tasks. Also, specify which technical obstacles are impeding your progress.
When you figure out that only buggy desktops are the cause of your staff’s day-to-day headaches, set measurable goals for hiring a service provider. Draft your desktop support outsourcing targets by answering the following questions:
- What do I want to achieve with a BPO contractor?
- Why is outsourcing important to the growth of my business?
- Who should manage the effort?
- What is an outsourced IT provider, and where do I find the best one?
- How much money will I lose and gain from outsourcing desktop support?
- What operational improvements will I get within six months or a year?
- How can I track and evaluate a vendor’s work performance?
Your needs and goals will constantly change because of operational problems and customer wants. Outsourced IT trends, technological advances, and global issues will influence your decision-making. As long as you keep your action plans up-to-date, you can accurately allocate resources for your outsourcing engagement.
2. Balance Service Quality and Cost Expectations
Most outsourced desktop support tips emphasize cost savings as a top priority. Reports from Deloitte say that cost reduction was one of the most tangible benefits of outsourcing. It is among the top three objectives for adopting BPO, along with process efficiency and standardization.
Cutting operating expenses should not be your only reason to outsource, though. Sacrificing quality does not ensure cost savings and investment returns. Instead, poor-quality desktop support is more likely to lead to prolonged project delays.
Fortunately, competent vendors offer multiple service packages at affordable prices. Service packages give businesses access to all kinds of desktop support resources. For long-term contracts, monthly or annual billing is the norm. You can also pay for services per hour or task completion for short-term purposes.
Most importantly, trustworthy BPO companies use quality assurance to ensure their services meet government and industry standards. They accomplish the following to guarantee superior offerings:
- Define organizational targets. Clarify business goals to establish a concrete plan for maintaining excellent product and service quality. Having measurable objectives simplifies enterprise growth analysis and reporting.
- Outline critical success factors. List crucial factors affecting service quality. Having such a checklist helps with continuously monitoring any improvement in service offerings.
- Understand specific customers. Every business should know its target market to provide better products and services. Studying customer needs and preferences leads to more personalized offerings.
- Collect customer reviews. Pre-sales and after-sales consumer feedback informs companies on the areas that need enhancements. Such insights also allow providers to quickly identify and address quality issues.
- Execute consistent quality improvements. Use insight from customer feedback and market trends to improve products and services. Continue developing high-quality offerings for customer satisfaction and retention.
3. Set Requirements and Qualifications
Not all back-office outsourcing services have the same requirements for their employees. Each service has its own quality standards, expertise levels, and service charges. Therefore, selecting the best BPO partner is a challenge that demands careful planning.
For instance, you are a small business owner facing daily desktop issues. Instead of establishing your own IT department, you can hire a company that offers affordable desktop support. But do you outsource to a large and well-established company or another small business that can perhaps better understand your situation?
Set criteria to find the contractor that best suits your requirements. Make sure your outsourcing requirements match your business strategies and resource allocations. Draft a solid BPO management plan to assure profitability and avoid unnecessary conflicts.
As part of our outsourced desktop support tips, we recommend these qualifications when seeking the best vendor for your needs:
- Broad industry experience
- Strong market reputation
- Clean service history
- Superior service quality
- Scalability and efficiency
- High customer satisfaction rating
- Good client referrals
- Excellent work ethic and punctuality
- Skilled Personnel
- Modernized technology and infrastructure
- Cost-effectiveness
- Efficient and transparent communication
- Strict security and compliance
- Innovative and targeted problem-solving
- Business goal and integration support
- Inclusive workplace culture
4. Screen and Engage Directly With Potential Providers
Now, let us talk about how to choose a service provider. Initially, you post a proposal call on your websites or social media accounts. This helps identify interested desktop support vendors.
Afterward, evaluate contractors using your criteria as a guide and conduct further background checks if needed. When you have narrowed your selection to at least two or three vendors, interview them to learn more about their teams and outsourced IT solutions. Ask questions such as:
- What makes your company unique?
- What is your escalation process for desktop support?
- What are your service-level agreement terms and conditions?
- How much does your service cost?
- Who will act as our main contact point?
- Will you give us client references?
- Can your systems integrate with our existing ones?
- What is your cybersecurity posture?
- Will your policy protect our sensitive data and assets?
- Do you conduct user feedback collection and analysis?
- Do you offer 24/7 support? How does it work?
5. Gather Input From Stakeholders and Previous Clients
As you screen your potential BPO providers, seek recommendations from your key stakeholders. These senior executives profoundly understand your business strategies and IT needs. They also are familiar with your day-to-day operations.
So request their insights when you outsource tech solutions. They can give critical points to consider in your decision-making. Their ideas can also help you decide whether to hire a whole third-party IT department or a small desktop support team.
Additionally, ask the potential provider’s past clients for referrals and reviews. They have experienced the contractor’s work strategy, turnaround time, and service cost. They also know the vendor’s strengths and weaknesses.
This approach helps you develop a solid BPO investment strategy. It also gives you more factors to consider when choosing the right desktop support provider. Ultimately, it lets you confidently finalize your outsourcing budget plan before closing a formal deal.
6. Ensure Data Security
Today, most businesses perform their processes and transactions online. Confidential data and digital assets are constantly exposed to cyber threats.
A 2022 Verizon report reveals that third parties caused 80% of data breaches. Agents from outside the organization often leak sensitive information to make money, make a point at work, or get even with someone.
So choose a vendor that takes strict cybersecurity measures if you plan to outsource data entry services, desktop support, and other back-office tasks. Make sure they match your security rules and regulations to combat cyberattacks. It should implement cybersecurity tools such as:
- Multi-factor authentication
- Data encryption
- Biometrics and facial recognition
- Antivirus scanning and mitigation
- Network and data monitoring
- Data backup and recovery
- Virtual private network
- Compliance review and monitoring
Ask what cybersecurity platform your potential contractor is using. Check to see whether it works with the systems you have in place to make monitoring and threat mitigation easier. Ensure that the solution only requires you to pay for what is necessary.
Furthermore, carefully evaluate the third-party staff handling your desktop support tasks. On top of technical skills, make sure these contractors care about work ethics and do not have a criminal record.
7. Optimize Communication
Once you have signed a service-level agreement, frequently communicate with your chosen BPO partner. A reliable desktop support provider uses and shares collaborative platforms so you can reach the right people in real time.
Reciprocate the effort by keeping all your communication channels open and accessible. Set meeting and reporting schedules to keep everyone up-to-date. Both parties should be transparent to quickly and effectively resolve desktop issues.
Establishing a stable cooperation strategy helps smooth business processes and the resolution of problems. The approach avoids misunderstandings and unexpected conflicts. Strong coordination also lets you build an effective long-term working relationship with your provider.
The Bottom Line
Having to deal with desktop lags and bugs slows your daily work and delays your main projects. You can set up an in-house IT unit to address these issues, but you need considerable upfront capital to keep this non-core business function afloat.
Since the problem surrounds only your desktop systems, you can save on labor, infrastructure, and real estate costs through outsourcing. Consider following the outsourced desktop support tips described here to ensure long-term benefits.
Delivering robust solutions for desktop support is what our team at Unity Communications does best. We match your strengths and strategies to produce superior growth outcomes. Connect with us now to learn more about our IT support services.
