Written by Allie Delos Santos
Contents
Growing businesses need a tech support team to assist customers in troubleshooting IT problems. However, most companies have reservations about establishing a support team because recruiting IT experts are expensive.
That is where outsourced technical support services come in.
If you’re undecided whether you need outsourced tech support management, here are 13 benefits to convince you.
What Are the Benefits of Outsourced Tech Support Management?
Outsourced tech support offers customers access to simple and quick resolutions across various channels. Tech support platforms include mobile apps, email, help desks, and phone calls, where a live agent helps resolve problems.
Outsourcing IT gives you access to the best data backup and security, customer relationship management (CRM), and global talent.
Technical support outsourcing has many benefits that appeal to businesses of all sizes. Here’s a look at the most common advantages of outsourced tech support management.
1. Infrastructure Cost Reduction
Most business process outsourcing (BPO) providers have access to better pricing for hardware and software, which might not be available to you. These service providers purchase their equipment in bulk. When you outsource, you can tap into their existing infrastructure, eliminating the need to purchase your own and saving you money.
Moreover, budget forecasting is easier with outsourcing because you only need to pay a fixed monthly rate for the type of support needed. This cost per user base lets you know how much you need to pay each month and mitigates hidden fees.
2. Focus on Primary Operations, Not Tech Support
Your focus should be on developing your primary functions. Ideally, you can consider outsourcing all secondary functions.
Your business does not focus on tech support, so outsourcing makes the most sense. Outsourcing IT support lets you concentrate on what you do best and your core value proposition. Let your third-party agents manage customer interactions and daily tech concerns instead.
3. Wide Range of Services
The range of services that most BPO companies cover is vast. That is to make sure they can meet the needs of each client they work with. The typical range of services includes a help desk, IT compliance and assessments, network monitoring, management and design, data security and privacy, and cloud computing support.
Each of these services needs specific expertise and skill sets that most companies might not have. But a good service provider has access to such knowledge.
4. Technology for Expediting Processes
Because IT is not a primary focus, investing in the infrastructure is not a top priority. Moreover, companies don’t want to waste resources training employees in new products and releases because it doesn’t directly contribute to business growth.
Outsourced tech support management lets you use the service provider’s expertise to speed up processes. Your partner has more advanced technologies, making it better equipped to manage customer support tickets.
In addition, you don’t have to maintain and update hardware and software because they are the vendor’s responsibility.
5. Added Flexibility and Scalability
Outsourcing is not just about saving money. It’s a way for you to improve flexibility and easily incorporate additional support capacity when needed. Working with a back-office outsourcing company allows you to increase the workforce without committing to full-time employees. Recruitment can take weeks or months.
Such an increase in scalability is a game-changer for companies encountering seasonal spikes in call traffic and demand. Companies can easily adapt to changing demands without letting employees go when the queues are short.
6. Access to a Wide and Qualified Pool of Talent
A good service provider offers clients the best solution to keep them happy and satisfied. It invests in continuous training and staff development and remains on top of new trends.
Investing in outsourced tech support management gives you access to experts who know the latest technology, trends, and products. They have the necessary skills to take your support to the next level. They can identify areas of improvement and help you boost productivity.
7. Employee Retention
Working in technical support incurs a lot of stress; hence, companies spend a significant amount on keeping employees happy and motivated. When employees are happy, they’re more capable of serving clients and maintaining customer satisfaction.
Hiring and managing customer-minded employees who can handle difficult clients and secure product information is a full-time job. Managing employee retention while running and growing a business can be overwhelming.
When you outsource, you can transfer the management of tech support agents to your service provider. Your vendor oversees employee retention and ensures that agents stay with you for as long as possible.
8. Increased Security and Reduced Cyber Threats
Your network and system are running 24/7. You can experience severe downtime if one of your servers breaks down in the middle of the night. You also risk being exposed to cyber threats and data breaches without the right support, which can cost you $4.24 million.
With outsourced tech support management, you can choose a solution to protect your business from such problems. Most service providers offer round-the-clock monitoring. This way, you can guarantee that the appropriate technician gets notifications should anything go wrong.
Moreover, your partner can help get your networks up and running as quickly as possible.
9. Round-the-clock Availability and Coverage
Nowadays, customers expect immediate responses regardless of the time of day. Customers need access to support at their convenience. And that means they want 24/7 support.
Chances are that you sell products on the internet, which means support should be available 24/7. If you cannot solve problems and answer questions immediately, customers are more than willing to look elsewhere.
Outsourced tech support management provides round-the-clock availability. That means your clients can contact you no matter the time or location.
10. Disaster Recovery
Most companies don’t know what to do during a flood, fire, or power outage. They also lack the resources and staff to get the operation back online after a disaster. While planning in case of a disaster is one thing, bringing business back to normal after a major disruption is another.
Outsourcing allows you to delegate disaster recovery planning and implementation to a third party. It saves you money and resources by ensuring that your information has multiple backups and can be easily retrieved. Additionally, the service provider has plans and equipment to get the ball rolling after an unforeseen disaster.
When looking for a vendor, ask what the outsourced IT provider’s experience with disaster recovery is.
11. Significantly Lower Exposure to Lawsuits
Year in and out, companies and high-level executives must sometimes handle frivolous lawsuits from in-house staff.
With outsourced tech support management, the legal risk is carried mostly by the service provider. Therefore, you can significantly reduce possible headaches.
12. Decreased Healthcare and Other Costs
Building a third-party team frees you from providing benefits, health insurance, taxes, and other expenses. These expenditures can cost companies quite a bit of money.
When you outsource, your service provider absorbs most of these expenses. Outsourced tech support management lets companies save up to 70% of labor costs.
13. Reduced Management Problems
The right BPO service provider has a seasoned HR and management team to ensure your agents perform at their best.
Although you are still responsible for onboarding, teaching the agents about your products, and task allocation, you do not need to worry about managing workflows. Your service provider handles tax returns and vacation and sick leave reporting and makes sure employees work on time. All these reduce stress and manage headaches.
13. Improved Customer Experience and Satisfaction
Finally, outsourcing provides your clients with a better experience. With the help of well-trained and equipped tech support agents, customers can solve their IT concerns fast.
BPO companies provide you with agents who can consistently deliver high-quality service. They rigorously train agents to ensure they have the right skills and knowledge to troubleshoot problems immediately and effectively.
Furthermore, outsourcing prevents customers from waiting in a long queue, thus increasing their satisfaction.
Is Outsourced Tech Support Management Right for You?
Outsourced tech support management is an excellent choice for most small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and large companies. It is the right choice for those who want access to quick and easy resolutions across various platforms. Tap into multiple channels, from live chat and email to phone calls and social media, to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues.
Outsourcing is not only limited to tech support. Companies can outsource data entry, lead generation, and outbound call centers to supplement their IT support team. Outsourcing is the best way to save on recruitment, training, and infrastructure maintenance costs.
That said, outsourcing is not always viable. You must know when you should and shouldn’t outsource technical support.
When To Outsource Tech Support Management
Outsource tech support management if you mostly receive basic questions that require generic answers. Because most questions are simple and easy to answer, you can train your third-party agents to manage such queries with standard responses. In this case, agents don’t encounter any issues when talking to the caller.
Outsourcing improves efficiency, especially for recurring tickets. It also allows you to scale the service based on demand and call volume.
Here are other instances when outsourcing tech support management makes sense.
- You need a stand-alone tech support team. Get a tech-savvy BPO support crew. Back-office outsourcing services offer tech support and customer care experts. Outsourcing tech support management ensures team members can respond fast.
- You want to scale your company. Outsourcing tech support is a cost-effective way to meet growing demand without sacrificing quality. It helps scale businesses. During peak season, outsourcing tech support remains affordable. Even if the workload grows, BPO providers can still boost productivity.
- You want to make the most of employee training. Building a technical support team from the ground up is not always straightforward. It raises hiring and training costs. A third-party IT team is familiar with troubleshooting and other IT issues, so their training focuses on your products and services. Thus, you save time and money.
- You need access to a state-of-the-art tech support facility. Tech support is costly, and not many companies can afford advanced equipment. But they can use sophisticated IT facilities through outsourcing. Get quick and easy resolutions across multiple platforms from outsourced tech support management.
- You need to integrate lead generation. Converting sales leads into paying customers requires a smooth system. In this scenario, tools are crucial because tech issues might impede lead conversion. Outsource data entry services to fix problems fast and avoid downtime. Without a focused team, lead generation can suffer.
When Not To Outsource Tech Support Management
Outsourcing might not be a good solution if each of your support tickets requires in-depth attention or if solutions vary on a case-to-case basis. Handling unique customer tickets requires a comprehensive knowledge of your product. Hence, it’s better to let an in-house staff familiar with your services and products manage this.
Here are other situations when you shouldn’t outsource.
- When you manage confidential information. Outsourcing might not be optimal if your organization handles client information or trade secrets. If you decide to outsource, ensure that your provider meets industry standards. Electronic data can be compromised if the service provider lacks a robust security mechanism. Even with a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), learn how the BPO company instructs and manages its employees.
- When quality control is a top priority. You’re responsible for the work quality of your employees and the BPO team. BPO providers’ work is more time-consuming and tougher to handle than in-house work. If quality is non-negotiable, then outsourcing might not be a good idea. If consumers receive subpar work, your reputation is at stake.
The Bottom Line
The benefits of outsourced tech support management are access to more numerous and more qualified experts, decreased exposure to lawsuits, increased flexibility, and cost reduction.
Leaving tech support management to third-party professionals is the best strategy to make your business more accessible to customers. Outsourcing is the first step in creating a more positive customer experience and can be your business’ most rewarding decision.
