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Not all businesses can afford to run a tech support department in-house. Some lack the human resources, necessary training, and office space. However, IT support is essential because it increases client satisfaction and ensures smooth business operations.
Outsourcing fills this organizational gap by providing affordable tech support services.
This post dives into the benefits of outsourced technical support services. It also discusses some important factors to consider before outsourcing.
Benefits of IT Support Outsourcing
Part of your business depends on how reliable, efficient, and future-proof your company’s computer networks, software, and hardware are. Outsourcing tech support gives you access to the best help desk services, information privacy, and network redundancy.
Drawing on the knowledge and expertise of business process outsourcing (BPO) providers lets your organization benefit from robust IT support, backup solutions, and security. Outsourcing ensures that your infrastructure and data networks are managed and that cybersecurity is taken care of.
The top benefits of outsourced technical support include:
1. Access to a Dedicated Team Without Hefty Overhead
An outsourced tech support provider has multitiered expertise you can leverage. Outsourcing gives you the benefit of a first response team proficient in tech support and a large pool of professionals as necessary.
Your primary team includes an account manager, skilled IT strategists, and first-line support agents to support your daily needs. Outside the front-line support, you have experts in office migration, IT security, compliance, and networking specialists, to name a few.
Recreating this range of skills in-house without hefty equipment and staffing overhead is almost impossible. Outsourcing tech support is an efficient way to tap into a vast knowledge covered by monthly rates manageable for your company.
2. Single Contract for a Range of Managed Service Requirements
Companies that outsource data entry and other IT-based processes can expect the service provider to manage several elements. A typical outsourced service includes virtual private networks (VPNs), firewalls, data backups, telephony, and network monitoring.
You only need to deal with your outsourced tech support provider that manages all work, service agreements, and negotiations to keep these crucial elements running on your behalf—an excellent time-saver.
3. Value-based Service-level Agreements
Concerns over supplier management, data privacy, and service quality are normal when outsourcing tech support. Service-level agreements (SLAs) are common in the tech industry. They ensure both sides know their responsibilities and the consequences of breaching the terms.
Outsourcing comes with SLAs that allow you to set realistic expectations for the speed and quality of service. SLAs also outline key business priorities that your service provider must meet. Agreeing to such terms right off the bat ensures an amicable and productive working partnership with your vendor.
4. Ability To Get Recommendations Before Committing
You have the benefit of seeking recommendations when looking for a service provider. You can research their work and track record before committing to make an informed decision. Doing your due diligence prevents you from wasting valuable resources.
Ask your potential vendor about its customer retention rates, seek an opinion from previous clients, and talk to multiple providers to find the appropriate match of skills, expertise, and staff for your company. Don’t rush into deciding. Consider a trial period to guarantee the partnership will benefit both parties before committing to long-term agreements.
5. Wide Range of Services
Back-office outsourcing companies provide a wide range of services to ensure they meet your IT needs. The typical services include:
- IT projects covering planning, scoping, and delivery
- Help desks providing assistance and support
- IT security to keep systems and data safe from external threats
- Cloud IT support leveraging internet-based programs and storage
- IT compliance and assessments to meet regulatory and industry compliance needs
- Network design, monitoring, and management for appropriate tech infrastructure
- Office software management using popular office and email applications
Each tech support service needs specific knowledge, expertise, and skillset to deliver successfully. But you can easily leverage such skills with an outsourced tech support provider.
6. Monitoring Company IT Needs
Most businesses have various departments with different tech support needs. Managing HR systems and accounting packages, troubleshooting design software for marketing, or keeping cybersecurity threats at bay can be a full-time job.
Outsourcing IT support ensures your staff always has access to the right tools to keep operations smooth. Fast access to support also helps prevent bottlenecks in operations.
7. Advance Planning for Expenses
Hiring an outsourced tech support provider means paying a fixed rate for the type of assistance you need. Typically, the price depends on a cost-per-user basis. The advantage is that you’ll know how much to pay each month, which is good for budget planning.
Having a third-party team means planning IT infrastructure projects during strategy meetings or at the start of the year. Early planning gives you a clear idea of which software, hardware, and systems need replacing, renewing, and addressing throughout the months, along with the expenses involved.
Planning equipment maintenance with your outsourcing partner reduces unexpected expenses. Additionally, you can spread the bills of planned projects as needed.
8. Labor Cost Savings
Outsourcing your technical support is a smart strategy regardless of the size of your company. Subcontracting IT support reduces time-consuming and tedious non-core activities and cuts your labor expenses by 70%.
However, tapping into third-party talent has pros and cons. When deciding, saving money and cutting back on costs should not be your only priority.
9. Objective Perspective
Getting an objective overview of your business when you manage operations can be challenging. You know you’re providing value to your customers and selling great products, but can production efficiency be improved?
The right outsourcing company can spot areas within your organization that require improvement to improve process efficiency and save you money. They can introduce new strategies that supplement your organizational goals.
For instance, if you aim to increase turnover within the year, a good solution is to reduce the time to get work done with automation and training.
10. Tech Disaster Recovery
Do you know what to do during a power outage, a flood, or a fire? Do you have the necessary resources and staff to transfer everything back online? Having a plan is one thing, but having the skills to get operations up and running quickly after a disaster is another.
Companies that outsource data entry services or tech support have access to disaster recovery planning and implementation. A disaster recovery plan can save money and time by ensuring that data is easy to retrieve and has multiple backups. Additionally, it guarantees you’ll return quickly to business as usual, even in the event of an unexpected disaster.
11. Security and Compliance
The programs and systems you use to run your company must be secure and require regular updates. Working with a BPO company that knows when and how to conduct security fixes means that you can abide by any compliance regulations that your industry sets.
When choosing a reliable outsourced tech support provider, look for quality symbols like ISO 27001 certification. This is a standard internationally recognized for data security. Such certification shows that the vendor has dedicated systems, processes, and procedures to manage IT security.
12. Round-the-clock Security and Peace of Mind
Your IT network and system don’t stop working when you do. You can experience major downtime if your server suddenly goes offline in the middle of the night. Worse, you might be exposed to cyber threats outside office hours without the necessary support.
Network breakdowns and security threats can lead to a data breach. According to IBM’s Cost Data Breach report, stolen data costs companies $4.24 million.
Avoid such headaches by hiring an outsourced tech support provider with 24/7 monitoring. Having round-the-clock support ensures that the right technician will be alerted should something go south. These technicians can have your network safe and running the following day.
13. Access to State-of-the-art Technology
Most companies don’t access advanced infrastructure because IT is rarely a top priority. Thus, businesses rarely have comprehensive knowledge of data security, backup solutions, and system networks. Without access to new technology, your company might lose its competitive advantage.
Outsourcing technical support lets you tap into the provider’s computer arsenal. You do not need to invest in expensive technology to get a competitive advantage. Finally, you can commence projects immediately with better technology.
14. Better Pricing for Software and Hardware
Some back-office outsourcing services have access to rates and offer for infrastructure as they buy software and hardware in bulk. Such competitive prices might not be available to your company. Moreover, your outsourced tech support provider can easily identify areas for cost savings because they have a comprehensive view of your system.
Whether you’re looking for a unique IT strategy, specialist advice, or business-as-usual support, outsourcing is a cost-effective solution worth considering.
15. IT Solutions Tailored to Your Company Needs
Your teams must have access to resources 24/7. They also need quick and efficient responses to keep operations running. Server downtime can slow down processes if not resolved immediately.
The benefit of outsourcing involves giving you access to solutions tailored to your business needs. With fast-changing technology, you need customized solutions to keep you updated with the latest trends.
16. High Business Productivity
You will waste valuable resources if you attempt to manage all tech support tasks in-house. Outsourcing IT support to a reputable provider ensures your company stays on top of work without exhausting resources.
If your in-house team struggles to support your IT needs, it is time to start outsourcing. The service provider’s technology can help you streamline business processes and increase efficiency and productivity.
17. Flexibility in Scaling up or Down
The volume of technical support tickets you get never stays the same. Sometimes you receive more tickets than agents can handle; other times, you barely receive any requests. At this point, you need to decide whether to expand or downscale in response to demand.
Scaling is more challenging in-house. Hiring and training new employees tend to be expensive and time-consuming. Conversely, downscaling involves removing your employees, which can cause problems.
With outsourcing, the service provider is responsible for expanding and downscaling depending on your needs. You do not need to hire and train employees when you’re busy with work and fire them when demand decreases, saving you money and time in the long run.
18. Focus on Core Business
Businesses must focus on developing and improving core functions. Tasks that fall under secondary functions can be outsourced.
Because technical support is not your focus, outsourcing makes the most sense. Outsourcing IT support lets you concentrate on what you do best. Let your outsourced tech support provider manage day-to-day customer interactions and concerns instead.
19. Leverage Technology to Speed up Processes
Because tech support is not a core function, investing in infrastructure is not a priority on the expense list. Moreover, you might not want to waste time training staff in new releases and updates. In such cases, IT doesn’t necessarily contribute to business growth.
Outsourcing helps with this problem. Your BPO provider will likely be more informed about the newest trends and can easily manage customer queries. You can use their skills and knowledge without incurring hefty costs on equipment upgrades and employee training.
Other Important Considerations When Outsourcing
Hiring an outsourced tech support provider is not an easy decision. Before deciding, consider some crucial factors.
Look at the Track Record
What is the outsourced IT provider’s track record?
Investigate before deciding to outsource. Double-check the provider’s history and reviews before working with them. Go over their list of former and current clients to ensure the validity of the track record.
Reviewing their track record lets you know the nature of the business and the projects they have worked on previously.
Consider Other Options
Talking to multiple providers is a good strategy when choosing one to work with. Market research on the current outsourcing industry gives you an idea of reasonable service pricing. Lastly, it lets you pick a provider that can provide the most value for your money.
Check Technological Compatibility
Access to good infrastructure is critical for any tech support vendor. Thus, you need to know the provider’s technological resources before working with them. Similarly, infrastructure built to accommodate equipment and staff is also essential.
Go Over Legal and Security Issues
Your third-party support team will inevitably manage customer information and other sensitive company data. So you must ensure your vendor has strong confidentiality and data security protocols to mitigate the risk of a breach. Ask your legal team to review the BPO company’s confidentiality, security, and legal procedures.
Establish a Budget
Finally, define your budget. Establishing a budget is a critical aspect of decision-making.
Looking at the outsourcing markets gives you many options, but not all will fit your budget. Knowing how much you are willing to spend narrows down your options.
The Bottom Line
Having a well-oiled tech support team is vital for many companies. Not only does it contribute to client satisfaction, but it also builds your business reputation.
Hiring an outsourced tech support provider lets you access state-of-the-art technology, tap into service professionals, and receive constant support. Working with a reliable provider also ensures you remain compliant with industry regulations and offers customized solutions.
Outsourcing IT support makes the most sense because BPO companies can manage the function more efficiently for a fraction of the cost.
