When an organization moves from in-house to outsourced services, such as an IT Service Desk, there is often uncertainty about the level of support required. Both parties – the client and provider – are trying to balance value for money against the services they want and need.
What a company wants and needs are two different issues. Needs are basic requirements, such as a minimum fixed number of hours every month of IT support. Wants are extra services – extra hours – that could give a company a technical or productivity advantage.
Outsourcing IT service desk functions – also known as a help desk – is one of the most effective ways for an IT team to focus on long-term, strategic projects, instead of fire fighting issues. Companies that outsource rarely go back to in-house IT service desk teams, since the outsourcing model generates significant cost savings.
IT teams can also swing into action to deliver projects that can transform business operations, from sales to customer service, with new software, smarter processes and improved connectivity. However, one of the main questions that needs answering before outsourcing is whether a company needs a shared or dedicated IT service desk?
Dedicated IT Service Desk – Key Considerations
- Time and money
- IT innovation
- IT Staff for the long or short term
IT partners should also make it easy for your team to put in support requests, no matter what time or time zone staff are in. A dedicated customer portal should also be available to help them with issues they could fix themselves, with around the clock support as required, depending on the business needs and service level. Businesses with customers or staff across the world often need dedicated support, to ensure services stay operational regardless of the head office time zone.
