How can your IT department benefit from outsourcing its Helpdesk?

As organisations get larger, it makes sense to have an in-house IT department. Having people on hand who understand the business ensures a company can focus its IT support on delivering projects in line with the company’s strategic plans.

However, in practice, things are rarely that easy. Many internal IT teams become overstretched by trying to keep up with the everyday demands on their time, leaving them with little time to take care of project work and identify areas where technology can help the company to move forward. And when everyone is working to their limit, it just takes one person having time off sick or going on holiday to put an unsustainable strain on the rest of the department.

We have had conversations with IT managers frustrated by their department’s workload. One told us that around 25% of all the calls to the Helpdesk don’t even get answered. And the number of calls coming in means there are delays in even beginning to resolve any issues. When your department is spending all of its time just trying to keep the lights on, it becomes impossible to find the time to research new technology that could significantly increase your company’s efficiency and profitability.

How outsourcing your Helpdesk helps

An outsourced IT Helpdesk delivers the benefit of having a large team of first, second and third-line engineers available. Our Helpdesk has targets of 15 minute response time the team will answer the phone more quickly and resolve your issues on a more timely basis.

Our economies of scale mean that our staff also work in shifts, meaning issues can be dealt with outside working hours – perfect for executives who need to work late or in different time zones. Out-of-hours staff will also pick up issues overnight, often resolving them straight away so your staff aren’t even aware there has been an issue. With an IT department that only covers working hours, problems are not discovered until the first person logs on, causing an inevitable break in business continuity.

Giving your team a chance to contribute at a higher level

By outsourcing your Helpdesk, you are immediately giving your IT team the chance to focus its attention on areas of higher value to your business, without the constant distractions of Helpdesk queries. Typically, most Helpdesk issues are small ones, which can be easily sorted without needing specialist knowledge of your organisation.

You may even end up saving your company money by outsourcing your Helpdesk. An outsourced team can provide the same services as an in-house team for the same cost, possibly even lower, and with greater efficiency. And your return on investment will deliver huge dividends when it comes to the positive impact of eliminating distractions and their negative effect on your team’s overall productivity.

If, on the other hand, your team is better suited to focusing on the day-to-day IT needs of your organisation, outsourcing project delivery may be a better option. This is a theme we will explore in our next blog.