Many companies can benefit from an outsourced service desk—but only if they choose a provider that is in line with their standards and goals. That’s why choosing the right outsourced service desk for your business is a complicated process. Here’s what you need to know to get started.
Should You Outsource Your Service Desk?
You probably know that outsourcing the right business processes can help your business grow. That said, outsourcing your service desk specifically won’t be the right choice for every company.
Ultimately, outsourced support centres are often the right choice for companies that are looking to grow. Outsourced service desks are typically more cost effective than in-house operations, which can also make them an attractive choice for young companies or those with limited budgets.
However, there are some companies for which outsourcing their service desk doesn’t make sense, such as if their product or service is highly specialized. That’s why, as we’ll cover below, it’s critical to carefully vet your outsourced help desk provider to ensure they can provide the level of service and expertise you actually need.
How To Choose The Right Outsourced Service Desk For Your Business
There’s only one surefire way to choose the right outsourced service desk for your business: do your research.
There’s no shortcuts or way around doing careful research. If you choose to outsource your service desk, you should think of your service desk provider as a critical partner to your success. And you shouldn’t bring any new partners into your business without vetting them properly first.
To begin the process of choosing the right outsourced service desk, you need to start with two critical questions:
What services do you want from your help desk?
What services do you need from your help desk?
Answering these questions will help you determine the level of facilities, infrastructure, and talent you need from your partner company.
You’ll also need to determine what type of issues your service desk will need to tackle, and the level of sophistication required from your support team. For example, for one vehicle manufacturer, Line One offers language support in eight languages.
You’ll also want to think holistically about your business and your goals. Many help desk outsourcing service providers provide other services. For example, a contact centre may also be right for your business, or you might need managed social media. At Line One, we also offer tailored advisory services such as strategic planning, cloud enablement, and technical and infrastructure assessments. Choosing one provider to handle all these needs can simplify operations and help ensure they fully understand your business.
And of course, budget is always a factor. Service desk providers will typically charge per ticket or per hours of coverage. You’ll usually have to contact potential providers to get a more detailed quote.
Finally, we highly recommend that you check testimonials of any providers you are considering, as well as ask for references. We’re proud to have a 100% referral rate, and we believe that what your customers say about you speaks volumes.
At Line One, we offer a sophisticated ITIL framework, and we work with clients to develop solutions that provide all their users with the technical support they need. We promise that your customers will be the help they need for our service desk, on their first call, every time.
Learn more about our help desk services and whether they’re the right choice for your business here.