Offshoring Your IT Helpdesk: 7 Things to Note

As with any end-user-facing activity, the IT helpdesk is?a?crucial?part of?an?organisation’s?service delivery.?Nowadays, customers expect always-on IT support and troubleshooting services across all channels.?This?is a?huge?strain on in-house resources and, if not up to par, may lead to reputation damage and loss of customers, current and future.

To help manage the demand, enterprises turn to IT helpdesk offshoring. Offshored IT helpdesks are accountable for providing prompt and intuitive technical support to both external and internal users via live chat, voice, email and social media.?

Should You Offshore Your IT Helpdesk?

Here’s?how you know.?

• You need to expand?the coverage hours of your helpdesk, but?it’s?too costly.?
• Your helpdesk technicians require regular training and upskilling, but you cannot adequately handle it in-house.
• Your helpdesk is struggling with service quality, and your end-users are deeply unsatisfied.?

If even one of those things mentioned above is true for your organisation, it is?high?time?to seriously consider offshoring your IT helpdesk. While?you contemplate?the pros and cons, trust that your competition is already doing it and reaping the rewards.?Don’t?get left behind.?

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7 Things To Note When Offshoring Your IT Helpdesk

1. IT helpdesk offshoring service providers offer flexible packages.

Organisations might start to consider offshoring their helpdesk functions when the volume becomes too much to handle for an in-house team,?or?when they will need to scale up to meet seasonal surges and demand, or when their in-house helpdesk cannot entertain communications beyond set hours. Regardless of the impetus,?a good?offshoring partner will tailor their offerings to accommodate your unique needs.?

2. An offshore service provider is the best option for 24/7 support.?

Not all businesses have the resources to establish an operational helpdesk on weekends and off-hours.?Those?that?do will usually have to pay their employees?for?night differential and weekend premium.?That’s where offshore service providers have an edge. Even with night differential and weekend premium, the operational cost will still be considerably lower?compared to?having your helpdesk in-house or outsourced onshore.

3. You won’t lose visibility with customers.?

Perhaps the most common hesitation to partnering with offshoring service providers for customer support and success functions is the perceived loss of?visibility or connection to customers.?However, organisations?don’t actually?cede complete control of this — not in a?real?partnership relationship. An offshoring firm will work in tandem with your organisation. They will ensure alignment of goals and priorities, constant and transparent communication and detailed reports. Instead of losing visibility with your customers, working with the right offshoring partner with proper customer metrics will even help you become more aware and in touch with them and develop better working relationships.???? ?

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4. You can set it up fast and hit the ground running.?

Looking for the right partner to handle your IT helpdesk?will require vetting and due diligence, but?the service can be deployed?much quicker if they already have systems and solutions set up. In contrast, setting up an in-house helpdesk will still take longer. Once you have settled on the right offshoring partner and agreed on the SLA, the onboarding process should be?quick and the transition seamless.

5. Your offshored helpdesk can become an extension of your team.

Your third-party IT helpdesk will be at the forefront of your customer service and your first line of defence against data breaches, phishing scams,?and the like. When onboarded to your?organisation’s?specifications and trained with institutional knowledge, they?will be able to?provide onshore and in-house quality performance. With the appropriate ticketing system, continuous training, the necessary documentation, and regular performance assessment, your third-party helpdesk will work as an extension of your team. Your end-users?shouldn’t?feel short-changed or underserved.

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6. Offshoring your IT helpdesk leads to greater customer satisfaction.?

With customer support and success being such a?huge?differentiator, especially in saturated markets, offering faster and better service than your competitors is a must, from that?very?first point of contact until ticket resolution. Offshoring your helpdesk to a reputable firm that employs industry best practices will give you the following advantages.?

• Faster ticket resolution?
• Fewer escalations?
• Highly trained?customer service and tech professionals?
• Comprehensive documentation and reporting?
• Continuous improvement and quality assurance

7. Prioritise data protection and security.?

A data breach can be catastrophic in an IT helpdesk because it deals with internal systems and sensitive information. It will be hard to win back customer trust once?broken. Prioritise data security and choose a reputable third-party?service provider that is at par with industry standards, compliant with GDPR, EU, and other pertinent laws on data management and privacy,?as well as?up-to-date with the latest security protocols, systems, and authentication models.

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Work With Unient

Your goals matter to us. We offer a wide range of helpdesk and customer support and success services that are transparent, accountable, secure and fully aligned with your?customer's?expectations. Our packages are customisable for your unique needs.?

Unient is your versatile partner in better offshoring. Book a free consultation today. Let’s talk about how we can better serve your customers.?