Things To Consider When Outsourcing Technical Support
Almost every aspect of your business can be affected by technical issues. Whether it’s your staff having difficulties with software or your customers having problems logging in. Having a provider who can deliver technical support can be very beneficial for organisations who are finding it difficult to manage increasing technical issues internally.
When considering outsourcing technical support you need to be aware of what you need technical support for. Ensuring you get the correct provider can result in faster response times, reducing pressure and providing a great experience for your staff and customers.
Know What Type Of Technical Support You Need
Before contacting your service provider, consider what type of technical support you will need. Some organisations may only require basic helpdesk support such as resetting passwords, installing software and troubleshooting. Whilst others may need more advanced technical support such as network support, application support, monitoring and customer technical support.
Being clear on what technical issues you commonly face, what hours you expect support, and how many users you may need help for will make sure you know exactly what you need. This will help you find the right provider for your needs.
Is The Provider Knowledgeable?
There are many aspects to technical support. Consider what knowledge the team has. Do they know about operating systems, applications used within the business, networks, cloud and any other systems used?
Ask what qualifications and experience they have. Request examples of previous projects similar to what you will need. Having someone within the industry can help them understand your issues and solve them quickly.
How Fast Will They Respond & Fix Issues?
If they do not respond quickly it can cause disruption to your business and cause your staff to be less productive. Consider how fast they will be able to respond to your requests and fix your technical issues.
Will they have set response and resolution times? How do they prioritise urgent issues? Do they have dedicated support for critical issues?
It is important to understand the difference between response and resolution times.
Security Measures In Place
As technical support staff may have access to your systems, staff accounts and sensitive information it is important to understand what security measures are in place.
Consider what policies they have in place around access, authentication, data handling and incident reporting. How do they protect sensitive information?
Also consider what systems you are going to give them access too. Limit access to only what they need to reduce any unnecessary security risk.
What Hours Are They Available For?
Technical issues can happen outside of normal working hours so you may need support at evenings, weekends and holidays depending on the type of business you have.
Consider what hours they operate for. What contact options do they have? Phone, email, live chat and ticketing? If you have customers in different time zones check if they can provide the correct coverage.
Service Level Agreement
A Service Level Agreement (SLA) outlines what the service provider will do and what they expect. Ensure there are clear details around what hours they will be available for, what their response times are, what their resolution times are, how issues will be escalated and what reporting is required.
Take time to read through the agreement. Ensure there is a clear understanding of what your team and the provider will be responsible for. A detailed SLA will help avoid any confusion.
Scalability
As your organisation grows your technical support needs may change. You may have more staff, new software and serve customers in new locations.
Ensure the provider can scale their support. Ask how adding more users, new systems and changing service requirements will affect the agreement and price.
Conclusion
Outsourcing technical support can help your business with technical issues whilst freeing your team up to do what they do best. However, this should not just be based on price but knowledge, security, quality, availability and scalability. Incinque Business Solutions can help organisations improve their operations by providing reliable business support and outsourcing. We focus on quality, efficiency and what is needed for your business.
