You’ve heard about helpdesk outsourcing. You think it could help with the high request volume you’re facing right now. Maybe your service desk specialist just left and you’re having trouble finding new talent. You need to get above water, and outsourcing sounds like the perfect fit.
You’ve probably seen some objections to outsourcing from other managed service providers (MSPs). Outsourced helpdesks take you away from your clients. You’re giving away visibility on a key part of your business. How can you trust another company to work with your clients? Aren’t all these outsourcing companies based in other countries around the world? How can you make sure the agent answering your customers has the right expertise?
Our advice: forget these objections to helpdesk outsourcing.
There are multiple benefits to outsourcing your helpdesk—you’ll probably wish you started sooner! Read on to see how myths like the ones above only serve to keep you from viable options to grow your MSP business.
Consider these 7 major myths about helpdesk outsourcing busted
Myth: Outsourcing companies use low-cost labour
MSPs want their clients to receive premium service in countries local to their clients. It doesn’t matter how experienced an agent on the other side of the world might be, many tech providers feel more comfortable working with people closest to their geographical market.
In reality, outsourcing doesn’t automatically mean that the services in question are cheap, out of touch with your audience or somehow administered unethically. It’s entirely possible to find experts are based in North America, with premium talent in markets local to MSPs and their clients.
Myth: Outsourcing means I’ll lose visibility on my clients
We get it—giving up any direct connection with clients can be cause for concern. Letting go of full control is difficult. How do you ensure the agents interacting with your customers are saying the right things? How could they possibly care about your clients as much as you do?
The truth is that it’s also entirely possible to outsource critical functions like helpdesk services without sacrificing visibility and your relationships with clients. The right provider should have SLAs designed to ensure you’re always in the know, with regular touchpoints so you’re aware of exactly what is going on with your customers and the services their receiving. Rather than losing the visibility, you might get an even clearer picture of your business leveraging outsourced capabilities.
Myth: Helpdesk outsourcing is hard to set up
Your MSP can’t afford any lapse in service. You also don’t have months on end to devote to project scoping and determining how an outsourced helpdesk will mesh with your current processes.
Fortunately, getting set up with an outsourced helpdesk isn’t actually that challenging. The right onboarding process should ensure a seamless transition from in-house to outsourced helpdesk services. Any partner worth your time should integrate with the systems you already have, meaning less back-end work for your team.
Myth: Clients will notice the difference between in-house and outsourced helpdesk services
Can an external organization actually imbed itself with your services so completely that your clients don’t even notice they’re talking to an external party? Will an outsourced organization really take the time to learn the ins and outs of your MSP’s unique business?
The answer: absolutely! While putting your trust in the hands of another business is understandably difficult, the right partner can and should make you feel at ease. A strong outsourced helpdesk service should be indistinguishable from an in-house one.
Myth: Outsourcing makes documentation too easy to bungle
Helpdesk services require ample documentation and appropriate tracking to be effective. If processes and procedures aren’t aligned, or information sharing isn’t properly executed, helpdesk outsourcing sounds like it can cause more headaches than it cures.
While these concerns are certainly valid, it doesn’t mean that they hold true for every outsourced helpdesk service out there. A worthwhile partner will document everything as part of a standardized process to ensure client records are kept consistently and systematically. They’ll also integrate completely with your existing documentation application and any PSA, or RMM you use to make information sharing and reporting as seamless and possible.
Myth: Outsourcing is expensive with low ROI
Lots of MSPs recognize outsourcing as a potential option to offload certain tasks, but they aren’t convinced it’s actually worth it. How do you know the money you’re putting up is actually working to grow your business, and isn’t just another expense on your balance sheet? How can you be sure that outsourcing your helpdesk will still provide value for your clients? These questions breed hesitation.
The right outsourced helpdesk provider should be able to answer these questions with ease; they should be able to speak directly to the value their service provides. Look for industry-leading service level objectives (SLOs) and service level agreements (SLAs) right off the bat, with a commitment to a high level of quality service your customers deserve.
Ultimately, we see outsourced help desk as an investment for your MSP business. Think of how much easier it will be to focus on growth initiatives with the peace of mind that your clients are fully satisfied with your services and are being looked after by experts? How much more time could you devote to other strategic projects when you’re not worrying about backlogged service tickets?
Myth: The quality of an outsourced helpdesk isn’t as good
It only takes one bad customer experience to turn a relationship sour. Many MSPs might think that handing a portion of their customer service operations over to an outsourced helpdesk team is akin to leaving your front door wide open when you leave the house—an unnerving idea.
However, the idea that helpdesk outsourcing is lower quality by nature simply isn’t true. Well-equipeed outsourced agents can solve a vast majority of issues on the first call, and document anything and everything with relevant insights for getting ahead of future problems.
Perhaps the greatest myth of all: A great partner isn’t out there for you
Wrong again! Sherweb is deeply committed to improving the day to day processes of MSPs and helping position partner business for growth. Check out how Sherweb Helpdesk can offer your business peace of mind, or reach out to us to get the conversation started.
This guest blog is courtesy of Sherweb. Read more Sherweb guest blogs here. Regularly contributed guest blogs are part of ChannelE2E’s sponsorship program.
