Outsourcing your help desk support is one of the most cost-effective ways to make sure your users receive the assistance they need for resolving tier 1 concerns. Yet how do you make sure you’re bringing on the right provider of outsourced IT services?
When it comes to help desk support, sometimes the wrong partner can be worse than no partner at all. As one of the most visible faces of your company, it’s important that your outsourced help desk service provider is aligned with your culture and supports your mission. To make sure you hire one that will be a good fit, be sure to ask these three questions as you speak with providers.
“How will you integrate your help desk support into our company?”
One of the reasons companies are sometimes hesitant to outsource is the fear that an outside party won’t be a good fit. What if they don’t represent the company well or they’re not a good fit with the culture? What if they just aren’t as invested in your company as an internal hire would be?
Once you’ve determined the company is a good fit (or not), you’ll need to consider logistical questions. If you outsource your help desk support, will they work within your operating models and frameworks? Or will they try to reverse engineer your systems and processes to conform with their own way of doing things?
The above questions are all valid concerns, and there’s a right answer here: If you’re going to outsource your help desk support, you want to be sure your provider is committed to a smooth integration. They should feel like an extension of your company, not an outsider with no vested interest. They should be your partner. That’s why this question is so important.
The Answers You’re Listening for
When you ask a potential provider how they’ll integrate with your company, they should begin by describing their discovery process and learning more about your systems and processes.
Are they asking you about your escalation processes, ticketing systems, and reporting? Are they willing to take the time to learn what is and isn’t working right now? Are they prepared to dive into your documentation to understand how it’s been done? If a provider is willing to do that kind of work to understand your needs, it’s a good sign they’ll integrate well.
You also want to listen for how they’ll connect with your systems and processes. Your provider shouldn’t be dictating what kind of tools or software you use. Instead, they should be able to plug in to your existing infrastructure and start to offer support.
Finally, you’ll want to consider any possible roadblocks you’ll need to discuss with your provider. For example, if you have security compliance standards that might limit access to data or systems during off-hours, how will your provider adjust their approach to integrate with your requirements?
By having these discussions up front, you can make sure your outsourced help desk support will be a good fit for your business.
Find out if GHDSi is a good fit.
Take the Are We a Fit pop quiz today.
“How will your help desk support solve the challenges we’re experiencing today?”
You wouldn’t be looking for more help desk support if you didn’t have a good reason. Maybe your company is about to launch a new product, or maybe you’re about to begin a digital transformation project. Perhaps you’re experiencing some high turnover and you want to make sure your team has the extra support that they need.
Whatever the case, there’s a specific problem you’re facing that you hope an outsourced help desk provider can solve. Why dance around the issue? Instead, ask them directly how they can help you overcome the challenges you’re facing.
The Answers You’re Listening for
If you’re struggling right now with help desk challenges, the best news we can give you is that you aren’t alone. Businesses of every shape and size run into the same kinds of problems, and a good provider should have experience in solving them.
It’s important to note here that you need to be candid with your potential provider. There will be some issues they can’t necessarily solve, even if they can help relieve some of the worst effects that you’re feeling. In other cases, such as budget concerns, your provider will need to know where your challenges are in order to come up with a plan that makes sense.
What you’re really listening for, then, is an answer that demonstrates experience and includes specificity. How have they helped other businesses overcome similar challenges? What actions did they take, and how did they get to the root of the problem?
When a provider can answer those questions, you can feel confident in their services.
“I'd say we've had a very positive experience. The people at GHDSi are interested, they value our business, and they care about the quality they provide. For a business of our size, with the requirements that we have, GHDSi is the perfect match.”
- IT Director, Global Cosmetics Company
“How will your help desk support services assist us in the long term?”
When you need to put out a fire, you don’t have time to figure out how it started.
Depending on your help desk situation, you might feel the same way about outsourcing help desk support. If the problems you’re facing are causing enough headaches, disrupting your business, and leaving your users frustrated and angry, your top priority is getting the right support in place to start making things better.
Of course you want to know how a potential provider will help you solve the problems at hand. But it would be a mistake to overlook the long-term potential of the provider you hire. Once the fire is out, will your provider be able to help your business progress? Or are their services limited to the here and now?
The Answers You’re Listening for
The best providers of outsourced help desk support don’t just solve problems today. They help make your business better by preparing you for tomorrow.
Over the course of your relationship with a provider, you want someone who will evolve alongside your needs. That might mean your provider offers help planning rollouts, adds support following an acquisition, or simply adapts to the normal changes a successful business experiences.
You want to work with a partner who thinks proactively and looks ahead to the longterm. You want a partner willing to conduct regular operations and governance reviews with your business in order to keep building up that relationship.
A provider who can help you mature your processes and prevent your problems from resurfacing is one you’ll want to keep around for the long haul. Listen carefully to how they answer these questions to see if they’re truly up to the job.
