Outsourcing your IT help desk is a big step toward improving efficiency, reducing costs, and giving your internal teams some breathing room.
But let’s be honest—a great outsourcing decision can turn into a nightmare if the implementation goes sideways.
No company wants to deal with long wait times, frustrated employees, or an IT provider that fumbles the transition. And yet, too many businesses find themselves in exactly that situation.
But here’s the good news: You can save yourself from an implementation nightmare with a little preparation.
In this guide, we’ll cover the green flags of a seamless transition, the red flags that signal trouble, and how to course-correct if things don’t go as planned.
Let’s get started.
What to Do Before Your Outsourced IT Help Desk Implementation
You might think of implementation as starting when your new IT help desk takes the first phone call. But in reality, planning for success starts well before the first ticket is opened.
Here’s what you need to do before onboarding begins:
- Get your internal processes in order. Your help desk provider isn’t a miracle worker. If you don’t have documentation for your workflows, known issues, and escalation procedures, your help desk can’t follow them. If your knowledge base (KB) is a mess (or worse, nonexistent), start organizing it now. A strong help desk outsourcer will use their experience to help you create these KBs if you need help but this adds time to the transition.
- Designate a single point of contact. Someone within your company needs to own the transition. This person should coordinate communication, keep internal teams engaged, and work closely with the outsourcing partner to ensure a seamless rollout.
- Secure buy-in from your IT teams. Resistance from internal teams can slow down onboarding. Make sure IT leaders and key stakeholders understand how outsourcing will improve service levels and lighten their workload.
- Set realistic expectations. Even the best-prepared outsourcing partners need time to ramp up. Your service levels on Day 1 won’t be identical to what they’ll be on Day 60. Give your team and your outsourcing provider some breathing room to settle in.
Read more: 7 Help Desk Management Best Practices
Common Pitfalls in Outsourced IT Help Desk Implementation (And How to Avoid Them)
Even well-planned transitions can hit snags. Here are some of the most common issues—and how to steer clear of them:
Lack of Clear Documentation
The problem: If your knowledge base is missing key information, agents will struggle to resolve tickets efficiently.
How to fix it: Work with your help desk provider to fill gaps in your KB before go-live.
Failure to Define SLAs
The problem: If Service Level Agreements (SLAs)—the defined metrics and performance benchmarks that dictate response times, resolution rates, and service quality—aren’t clearly outlined, don’t expect them to be met. If it’s not in the contract, it doesn’t exist.
How to fix it: Spell out service levels, escalation procedures, and reporting structures in your contract.
Poor Communication Between Teams
The problem: When internal IT teams and the outsourced help desk don’t stay aligned, key information gets lost, issues take longer to resolve, and frustration builds on both sides.
How to fix it: Establish a structured meeting cadence with clear agendas to ensure open communication, track progress, and address roadblocks before they escalate.
Overly Aggressive Go-Live Timelines
The problem: Rushing into implementation without adequate training, documentation, and testing leads to confused agents, unresolved tickets, and disrupted service.
How to fix it: Allow at least 60–90 days for a phased transition. That will give you the time to ensure proper onboarding, knowledge transfer, and process refinement before go-live.
No Internal Champion
The problem: Without a dedicated point person managing the transition, accountability suffers, issues go unresolved, and the implementation can quickly become disorganized.
How to fix it: Assign an implementation lead who will coordinate between internal teams and the help desk provider, oversee training, and ensure a smooth rollout.
How to Know If Your IT Help Desk Implementation Is Going Off Track
Even with the best-laid plans, sometimes things don’t go as expected. Here are some red flags that indicate your implementation is in trouble:
🚩Your help desk provider is silent. No regular updates? No ongoing meetings? If you’re always chasing down information instead of receiving proactive updates, that’s a problem.
🚩Your employees are frustrated. If complaints about ticket resolution times or inconsistent support start rolling in, don’t ignore them.
🚩Tickets are getting bounced around. A well-functioning help desk should resolve issues, not pass them off endlessly between departments.
🚩Service levels are consistently missed. If key SLAs (like first-call resolution or response times) aren’t improving, it’s time for a serious discussion.
🚩Nobody knows who’s responsible for what. Confusion about roles and responsibilities leads to delays and frustration. If your teams don’t know who owns what, it’s time to fix that ASAP.
If you’re seeing these signs, don’t panic—yet. Many issues can be corrected if they’re caught early.
Read more: Outsourced Help Desk: How to Give Them the Power to Say Yes
Course-Correcting a Struggling Implementation
If your implementation is veering off course, it’s not too late to right the ship. Here’s how to get it back on track:
- Review SLA performance. Are service levels being met? If not, why? Work with your provider to identify and fix problem areas.
- Tweak training processes. If agents are struggling with specific workflows, provide additional training or refine your knowledge base documents.
- Re-establish clear communication. Regular check-ins should be non-negotiable. Increase meeting frequency if issues persist.
- Hold all parties accountable. If the help desk isn’t meeting expectations, address it. If internal teams aren’t supporting the transition, escalate the issue.
- Reassess your outsourcing partner. If the provider isn’t a good fit, it’s better to make a change than to suffer through a bad relationship long-term.
Read more: 5-Step Help Desk Transition Plan (From In-House to Outsourced Help Desk Support)
Real-World Example: When Outsourced IT Help Desk Implementation Goes Right
One company recently transitioned from an underperforming IT help desk provider. But they had an ambitious goal: Go live in just 45 days—a much shorter timeline than the standard 60–90 days.
Despite the aggressive schedule, implementation went smoothly. Why?
- Strong internal documentation: The company had a well-organized knowledge base with processes already documented, reducing the time needed for training.
- A dedicated implementation lead: A key internal contact ensured quick decision-making and seamless communication.
- Engaged IT teams: Their internal IT teams actively collaborated, helping the new provider fill any gaps in knowledge.
- Frequent check-ins: They held daily touchpoints in the early days to quickly address any challenges before they escalated.
Because they were highly organized and proactive, the company successfully met their go-live date without disruption—a rare feat for such a fast-paced transition.
Looking for cost insights or budgeting help? Don’t forget to check out our Updated IT Help Desk Outsourcing Pricing Guide:
Ready to make your IT help desk outsourcing transition a success? Let’s make it happen.
