IT Support Outsourcing Services: Things to Consider
By
Jeff Mosler
May 29, 2022
As a business owner, you’ve likely put forth significant time and effort to experience the success you have today. In fact, you should be proud of all you’ve done to grow your business. But to maintain that success, you’ll want to head right back to the drawing board and start thinking of ways to take your business to the next level.
One key way to help expand your customer base and continue to grow your company is by improving your ability to offer managed IT support to your customers and employees.
You may be thinking, why outsource IT services? Well, if you want to build customer confidence and stop tech issues from grinding your workflow to a halt, you need an IT answering service that’s up to the task—and that often comes in the form of outsourced services. What are the factors to consider when outsourcing IT support services? Read on to find out.
What is IT Outsourcing?
Before we get into the qualities you should look for in your IT support outsourcing services, it might help to take a step back and go over the basics of what IT outsourcing actually is.
Essentially, when your company engages in IT outsourcing, you make a chunk of your software development or tech support services external. Usually, you do so by finding a company or agency to act as a third-party service provider.1 When done right, IT outsourcing enables your business to:1
Reduce IT costs
Improve employee productivity
Accelerate your growth rate
Keep customers satisfied
The benefits of outsourcing are so clear that 80% of small businesses planned to outsource some of their functions in 2021. 1
There are three main ways you can outsource your managed IT service. Deciding which one is right for you will depend on your company's needs.
Offshore – Offshoring is when you outsource your services to another country, typically one that’s far from your home base. This can provide a more cost-effective option, but can make internal communications and oversight more challenging.
Onshore – If you’re looking to keep things local, or want to mind the timezone, you can onshore your IT services. This means outsourcing services to locations in your city, state, or county.
Nearshore – A mix of onshoring and offshoring, this option involves outsourcing to nearby countries. With this option, you can keep your IT services close, but not right on top of you.
Because there are various ways to outsource IT services, you have plenty of flexibility to find the option that works best for your business. But regardless of how you choose to outsource your services, there are several factors you should consider before committing to a company. Let’s explore them below.
Make Sure Your IT Service Provides Personalized Support
Imagine you’re a customer trying to work through a tech issue. When you contact the company’s IT service, you’ll want (and benefit most from) targeted, personalized care that’s designed to easily walk you through the troubleshooting process.
Personalized tech support is one of the most critical benefits a good IT service can provide your company. An IT service that’s trained to handle the ins and outs of your business can:
Make sure all your customers’ questions are answered – Personalized tech support services give you the security of knowing that your customers are in the best hands possible. A trained service agent will be able to provide a solution to any issue, rather than respond with basic, generic answers that might not address your customer’s specific needs.
Ensure your brand values shine through – By hiring an IT service that’s tailored to your business, you can ensure that all of the agents representing your company have a good sense of your brand values and voice. That way, you can offer the same stellar service your customers are used to, even when outsourcing.
Grow your user base – When a call service knows your business, they can help convert leads and boost conversions by bringing customers back for more. By outsourcing to the right IT answering service, you can see your numbers skyrocket.
Save your company time – With an outsourced IT answering service, your employees won’t have to track down customers to resolve their tickets, and customers won’t have to call multiple times or get lost in the system. By having an outsourced service desk handle IT customer support effectively and efficiently, you and your internal team have more time to focus on day-to-day tasks and develop new innovations.
While basic support can get the job done, personalized tech support allows your company to do even more, and grow in leaps and bounds. That’s why the best IT answering services will go the extra mile to offer the specialized support you and your customers deserve.
Keep an Eye Out for 24/7 Service
When your tech decides to have a meltdown, it doesn’t always decide to do so during business hours. You’ve probably spent a couple of frustrating nights trying to debug your email or figure out why one of your applications keeps freezing at the most frustrating moment possible.
This is why both you and your customers need around-the-clock support service. But how do you provide this?
The answer is simple: You find an IT support outsourcing service that offers your business 24/7 call-answering. That way, tech issues are resolved no matter when they occur. In turn, your employees and customers will learn that it’s never too late for their needs to be addressed, and they’ll feel more valued because of that.
So, when searching for your outsourced IT support, look for one that provides:
Live answering services at all times, even on weekends and holidays
24/7 live text help desk for phone-shy customers
After-hours support without increased costs
The right IT answering service is ready to turn your problems into solutions and will work around the clock to do so.
Choose an IT Answering Service That Prioritizes Your Customers
You may not realize how much of a positive impact a happy customer can have on your business, but those smiles can lend themselves to real, tangible profits. In fact, did you know that once you move past price and products, 83% of consumers say that customer service is the most important deciding factor when choosing a company to buy from?2
So, you want to make sure you pick an IT answering service that will carry your company’s customer service values forward. Prioritizing customers is especially important to your business’s continued success because:3
It’s 5–25 times more cost-effective to maintain your current customer base than it is to procure new customers.
When customers have a satisfying experience with your customer service, they become 89% more likely to patronize your business again.
Customers are 38% more likely to leave your business a positive review or make a positive recommendation to others when they view your customer service as consistently satisfactory.
Customers are more forgiving of potential mistakes when you offer them great customer service. In fact, 78% of customers will still do business with a company after a mistake has been made if that company has offered top-notch customer service.
Your reputation and good name are important to your customers and will go a long way with them. That’s why it’s critical that you find an IT support outsourcing service that will adhere to your excellent customer service standards.
Look for Services That Integrate With and Improve Your Workflow
By now, you’re aware that a top-notch IT answering service can provide a lot of benefits to your customers. But what direct benefits will you receive from outsourcing your IT needs?
The right IT service will offer you the technical support that not only integrates with your workflow but also improves it. You’ll see the difference through:
Omnichannel support – The best IT answering services do more than take calls. They can also integrate with your web, text, and chat services to provide tech and customer support on all of your existing platforms.
Data and analytics – If you’re curious about your numbers or underlying metrics, prepare to have your questions answered. Top-notch services will offer you real-time data and detailed reports about their work and your business.
Reduced expenses – By outsourcing to a professional IT service instead of spending extra time and money to hire and train an internal team of receptionists and IT workers, you can ensure your customers receive expert service at a much lower price point.
For Outsourced IT Support Services You Can Count On, Trust Nexa
There are a lot of factors to keep in mind when choosing an outsourced IT answering service for your business—from the level of support and the hours offered to the overall integration with your existing platform. This can make finding the right IT service seems like a challenge.
Fortunately, you can simplify your search by choosing Nexa.
At Nexa, our people-powered platform is designed to put your customers first by offering specialized 24/7 IT support. Not only are we committed to offering service agents who are trained in the specifics of your business, but we’ll also seamlessly integrate them into whatever platform you already use.
Are you ready to outsource your IT services, supercharge your customer service, and continue to grow your business? If so, reach out to us today to learn more.
Nexa Receptionists Holdings, LLC (“Nexa”) welcomes Pravin Chandrasoma as its first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for its two brands: Nexa and Alert Communications.
