As an organization grows, the need for a universally-accessible IT system grows right along with it. However, not everyone possesses the same level of technical literacy as the architect who built it. Employees that constantly ask questions about basic system functions divert attention from more critical tasks.
Further, incidents resulting from system use can also drain the productivity of technical employees. Every minute your double-shifting programmer spends resetting Karen’s password is a minute they can’t spend creating your latest SaaS app.
For this reason and others, the benefits of a managed IT help desk outweigh the costs of implementation. In this article, it discusses what your IT help desk should do for you. Below, we’ll tell you what you need to know about this essential service.
What Is An IT Help Desk?
Most employees can check e-mail, surf the internet, and use Word/Excel at an intermediate level. However, beyond that, they do not possess the knowledge needed to resolve serious computer issues.
In response to this, many companies have created IT Help Desks to assist those with novice computer skills. In essence, they respond to problems users encounter while using a company’s IT infrastructure.
In doing so, help desk employees do everything from resetting passwords to fixing connectivity problems. However, they do more than answer support tickets. Help desk technicians also carry out routine system backups, install applications, and train users on how to use new programs/systems.
IT Help Desks Free Up Higher-Value Technical Employees
When you’re in startup mode or even an established business, every dollar counts. In the beginning especially, you need to plow as much cash as possible into product/service development. Employees are expensive – the fewer you hire, the more you can focus on growing your core business.
As a result, the people you do bring on-board must wear many hats. Your external salesperson may also staff the front desk. Your new accounts receivable hire may also act as the office manager. And your star programmer, by being the most computer-literate employee, is working as an IT generalist.
In a startup, it’s vital that everyone chips in, however they can. When it comes to high-value employees, though, it’s imperative they focus on their craft as much as possible.
Let’s take a second look at your programmer. If they have to stop coding every time someone’s computer crashes, two bad things will eventually happen. First of all, they’ll either burn out or quit. Secondly, you’ll be wasting their productive energies on something they shouldn’t be doing.
But, didn’t we just tell you NOT to overspend on labor? Sure we did – but that doesn’t mean NOT hiring when a new position will supercharge productivity. In the example we cited, IT help desk employees can do just that.
An IT help desk professional can take care of the mundane technical tasks our programmer was handling. Freed from constant interruptions, our coder can focus intently on software creation instead.
As a result, our company would be more likely to create higher-quality products. In turn, this would dramatically increase our company’s top-line revenue.
IT Help Desks Can Save You Money
As we just demonstrated, IT help desks can help technical employees focus on higher-value tasks. Thus, bringing these teams on-board inevitably lead to higher revenues. But, did you know they can save your organization money as well?
Let’s start by comparing the cost of local hires versus outsourced teams. In America, the average IT help desk employee takes home an annual salary of over $50,000. To be clear, that’s not as much as higher-skilled tech workers, but, every dime counts in today’s competitive marketplace.
But, let’s get to the point – how can an IT help desk employee save you money? For one, they can help minimize downtime. In the 21st century, if people aren’t shopping online, they’re researching online. If your site is down, they’ll move onto your competitor without a second thought. By having a competent help desk employee at the ready, they’ll get you back online ASAP.
They can also sort out employee tech issues faster than ad-hoc IT generalists. Rather than have your programmer fish around for solutions on Google, help desk professionals will get to the heart of the problem. Your employees get back to work sooner, which saves tons of wasted productivity.
Outsourced IT Help Desks Are There For You 24/7
This facet is crucial if you have a distributed team. These days, businesses large and small have remote workers around the globe on their payroll. While this arrangement has many benefits, it also comes with its own set of problems.
For instance, if an Australian employee has trouble getting on your intranet, your local tech person won’t be able to help them in real-time. Instead, your Aussie associate will be out of commission until the workday begins in America.
Having an outsourced IT help desk fixes this issue. They don’t just offer cost savings – they run shifts around-the-clock as well. So, if your Australian salesperson, your writer in Wales, or your programmer in Pennsylvania have problems, all will be served.
The IT Help Desk: An Indispensable Part Of Any Major Company
For better or worse, for businesses operating in today’s world information technology is important. When IT systems break down, everything grinds to a halt. By outsourcing your IT help desk, you’ll minimize the impact these disturbances can have on your enterprise.
