IT outsourcing is a great way to get professional service but at a fraction of the cost of hiring an in-house staff. The benefits of outsourcing range from reduced operating costs to access to better technologies. However, there are a number of mistakes businesses make when it comes to outsourcing. Familiarizing yourself with these mistakes can help get better services.
No longer getting involved in management after outsourcing
Outsourcing does not mean you leave everything to the service provider. Even the best IT support provider requires oversight and clear and consistent communication. When you are not involved with your support team, the expectations become unclear and problems will be frequent. Lack of proper communication also means your strategic and long-term plans will not be included in the preparation for future technology spending.
Simply put, if you don’t communicate clearly with the support team, your business relationship will suffer. To ensure good communication, you need to consider doing the following:
- Designate a point of contact from your company to the liaison between the IT support team.
- Ask for a short term and a long term technology plan. This guarantees you are all on the same page.
- Before the IT support provider visits, ask your employees to create a list of their questions and/ or need.
- Accept there will be mistakes and misunderstanding on both sides. Be ready to remedy these problems appropriately.
- Request for documentation from the service provider after every visit.
Assuming there will be no more challenges after outsourcing
Outsourcing your complete office needs to a reputable IT support team does not mean you will never have any more issues or challenges. That is being unrealistic. Computers are machines and user errors, software corruption, and hardware failure are inevitable. Regular maintenance are simply the norm.
To get the best support services, make a list of your challenges and routine issues then come up with a plan with your IT service provider. Ask your IT support provider to explain the issues and how he will address them.
Assuming the cheapest IT support provider is the best
Keeping costs down is important but this does not mean you work with the service provider with the lowest price per hour. Chances are he is cheap because he is incompetent or because he does not offer comprehensive services. The price may also be low because the team is not certified or well trained.
When choosing an IT team to outsource to, pay attention to their reputation and customer service, not price. The best provider is one who uses the best agreed industry standards, one that is certified and one with a strong team to offer support day and night.
Assuming ‘geekiness’ is all that is needed
The IT team may have the skills to handle all your computer problems with ease but if you can’t communicate clearly with them, you will have trouble getting your problems fixed. Pay close attention to the quality of customer support service offered.
Outsourcing your IT needs offers innumerable benefits. Paying attention to the aforementioned mistakes and hiring from the best IT Support Company is the key to getting the best services.
Author Bio
Abdul Malik runs a computer sale firm in California and regularly blogs on best IT practices for a complete office. He relies on http://baymcp.com/ for his IT support services.