What is IT Support Outsourcing?

IT support outsourcing is as simple as it sounds, it is when your business uses a service provider outside of an internal IT team in your business or using a service provider to compliment and support your current IT team. Outsourcing IT support allows you to access different skillsets and software knowledge which you may previously have lacked.

What are the Benefits of IT Support Outsourcing?        

There are a number of benefits associated with IT support outsourcing, some may prove more beneficial depending on sector or business size. At Three Cherries, we have listed a handful of tangible business benefits below and why we believe that they could help your business.

Cost Savings – One of the biggest benefits behind IT support outsourcing is that businesses can save large amounts of money by choosing to outsource IT support rather than pay an inhouse team. Depending on your support requirements, it is often much more cost effective to use an outsourced provider than pay salaries of IT staff within the business.

Access to New Skills – Another benefit of IT support outsourcing is the ability to access skills outside of your business. This could be knowledge of a particular software, server building and setup skills or general maintenance. By choosing to outsource, you can welcome the knowledge of a large team at a much cheaper rate.

Scalability – With business growth comes the need for expansion in all departments and IT is no exception to this. Fortunately, IT support outsourcing allows for great scalability when it comes to expansion. This reduces the stress of growth and means you don’t have to panic finding new employees to keep up with any changing patterns of growth.

Working From Home Support – Remote IT support outsourcing companies allow for working from home support. This is an area which is typically absent from in house teams due to the inability to remotely access computers.

 

What You Should Consider When Choosing an Outsourced IT Support Provider

Perhaps the most important part of the process is research into potential outsourced IT support providers. Questions such as “Should they be local?” or “What experience do they have?” should be asked to know exactly what you want. Below, we have listed a few key areas to consider before making a decision.

Experience – Experience and customer satisfaction is key to making an informed decision. The easiest way to research a provider’s experience is by looking at testimonials. Are they similar businesses to yours? Are their customers satisfied with the service they are receiving? By researching this, you can understand what the outsourced it support provider does and what level of service they could give you.

Services – Researching the services offered by different providers also plays an invaluable role in ensuring the company you choose is the right choice. Do you need extended hours or 24/7 support? Do you anticipate growth in the future meaning your requirements will increase? By asking these questions, you will be able to identify a best fit for your business.

Location – Do you require on-site visits or is a fully remote helpdesk what you’re after? Depending on the scale of your projects and predicted growth, it is important you consider whether you want your chosen company to be local. Although many support requests can be resolved remotely, projects such as server upgrades/changes require the ability to be on site.

 

Three Cherries: IT Support In Bristol

Choosing an IT support outsourcing company is tricky, especially with the large volume of managed service providers (MSPs) in the country let alone locally in Bristol or beyond. By doing your research and understanding what you need in an IT support company, you can make an important decision easy. At Three Cherries, we pride ourselves on our local IT support and risk free mindset. This ensures that your business technology runs smoothly and keeps ticking like a Swiss watch.

If you have any questions about your IT systems and finding a best fit provider for your business requirements, contact us today!