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IT support: How to improve first call resolution
Find out how to improve your IT support's first call resolution times by reading this blog post.
Service desks are often the first contact employees or customers have with your IT team. Here are 5 ways to ensure you have a user-centric IT service desk.
What tier of IT support does your business need: 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th line?
What tier of IT support does your business need? Here we explore the difference between 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th line IT support and what services these include.
What IT support does your business need: 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th line?
Find out here whether your organisation needs 1st, 2nd and 3rd line IT support. Explore the differences between support levels to discover the best options for your business.
10 common reasons for failure with IT outsourcing partners
It is common knowledge that there is a high failure rate in IT outsourcing. It is estimated that 25% of all outsourcing contracts end up in failure, with hundreds of millions of pounds being wasted. Headline mega failures have involved some of the biggest players in the business, such as IBM, with the failure of their 5 billion dollar contract with JP Morgan. Then there is EDS who had to write off more than $500m following its failed IT contract with The US Navy. Nearer to home, we constantly read about IT outsourcing failures in commercial organisations, especially in the banking sector, such as the ongoing Royal Bank of Scotland IT fiasco. IT Outsourcing In The Public Sector In the UK public sector, there are also numerous instances of IT disasters with local authorities, such as the recent cancellation of a £160M contract between Cornwall County Council and BT, which was scrapped, only 2 years into its 10-year duration. Then we have the costly IT failures within the UK Government itself. Head of the list is ATOS, who has continually failed to deliver on its commitments, prompting the Government to review more than £500M worth of IT contracts it holds with the European IT giant. The list is endless: The Universal Credit Scheme rollout, the failed £60M Scottish Police IT project, and so on. Never has there been a time to be extremely circumspect in your selection of the right IT partner. Whatever your IT needs may be, failure to engage the right company will cost you dear in terms of financial outlay and future performance. In extreme cases it can lead the collapse of businesses or the overhaul, (including staff dismissals) of a public department. Book a discovery call with our team if you would like to discuss outsourcing some (or all) of your IT activities > Why Do IT Outsourcing Partnerships Fail? The first step in finding an IT partner that is right for you is to understand the reasons why so many IT outsourcing partnerships fail. Here is an honest and forthright list of the “ten reasons for failure” that I have put together to help with your selection. My list sets out many of the common mistakes and errors that are frequently made on both sides of the partnership. Let’s not forget – it is a two-way partnership in which both parties have crucial roles to play. Both sides must take their share of the blame if things go wrong. #1: Choosing the lowest price and squeezing the IT outsourcing provider’s profit margins. If your main contract criterion is to choose the cheapest IT company, you will almost certainly get what you pay for. Many businesses opt to outsource to cheaper offshore companies without considering the problems that may lie ahead, in terms of communication issues, quality of staff, and cultural aspects. Consider carefully how you structure your contract. Clauses regulating costs and delivery that are specifically designed to financially punish your IT provider for non-compliance may be self-defeating. If you try to pare down the contractor’s profit margins to a bare minimum, they may look to recoup their losses in any way they can. It will set the partnership off on the wrong foot, with one side trying to strangle costs and the other side trying to generate an acceptable profit. It won’t bode well for a happy outcome. Rather than simply choosing the lowest bidder, you should award the contract on the basis of the company’s ability to do the job. You should take into account their previous track record, the quality of their staff and whether you feel they are a good fit in terms of personal relationships #2: Failure to ensure that the technical specifications are an integral, comprehensible part of your contract. Know what you are paying for, and don’t leave it to the IT company to throw the specs together in an incomprehensible technical rider full of IT jargon. It is essential that you fully understand what you are paying for, precisely what is being provided and why. Don’t be afraid to discuss and ask until you are satisfied. #3: Poor communications. As mentioned above, miss-communication often occurs if you opt to outsource the project or IT service offshore. As well as language issues, there are time-zone differences, which means that you and your staff will have to work extended hours in order to keep in touch, which will lead to fatigue, bad morale and mistakes. But there can also be communication issues with UK based IT companies. Make sure the IT staff are on the same wavelength as your own staff and that there is a good mix of personalities who can work together in harmonious teams. Bad communication can seriously impact the success of the service or project. #4: Failure to recognise and accept the need for flexibility. IT infrastructure can be out of date – even obsolete – within months of implementation. Technical advances and new developments in IT happen so fast that you have to decide from the outset whether you are going to be flexible or inflexible on what is being delivered. In the long-term, failure to agree to common sense changes as the contract plays out could spell failure and a huge waste of money. ‘Contract flexibility’ as the project develops will ensure that you keep up with the latest IT advances and that your project remains relevant. #5: Micromanaging the IT outsourcing provider. If you have selected the right contractor who has all the necessary skills to execute the work as defined in your contract, it makes little sense to continually tell them what to do. Having built good communications and working relationships, you should allow them to use their skills to manage the project or service for you. By all means keep yourself regularly informed. Understand what is being done and discuss any problems with their senior representatives, but let them get on with it. Micromanagement can lead to bad
What do IT service desk analysts do? In this post we look at how the IT support landscape has changed in recent years and the role of a service desk analyst.
First call resolution is a mantra, a golden rule in the world of IT service desks and IT support. No one wants to keep waiting for answers. Especially when it’s something urgent, such as an email system crashing or WiFi going down.
Whether you work with an internal or external IT service or help desk, almost everyone on your team will initially go through to frontline staff. Known as first line support agents, they need to do one of two things quickly: resolve the issue, or refer/escalate the ticket to the relevant line of support.
Larger companies usually have the full bench of support available to them, which makes the frontline team’s role even more important. It should be standard practice to avoid escalating an issue unless the first line resolution team are unable to help. At the same time, frontline agents should be able to identify when an issue needs passing up the chain to ensure resolution times stay within service level agreements (SLAs).
For those managing IT teams, or struggling to ensure an IT partner adheres to first contact resolution timescales, here are a few ways you can improve response times:
#1: Fix recurring issues
When the same calls, emails or online support tickets keep recurring, maybe the issue is not the service desk. Every ticket is or should be logged. With this data, you can see why staff keep asking for IT support.
Analyse the issues over a three month period, then ensure technical fixes can be applied wherever possible. When this isn’t the case, but minor issues keep recurring, such as forgotten passwords, move this over to a self-serve platform so that service desk time can be spent on other priorities.
#2: Improve self-service support
Self-service in IT is changing the way IT departments and external partners work with customers and employees. People are more inclined to try and solve a problem themselves than pick up the phone or send a message.
Make it easy for your staff to avoid first call, pre-empting a ticket with self-serve. With automated systems, FAQs, AI-powered chatbots and other tools, there are more ways than ever to empower team members with solutions they can find and implement themselves. Just make sure people know they exist, and if they’ve tried self-serve and can’t resolve the problem, make it easy for them to contact IT to avoid prolonged downtime and reduced productivity.
#3: Ensure IT teams have the right training
It can be frustrating to make a call only to find the person at the other end doesn’t know very much and really can’t help. Especially when you can’t work thanks to a technical issue. Unexpected downtime can cause havoc to busy schedules, client needs and overall productivity and morale.
Regular training and technical refreshes are essential to ensure IT teams are equipped to handle new challenges. Staff need to be up-to-date with new technology, operating systems and software. When picking an IT partner, make sure they’re committed to training and upskilling their staff. A key advantage of using an IT support provider is the knowledge and skills they bring to your business.
#4: Encourage collaborative issue ownership
There are times, especially in IT, when ‘first call’ means an analyst will look at an issue then call a customer back with a resolution. This is meant to happen within a specific timescale, to avoid a customer needing to call back again or it exceeding SLA response times.
To guarantee high-resolution rates, IT staff need to work in a collaborative atmosphere. The analyst who took the call or received the ticket should take ownership. But at the same time, they should be encouraged to work between themselves to solve more complex problems or call upon second tier support as needed. Resource allocation should not prevent team members working together to deliver the best results possible for users.
#5: Improve support structures
Support structures work both ways. IT teams and external partners should support their staff and give them the resources they need to meet and exceed customer needs. Staff who need help should be supported in other ways, with fit-for-purpose IT training, self-serve and managers with enough knowledge of basic and recurring IT issues to ensure downtime is kept to a minimum.
First call resolution response rates are a good indicator how well IT is performing. If you are having issues with this, or your staff are struggling to get back to work after encountering technical problems, it might be time to look for a new solution to improve productivity.
Our approach is to do business with those we get along with. In this age of technology and digital connections, it’s those personal relationships that drive growth and achieve strategic objectives.
However, when it comes to delivering on our customers’ needs and keeping businesses operational, we would not get far without technology. IT service desks keep everything that runs businesses and connects them working. Making it more important than ever that service desks are user-centric and meet end-users’ needs.
In some companies, such as tech firms, service desks also double as front-line customer support functions, making them even more important since these contact points define the customer relationship.
Here are five ways to ensure your IT service desk is providing a first-class user-centric service.
Listen to customer needs
Put the customer’s (end-user) needs first. Start with them. Don’t let the technology lead the processes; ensure the technology is configured around user-needs and they feel looked after. Make sure they can easily provide feedback and learn from any complaints.
Putting customers first also means taking a proactive approach to service delivery. Work to provide services that pre-empt customer needs; which may mean providing enhanced self-serve options to resolve common problems. Alongside that, ensure communication flows freely between the service desk and customers, which could include email newsletters, blogs, and resources that will help users solve recurring problems themselves, especially when working with customers who are keen to learn about new technologies quickly.
Have clear, scalable user-centric processes
IT service desk processes need to be documented. Without clear processes, that can be scaled; you can’t deliver a first-class service. It’s also harder to make improvements, changes and train new team members. All of these processes should be focused on customer needs, with changes made when new learnings come to the forefront, new tech is integrated and self-serve options deployed.
Provide useful self-service tools
Self-serve is useful, to a point. In a company where everyone uses smartphones and is quite tech-savvy, self-serve can solve a myriad of problems quickly and easily without absorbing human resources.
At the same time, too much self-serve can be a problem. Especially when technology gets between human interactions. Proactive problem solving is one way to fix this issue. High-volume recurring problems shouldn’t keep happening; these are things that a proactive approach to resolving incidents should eliminate for good.
Some recurring problems can be fixed with new technology, such as secure password management tools to prevent the dreaded, “Help, I need my password reset” problem on a Monday morning.
Whereas others, that occur less often, could be resolved with short training videos or an easy-to-search IT knowledge base, with clear guidelines showing end-users what they can fix themselves, or what needs to be referred to the service desk. If problems are escalated, manage expectations by providing information on the level of support they are likely to need and the process involved.
One way to provide useful self-serve tools is to give people an idea of service level timescales so that they’re not in the dark about how long something might take. Empowering customers is a valuable way to make them feel included in the process and able to plan accordingly when something may take longer than they expect.
Deploy fit-for-purpose technology
IT service management (ITSM) tools have evolved extensively in recent years. Getting the job done and hitting performance targets requires you to have a wide range of capabilities, from automated bots to self-serve portals and communication channels (including Live Chat) that meet modern customer needs.
When you are serving hundreds or thousands of customers you need to ensure these solutions are deployed at scale, which might involve a service desk app, so they can access support tickets on the go, especially when they’re working remotely or around the world.
Keep learning, keep improving
Delivering a first-class service at scale is all about learning from customer feedback, data and the results achieved compared to the targets set. IT service desks only get better when they invest in reporting systems, continuous training and personal development.
Learning from the data and customer feedback is the only way to improve, with those improvements put back into new tech, tools and processes to ensure customers are being served the most effective way possible. Running a user-friendly IT service desk is difficult with limited human and tech resources. Companies in that position, with a small IT desk and growing demands, often find that outsourcing is the most cost effective way to ensure first-class service is delivered consistently.
What tier of IT support does your business need: 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th line?
Making sense of IT support means clearly understanding what your business needs. Larger, more complex organisations usually have more complex IT needs.
Digital transformation, staff using their own devices and apps, programmes to remove extensive paperwork and manual filing usually make companies more reliant on IT support, but this doesn’t mean you should sign up to complex, lengthy and expensive contracts.
When trying to plan IT support services, whether it means working with an internal IT help desk, external partner, or a mix of both, you may have heard of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Line Support. These are the most common forms of IT support, with the 4th line a reference to external software vendors or senior IT consultants with decades of experience.
You’ll also come across different terminology that means essential the same thing. Tier 1, 2 and 3 are the same as Level 1, 2 and 3; 1st, 2nd and 3rd line support are also the same.
Some IT companies also refer to 0 Line, which means self-service systems, such as FAQs, Bots and Knowledge Banks that don’t involve anyone with IT skills fixing a problem, since they are designed to ensure customers can resolve issues themselves.
With decades of IT experience, we’ve put together this quick reference guide for companies unsure what tier of IT support your business needs.
Tiers of IT support
Tier 1 Support Desk
Increasingly, we are seeing a shift from Tier 1 to self-serve, since traditionally, problems that Tier 1 handled now include things that customers can fix themselves, such as password resets. Automated software and systems are taking over a lot of the basic, easy issues, which means Tier 1 is about problem-solving and escalating to other tiers of support as needed.
An industry-wide practice, for Tier 1 is to focus on a quick resolution. If a problem takes longer than 10-15 minutes to fix, then an escalation is needed. This is important for maintaining service level agreements (SLAs) with clients and internal customers and to ensure those with the right skills and expertise can resolve complex issues; whilst freeing up front line to look after customers with more immediate, time-sensitive challenges.
Tier 2 Support Desk
Tier 2 calls either come directly through from Tier 1, or they handle escalations when a fix isn’t something that can be implemented quickly. Tier 2 IT service desk analysts often have software or hardware expertise specialisms, with a broad and deep base of IT systems, device and connectivity knowledge.
Tier 2 can provide support to Tier 3 or receive help from Tier 1, as needed, especially when working on complex problems or long-term projects, such as a digital transformation.
Once escalated to Tier 2, a case can take longer to resolve, which means an internal or external service desk should inform customers of a new resolution timescale, within an SLA.
Tier 3 Support Desk
Tier 3 is when it gets more difficult. Often, the knowledge required at this level goes far beyond walking through a resolution process. Specialist knowledge is almost always needed, with IT engineers focusing on different systems and hardware (e.g. Linux, Cisco, etc.), often with little to no crossover with other skills and specialisms.
At this level, they will have a deep repository of IT knowledge, skills and experience, but they will usually rely on Tier 1 or 2 professionals for more general expertise. In most companies, a Tier 3 support engineer will be the go-to person for a particular system, hardware, databases, server network and infrastructure.
Tier 3 professionals often lead, usually working with a technology manager, external vendors and IT companies, digital transformation and other long-term technology projects.
Tier 4 Support Desk
Tier 4, alongside Tier 0, are not commonly used expressions. It can mean escalating an issue or long-term project management to those with more expertise outside of an organisation. Often, this means software or hardware vendors, or IT partners and suppliers.
It can also involve IT consultancy services or project management services. For example, flex days where you book a certain number of days per month to get support with more strategic IT projects.
With the right partner relationships, an external provider can either deliver every tier of IT support services or work to implement technology projects that can transform an organisation and find efficiencies that managers and owners don’t know exist.
IT outsourcing: benefits of working with a UK IT service provider
Deciding to outsource a business function, such as IT, can be fraught with difficulties.
In the early years of the new century, hundreds of British companies, from small and medium enterprises to multinational brands, including banks and telecoms giants, outsourced operational business functions to India and other fast-growing developing economies. Saving money was one of the main motivating factors.
Sending jobs overseas is known as offshoring. Whereas, there are other ways to outsource business functions, including mid-shoring, when work takes place in countries with favourable rates of tax, such as Ireland, some European countries, Singapore or Hong Kong. Captive outsourcing is another way to offshore business functions, where a company owns the offshore service provider thereby making it easier to manage processes, quality and resources.
Some of the main functions that were sent offshore in the early years of the new century included IT support and customer service, with the telecoms and financial services sectors keen to reduce costs in those operational areas.
IT outsourcing – the problem with offshoring
Sending operational functions abroad – either through offshoring or captive outsourcing (mid-shoring is less common) – did not prove a huge success with end users. Operational costs were dramatically reduced. Businesses could invest money into other areas. Workers overseas were paid good rates, with foreign direct investment from the UK supporting growth.
However, consumers – unhappy with hit and miss customer service – and business users did not always get the service they expected. In the early days, offshoring could not deliver the same results consistently.
Some companies started to pull operational functions back to the UK or adopt a captive outsourced approach, to improve quality.
Within IT companies, some functions, such as 1st and 2nd line help desk functions are still managed abroad. In many cases, cheaper costs prevail. 3rd line is almost always in the UK. Over the years, service quality has improved, thanks to more training, upskilling and captive outsourcing. In other cases, IT companies mid-shore help desk functions, to receive tax benefits whilst maintaining UK response rates.
However, while improvements in the quality of service have made IT offshoring an option for some businesses, a buoyant UK IT outsourcing sector offers many reasons to keep IT functions at home.
The benefits of IT outsourcing to a UK provider
Firstly, with HMRC taking an increasingly unfavourable view towards any company trying to dodge tax or use tax loopholes, now is not a good time to mid-shore business functions in tax havens.
Secondly, with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) fast approaching; have you stopped to consider data protection implications of outsourcing a mission critical function to any country outside the EU? IT is responsible for protecting data, cyber security and communications. Businesses are still struggling to get ready on time in the UK.
Offshoring IT to any country with different data protection laws could put your customer data at serious risk. Risks most businesses cannot afford, not with fines set at 4% of turnover or €20 million – whichever is greater.
There are other benefits too, such as:
#1: Service Level Agreements implemented in the same time zone.
Some offshore providers will have staff work during the primary business hours in the UK, but that will cost more. Working with a UK-based IT provider ensures they are working when you are, so you can just pick up the phone as needed and have your problem solved according to your SLA.
#2: Complex problems solved quickly
Companies working with an offshore provider may find that they need to on-shore a particularly difficult problem. At least this way, you know if an issue does need escalation that the same provider is managing it and communication will be clear up and down the chain.
UK-based IT providers can also work with you on high priority projects, such as business transformation. Making it easier for your internal IT teams to focus on growth and customer-orientated projects.
#3: Cultural alignment
A key criticism of the offshoring model has been a mismatch between different cultures and issues with language and basic communications. While many offshore providers have addressed this in their recruitment strategies, this has had an impact on costs with more skilled and fluent staff costing more.
Offshore providers also find it difficult to embed themselves within a business to truly understand the company culture and key business objectives. While you may not think that this can affect IT support and other operational functions, it does. Understanding what a company’s priorities are, their approach to business, the brand reputation, and how they like to communicate with customers and staff is very important when dealing with incidents or prioritising support.
UK IT providers have much better opportunities to successfully on board their clients and really understand the business.
#4: All of the benefits, none of the headaches
Working with a UK-based IT provider means you can save money and free internal staff from front line support, whilst not being tied to expensive staffing contracts and other costs. Outsourcing in the UK gives you the same benefits as offshoring without headaches or extra stress.
What IT support does your business need: 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th line?
Making sense of IT support means clearly understanding what your business needs. Larger, more complex organisations usually have more complex IT needs.
Digital transformation, staff using their own devices and app, programmes to remove extensive paperwork and manual filing usually make companies more reliant on IT support, but this doesn’t mean you should sign up to complex, lengthy and expensive contracts.
When trying to plan IT support, whether it means working with an internal IT service desk, external partner, or a mix of both, you may have heard of 1st, 2nd and 3rd line support. These are the most common forms of IT support, with the 4th line a reference to external software vendors or senior IT consultants with decades of experience.
Some IT companies also refer to 0 Line, which means self-service systems, such as FAQs and other ticketing models that don’t involve anyone with IT skills fixing a problem, since they are designed to ensure customers can resolve issues themselves.
With decades of IT experience, we’ve put together this handy quick reference guide for companies unsure what level (or tier) of IT support your business might need.
Lines of IT support
Tier 1 IT support desk
Increasingly, we are seeing a shift from Tier 1 to self-serve, since traditionally, problems that Tier 1 handled now include things that customers can fix themselves, such as password resets. Automated software and systems are taking over a lot of the basic, easy issues, which means Tier 1 is about problem-solving and escalating to other tiers of support as needed.
An industry-wide practice, for Tier 1 is to focus on a quick resolution. If a problem takes longer than 10-15 minutes to fix, then an escalation is needed. This is important for maintaining service level agreements (SLAs) with clients and internal customers and to ensure those with the right skills and expertise can resolve complex issues; whilst freeing up front line to look after customers with more immediate, time-sensitive challenges.
Tier 2 IT support desk
Tier 2 calls either come directly through from Tier 1, or they handle escalations when a fix isn’t something that can be implemented quickly. Tier 2 IT service desk analysts often have software or hardware expertise specialisms, with a broad and deep base of IT systems, device and connectivity knowledge.
Tier 2 can provide support to Tier 3 or receive help from Tier 1, as needed, especially when working on complex problems or long-term projects, such as a digital transformation.
Once escalated to Tier 2, a case can take longer to resolve, which means an internal or external service desk should inform customers of a new resolution timescale, within an SLA.
Tier 3 IT support desk
Tier 3 is when it gets more difficult. Often, the knowledge required at this level goes far beyond walking through a resolution process. Specialist knowledge is almost always needed, with IT engineers focusing on different systems and hardware (e.g. Linux, Cisco, etc.), often with little to no crossover with other skills and specialisms.
At this level, they will have a deep repository of IT knowledge, skills and experience, but they will usually rely on Tier 1 or 2 professionals for more general expertise. In most companies, a Tier 3 support engineer will be the go-to person for a particular system, hardware, databases, server network and infrastructure.
Tier 3 professionals often lead, usually working with a technology manager, external vendors and IT companies, digital transformation and other long-term technology projects.
Tier 4 IT support desk
Tier 4, alongside Tier 0, are not commonly used expressions. It often means escalating an issue or long-term project management to those with more expertise outside of an organisation. Often, this means software or hardware vendors, or IT partners and suppliers.
With the right partner relationships, an external provider can either deliver every tier of IT support or work to implement technology projects that can transform an organisation and find efficiencies that managers and owners don’t know exist.
Building an effective IT service desk is not easy. With technology evolving so quickly, and companies reliant on a complex mix of hardware, software, cloud-solutions, broadband, telephony and legacy systems, you need an IT help desk that can provide support and proactively grow the business.
An effective IT service desk can do so much more than fix your email when it goes down. For the service desk to deliver great service – both supportive and proactive – your analysts need a range of skills and solutions to operate smoothly. Remember, without IT support; business can’t function. Digital systems, from cloud-storage to communications keep businesses operational.
Systems and hardware determine the service desk skills you need. And of course, larger companies and those whose business is technology – such as tech companies – need more support. So although it’s somewhat difficult to outline the specific skills your team need, an effective IT service desk requires at least one member of staff who is dedicated to delivering support to your end users.
Next, you need to consider the systems they use to run the IT service desk.
What you need to run an effective IT service desk
#1: Self-service portal
Internal customers don’t always want to make a call. An online ticketing system is essential. It also makes it easier to log and track issues, then prioritise them against everything the service help desk is trying to solve right now.
#2: Live chat and social media
Live chat and/or private social network or messenger options, such as Yammer, are another way to help fix problems quickly whilst documenting issues in the process. Not only is this useful within the context of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) when a problem is easy to resolve, but end users feel they are getting a better service. Everyone can get back to work sooner when technical issues are resolved fast.
#3: FAQ & self-service centre (Knowledgebase)
End users are more technical and digitally empowered than ever before. An online FAQ Knowledgebase reduces some IT service desk workloads whilst giving end users the knowledge and tools to solve issues themselves. Proactive service desks should provide these for staff or clients, to show them that not everything needs a support ticket.
#4: Remote assistance solutions
However, some problems do need support tickets. Remote assistance is an essential part of the average service desk toolkit. Instead of asking a staff member to follow instructions, your service desk team can take over a desktop or laptop (Mac or PC) and resolve issues remotely.
Carefully review the options, to ensure you are using a highly secure piece of software since some remote systems have been used to steal customer and company data.
#5: Ticket prioritisation system
Even with one service desk member of staff, they need a prioritisation system to ensure that tickets can be organised according to the impact on the company and need for a resolution. Prioritisation systems are also a useful way to keep everyone on the same page and manage expectations.
#6: Reporting and analytics
Service desks and those they serve need to know whether SLA standards are being met. A robust reporting and analytics system is the most effective way to track response and resolution times and keep improving.
#7: End user feedback
Another essential system for IT service desks is a tool to get feedback from end users. Even staff working for the same company are, from the perspective of a service desk analyst, a customer. Treat them that way. Feedback, alongside a reporting system, is the most effective way to monitor performance and implement continuous improvements.
Over the last few years most organisations have gone through some sort of digital transformation, even if you’ve not done so with a conscious effort. Every new software solution, everything you’ve moved to the cloud, is part of the transformation many companies are undertaking to improve efficiency and operational functions, and to save money.
Employing an internal IT support team to manage this in-house might seem a smart move. However, for many companies, the risks and downsides outweigh the benefits. Most SMEs don’t need a large IT team, so they hire one, maybe two support staff. Makes sense, until you consider prevailing factors that reduce the effectiveness of this use of resources.
Before asking, “should we hire someone?”, ask what IT support services you actually need.
Does your business operate hardware (servers, computers, etc.)?
Do you have telephony systems, including landlines and smartphones?
What about email, software and data storage?
Future proofing – what other IT services to you need or want in the short or medium term?
There is a lot of competition for technical talent, from large corporations, startups, IT firms and other SMEs, which means unless you can pay competitively for an IT role, it’s difficult to find IT service desk analysts with a diverse skillset and experience to provide the support most SMEs require.
For that reason many organisations choose to outsource 1st and 2nd line IT support to an external provider using a shared services model.
It is generally cheaper than recruiting an internal team.
You get access to a wider, more experienced talent base, with external IT staff bringing experiences and skills from outside your sector.
Only pay for what you need. Don’t pay for staff to twiddle their thumbs. Much easier to control costs this way, without the higher fixed overheads from more salaries.
Vendor management is considerably easier. IT partners work to find the most suitable IT vendors and solutions, and then they manage these relationships – including when systems go down, to ensure you are up and running again quickly.
Rapid support, including out-of-hours assistance when something goes wrong.
Running an SME can be a juggling act, especially when you are responsible for staff. Don’t give yourself extra stress by recruiting internally for roles that can be better fullled by outsourcing IT support services.
If you would like to have a chat about your IT requirement and whether it is time to consider outsourcing, please get in touch.
When an organisation moves from in-house to outsourced services, such as an IT service desk, there is often uncertainty about the level of support required. Both parties – the customer and provider – are trying to balance value for money against the services they want and need.
What a company wants and needs are often two different issues. Needs are basic requirements, such as a minimum fixed number of hours every month of IT support or volume of tickets. Wants are extra services that could give a company a technical or productivity advantage.
Outsourcing IT service desk functions is one of the most effective ways for an IT team to focus on long-term, strategic projects, instead of fire fighting issues. Organisations that outsource rarely go back to in-house IT service desk teams, since the outsourcing model can generate cost savings and a better user experience.
IT teams can also swing into action to deliver projects that can transform business operations, from sales to customer service, with new software, smarter processes and improved connectivity. However, one of the main questions that needs answering before outsourcing is whether a company needs a shared or dedicated IT service desk?
We’ve weighed up the pros and cons in this article.
Dedicated IT service desk – key considerations
Time and money
Initially, it is worth exploring how many hours your in-house team spend fixing IT issues – e.g. emails, telephony, storage, hardware, and other common problems. Work out an average for at least two quarters.
Skilled IT partners should be able to reduce that time, simply through strategic improvements to services, to solve commonly recurring problems. But that does take time, so you may need to ensure more hours are spent in the first few months of a working relationship, and then reduce the hours as needed in time.
However, the more hours you need, the more it will cost. Even with the most cost effective IT partners.
IT Specialisms
With some IT partners, you may be assigned a specific help desk analyst – effectively full-time. Someone who will only work on your account and systems. This can be extremely advantageous as it allows that individual to really understand your IT demands and objectives, and provide a proactive and very responsive service.
With the right IT partner, the specialisms issue won’t be a problem. Dedicated support should not always mean you are working with the same person every day; otherwise, you may as well offer them a job.
IT innovation
IT professionals working for outsourcing providers also have an advantage over the in-house IT support team. They get exposure to a wider range of industries, challenges, innovation and solutions, and they can bring this experience and knowledge to your business. Internal teams can exist very much in a silo and it can become difficult to spot opportunities to drive efficiencies, increase performance etc. because of this. Using an IT provider will keep your IT department moving forwards.
IT staff for the long or short term
Another key benefit of using an IT outsourcing provider is that they already have a team of IT professionals ready to meet your requirements. No need to train and on board internal staff. This is particularly useful if you have seasonal volume spikes, or a short term requirement where IT support is more in demand.
Dedicated support means ensuring a client has the right level of IT help across a range of functional areas. Working with IT professionals that have different skills and areas of expertise. This should always be covered in service packages and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
IT partners should also make it easy for your team to put in support requests, no matter what time or time zone staff are in. A dedicated self-service portal should also be available to help them with issues they could fix themselves, with around the clock support as required, depending on the business needs and service level. Businesses with customers or staff across the world often need dedicated support, to ensure services stay operational regardless of the head ofce time zone.
In many respects, shared services are similar to dedicated, except with a smaller allocation of hours. Apart from that, you should have the same level of support, including out of hours and the ability to access a range of IT specialisms.
Start with the work your in-house team does: once you have a clear idea what they deal with through the average week and month, you will be equipped to select the right IT services with an external partner.
As a leading, global IT outsourcing provider we get asked many questions daily. We have compiled below some of them that we hope will help you make your IT outsourcing decision:
Why outsource Information Communication Technology (ICT) services?
Unless you are an IT or communications company, it is unlikely that ICT is a core competency for your business!
We strongly believe that you should outsource any non-core competencies, such as IT, Finance, Legal and Marketing. You can benefit from the expertise of others while you focus on your specialism.
What can I outsource?
You can outsource any function that is a non-core competency within your business!
In terms of IT, you can outsource either your entire technology department, or a single service such as service desk, end-user support, server maintenance, email management, application support, IT security, telephony system support, network management, hosting of servers, ICT projects etc. for example.
Does outsourcing IT means I lose control?
No, not at all!
We work with complete transparency, you will have 24×7 online access to your own personalised company portal, where you can monitor the status of any incidents, problems or changes raised across your business, with full reporting and access to a “live” person 24x7x365.
This in addition to regular face to face or conference call service review meetings, where all aspects of our service are discussed. Your outsourcing agreement will also include a Service Level Agreement which outlines the minimum service commitments you can expect from Cloud Business.
Can I outsource my entire IT department?
In short yes!
Your IT staff’s employment status is protected by Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations, generally referred to as ‘TUPE’.
Will outsourcing save our company money?
In almost all cases, yes! If you already have an in-house IT team, then we can demonstrate cost savings over the medium to long term, and also the very short term.
Naturally, you will achieve cost savings through the transition of service delivery to a blend of both remote and desk-side delivery. For example, if you require extended service hours, then an outsourced service will allow you to achieve this at a significantly lower price point than recruiting the staff in house. Whether your IT department are over-loaded or not fully occupied, outsourcing may allow you to economise more effectively.
How quickly can I outsource my IT?
If your company is without IT support, then we can implement our services within a week.
If you are moving from another supplier, we typically transition the service during the month of the incumbent suppliers contract end. All parameters are customer specific and bespoke to your requirements.
Based on your recommendation, what should we ‘not’ outsource?
If you have a bespoke application that is vital to your business, you can consider keeping this service in-house.
If your ICT and communications systems are failing on a regular basis, you may expect an improvement project ahead of smooth service delivery.
How do I measure my IT outsourcing provider’s performance?
We have rigorous set of market leading service reports and measures to help you measure and monitor this service. This coupled with 24×7 access to a full reporting suite, regular face to face service and performance review meetings, regular communication.
You should also only consider service providers that attained industry recognised certifications in the specific discipline you are looking to outsource such as Service Desk. This ensures all aspects of the service is benchmarked against a rigorous set of pre-defined standards and the best in the world. The Service Desk Institute is one such organisation.
What other standard measures should we consider reviewing?
The availability of your critical applications, e.g. email, database, business line
How available is your network
The number of calls answered within service level
The ongoing reduction in problem calls being logged
Financial trends such as cash flow
A measurement of downtime.
Got any more questions? Please get in touch if you need further help.
10 common reasons for failure with IT outsourcing partners
It is common knowledge that there is a high failure rate in IT outsourcing. It is estimated that 25% of all outsourcing contracts end up in failure, with hundreds of millions of pounds being wasted.
Headline mega failures have involved some of the biggest players in the business, such as IBM, with the failure of their 5 billion dollar contract with JP Morgan. Then there is EDS who had to write off more than $500m following its failed IT contract with The US Navy.
Nearer to home, we constantly read about IT outsourcing failures in commercial organisations, especially in the banking sector, such as the ongoing Royal Bank of Scotland IT fiasco.
IT Outsourcing In The Public Sector
In the UK public sector, there are also numerous instances of IT disasters with local authorities, such as the recent cancellation of a £160M contract between Cornwall County Council and BT, which was scrapped, only 2 years into its 10-year duration.
Then we have the costly IT failures within the UK Government itself. Head of the list is ATOS, who has continually failed to deliver on its commitments, prompting the Government to review more than £500M worth of IT contracts it holds with the European IT giant.
The list is endless: The Universal Credit Scheme rollout, the failed £60M Scottish Police IT project, and so on.
Never has there been a time to be extremely circumspect in your selection of the right IT partner. Whatever your IT needs may be, failure to engage the right company will cost you dear in terms of financial outlay and future performance. In extreme cases it can lead the collapse of businesses or the overhaul, (including staff dismissals) of a public department.
The first step in finding an IT partner that is right for you is to understand the reasons why so many IT outsourcing partnerships fail.
Here is an honest and forthright list of the “ten reasons for failure” that I have put together to help with your selection. My list sets out many of the common mistakes and errors that are frequently made on both sides of the partnership.
Let’s not forget – it is a two-way partnership in which both parties have crucial roles to play. Both sides must take their share of the blame if things go wrong.
#1: Choosing the lowest price and squeezing the IT outsourcing provider’s profit margins. If your main contract criterion is to choose the cheapest IT company, you will almost certainly get what you pay for. Many businesses opt to outsource to cheaper offshore companies without considering the problems that may lie ahead, in terms of communication issues, quality of staff, and cultural aspects.
Consider carefully how you structure your contract. Clauses regulating costs and delivery that are specifically designed to financially punish your IT provider for non-compliance may be self-defeating. If you try to pare down the contractor’s profit margins to a bare minimum, they may look to recoup their losses in any way they can. It will set the partnership off on the wrong foot, with one side trying to strangle costs and the other side trying to generate an acceptable profit. It won’t bode well for a happy outcome.
Rather than simply choosing the lowest bidder, you should award the contract on the basis of the company’s ability to do the job. You should take into account their previous track record, the quality of their staff and whether you feel they are a good fit in terms of personal relationships
#2: Failure to ensure that the technical specifications are an integral, comprehensible part of your contract. Know what you are paying for, and don’t leave it to the IT company to throw the specs together in an incomprehensible technical rider full of IT jargon. It is essential that you fully understand what you are paying for, precisely what is being provided and why. Don’t be afraid to discuss and ask until you are satisfied.
#3: Poor communications. As mentioned above, miss-communication often occurs if you opt to outsource the project or IT service offshore. As well as language issues, there are time-zone differences, which means that you and your staff will have to work extended hours in order to keep in touch, which will lead to fatigue, bad morale and mistakes.
But there can also be communication issues with UK based IT companies. Make sure the IT staff are on the same wavelength as your own staff and that there is a good mix of personalities who can work together in harmonious teams. Bad communication can seriously impact the success of the service or project.
#4: Failure to recognise and accept the need for flexibility. IT infrastructure can be out of date – even obsolete – within months of implementation. Technical advances and new developments in IT happen so fast that you have to decide from the outset whether you are going to be flexible or inflexible on what is being delivered.
In the long-term, failure to agree to common sense changes as the contract plays out could spell failure and a huge waste of money. ‘Contract flexibility’ as the project develops will ensure that you keep up with the latest IT advances and that your project remains relevant.
#5: Micromanaging the IT outsourcing provider. If you have selected the right contractor who has all the necessary skills to execute the work as defined in your contract, it makes little sense to continually tell them what to do. Having built good communications and working relationships, you should allow them to use their skills to manage the project or service for you.
By all means keep yourself regularly informed. Understand what is being done and discuss any problems with their senior representatives, but let them get on with it. Micromanagement can lead to bad morale, even resignations, which will result in a less than 100% effort. In extreme cases, it can lead to failure of the project.
#6: Expectation mismatch. It is essential that you and the contractor are in total agreement on what is to be delivered. There may be many variables, different service level agreements, and bespoke solutions that are discussed prior to signing the contract: make sure you understand what you’re getting.
It’s also important to become an integral part of the delivery process and to be kept informed at every stage. The successful transition of your IT requirement to a service provider depends on both parties meeting expectations at each stage of the process.
#7: Failure to recognise the IT outsourcing provider as a strategic partner. In long-term IT projects and provision of IT services, your service provider can become a valuable partner in helping your business to grow. Let them know that they are contributing to the success of your business, and they are not just performing IT tasks in isolation. The rewards of this approach can be considerable.
#8: Outsourcing the wrong functions. Make sure that you understand what IT functions are better kept in-house and which ones can be successfully outsourced. Which areas of your business will offer the best value for money if outsourced? Which areas will benefit by being managed by IT professionals who can spearhead key changes and implement new technology? A good IT contractor will be happy to discuss these options with you, and advise you accordingly.
#9: Failure to properly manage any changes in requirements. Many project failures can be attributed to the inability of management to manage add-ons and any re-definitions of the contract.
A flexible contract (see above) will help in this approach. But changes to the contract are often predicated by changes in the business model or aspects of IT that weren’t properly considered at the outset. Delays and uncontrolled cost increases can often spell not only doom to the project, but also to your business as you fall behind your competitors. The solution is to get the contract as relevant as possible from day one, and if changes become necessary, it is essential that they are well managed and that costs are controlled.
#10: Failure to recognise and manage the special issues associated with public service contracts. Public authorities often try to mirror the private sector in the way they deal with IT contractors, and while in some respects this is an admirable aim, they should also understand that there are some key differences.
They must take into account the needs of not only the general public (the customers) but also the staff who provide many essential public services. This can mean a different IT emphasis than in a commercial environment. There may also be issues concerned with cuts in public spending which can have a detrimental effect on IT contracts. Arbitrary cuts to IT funding will be counterproductive if the projects end in failure.
Another thorny issue is the sharing of IT service contracts with other local authorities. If this can be achieved, there will be obvious savings and benefits to all parties.
So there you have it – my very frank summary of ten things to avoid or to seriously consider when awarding IT outsourcing contracts. I would be delighted to discuss any of these issues with you in more detail at any time.
Does your business need 24/7 IT help desk support?
Money never sleeps. International offices and workers in foreign countries were, for many companies, an out of reach and expensive dream a couple of decades ago. Only multinationals could afford that kind of presence.
Not anymore.
More SMEs than ever are expanding overseas, through partnerships, remote workers, agents, and resellers. It has never been easier to gain a foothold in lucrative foreign markets, thanks to the Internet and social media. This doesn’t offset the human factor.
24/7 IT service desk – always up
Over the last few years, we have seen that those who send staff abroad, or have remote teams, perform better in new markets. The human factor is more, not less important, as a consequence of the global digital transformation.
Businesses considering or already operating overseas need a robust IT infrastructure to support these goals. As staff move further away from your home country’s time zone, their support requirements increase. Clients and team members need access 24/7.
Does your current IT partner provide that level of support? How do you ensure your business is ‘always up,’ anywhere in the world?
User support is one area where delays can be costly. Getting the right support is easy when your help desk is in the same country. But what about when staff are halfway around the world?
IT support for remote workers
As well as remote teams in other countries we are also seeing a shift to more flexible working here in the UK.
Organisations recognise the value of allowing employees to work from home or remote offices, and manage their hours in a way that works best for them. Many studies have shown how flexible working can increase productivity and performance, and of course technology has been the driving factor in facilitating this move.
However, without support in place this vision of a more productive and engaged workforce can fall down. What if a key employee cannot access the organisation’s network out of normal office hours to get on with an important task? Or your business traveller cannot get the information they require when away at a conference or meeting clients around the country?
24/7 IT support is not just for global organisations, it’s also important for business continuity for many local businesses operating in an ‘always up’, digitally connected world.
Whichever side of the IT service desk you sit on, it’s useful to know what IT service desk analysts actually do. Whether you want to get a better idea of the level of support offered, or think it may be an interesting career, here’s what our team do for our customers.
Below are just some of the many activities an IT service desk analyst does on a day-to-day basis. We’re increasingly seeing demand for support resolving more complicated issues. This is because most organisations have a larger technological requirement with more end users needing varying levels of support.
It is also because a more technologically skilled workforce – who can resolve those minor issues themselves, leaving us to deal with the more complicated ones.
Day-to-day tasks of a Service Desk Analyst
Desktop support: reset terminal server sessions, device configuration, setup corporate email account, Microsoft Office support (can’t insert image into PowerPoint, Excel won’t open, Outlook crashing), Microsoft Operating Systems (Windows session freezing, display adaptor drives need updating etc.),
Third party liaison: device support (configure email etc.), printer support, hardware support, bespoke application, Sage, Internet Service Provider (no broadband, communication line is down etc.),
Network: Internet lines, routers, firewalls, switches, remote satellite office,
Service management: incident management, problem management, change management, configuration management, event management,
Account administration: new user requests, leaver requests, password requests etc.,
Data centre services: Managed rack etc.,
Backups: daily monitoring (monitor backups for failures), troubleshooting, strategy (backup retention periods, time to restore),
These activities are just a snapshot of a typical day in the life of a service desk analyst – on a not so typical day activities could be far from routine.
Another factor that has rapidly changed the issues our service desk team resolve is mobility. Not so long ago service desk providers would have focused mainly on delivering IT support to users in the workplace, and perhaps a small amount of remote working support to directors and senior employees. This trend was building prior to March 2020 as increasingly organisations facilitate remote working for their employees, and more and more people are using mobile devices for work. Of course, more recently it has accelerated dramatically with a global pandemic forcing organisations to reimagine the modern workplace.
This new working landscape presents unique challenges for organisations, not only ensuring that remote working staff can access systems and networks wherever they are, but also security challenges for the business. This is a key area where expert support can be essential for productivity and for the managing risks mobile devices (especially BYOD) and remote working have introduced into the corporate IT estate.
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