Last Friday, the system required Dave to change his password. Dave was rushed, trying to finish up a few things so he could get out of town for a short vacation. Now it’s Wednesday. Dave is back in the office and can’t for the life of him remember the new password. He calls IT for support, but the technician is busy fixing a server problem impacting the entire accounting department. Dave sits around half the morning, waiting for help so he can log in and do his job.

There’s no way to know how many situations like these play out in offices large and small each workday. What we do know is that almost one of every three calls placed to the help desk is related to forgotten passwords.

Password resets cost organizations a tremendous amount of money, both in IT support time and lost productivity as workers wait for help. But password resets aren’t the only help desk challenges. From assistance with a seldom-used application to recovery from a full-blown system crash, end-users require IT support from time to time. And when they need it, they want it fast.

Unfortunately, few organizations have the luxury of a fully staffed help desk devoted to end-user needs. Many small to midsize business (SMBs) have very small IT support teams who have a hard time keeping up with day-to-day tasks — much less individual end-user crises. In some cases a lone tech may handle everything from the network to the desktop. More serious issues may be kept waiting while the technician helps end-users — or vice-versa.

That’s why help desk outsourcing makes sense for many organizations. By outsourcing at least some end-user support requests to a managed services provider such as Abba, you can get more-rapid end-user support while reducing IT costs.

It’s simply a matter of economies of scale. Instead of paying the salaries of enough IT staff to handle spikes in activity, you pay only for the support you need when you need it. And you gain the knowledge, experience and disciplined processes of the managed services provider’s team, ensuring that support requests are handled efficiently and accurately.

Help desk outsourcing is ideal for SMBs that don’t have in-house IT support — it enables these organizations to get the support they need with no capital outlays or hiring costs. But it can deliver key benefits to organizations of all sizes, with or without IT staff.

5 Benefits of Help Desk Outsourcing

• Ensure consistent, timely support – for getting about staffing challenges, sick leave and vacation
• Improve end-user productivity by reducing downtime and frustration
• Eliminate the “shoulder-tap” support requests that can distract other staff from their core functions
• Gain faster support for mobile users and teleworkers through the service provider’s “remote control” technology
• Enable in-house IT staff to focus on critical systems and strategic initiatives

A number of options are available to meet specific needs. You can outsource first-tier support calls — the simplest end-user requests, such as password resets — or more complex third-tier calls. Services can be provided 8×5 or around the clock. Reporting can provide insight into trends, bottlenecks and trouble spots. And simply working with the managed services provider to define service levels and processes can streamline support functions.

Bottom line: IT support is critical to your organization. Running a help desk isn’t. A managed services provider gives you access to highly qualified technicians to supplement or replace in-house support. Outsourcing the help desk can relieve the strain on existing IT resources, and improve productivity by providing users with faster support.