"IT Guy" vs. Help Desk Team

Wouldn’t it be great if every time you called your IT support provider, they answered the phone? Waiting for service is not anyone’s idea of a good time. With the pace of business in our world, it is unreasonable that the only option for acquiring IT support is waiting by the phone like you are expecting a date to call. 

Unfortunately, this is frequently the service you get from single-person IT support operations, otherwise known as your outsourced "IT guy/girl." This level of support may be fine for your home PC, where processes and payments are not depending on technology working right now, but for small and medium businesses, the consistent coverage provided by a trained, business-focused help desk team can be a lifesaver. 

Accessibility of IT Support

Single-person IT Support professionals can be great resources, but they can only listen to one client at a time. During business hours, you either leave a message on their personal phone or with an answering service. And then you wait… and most likely, worry.

With a team of trained technicians on a help desk, you don’t have to play the waiting game. Depending on the provider, calls can be serviced within minutes or even seconds. Using remote connectivity software help desk teams can frequently solve your problems without having to wait for a solo tech to schedule an on-site visit.

DISASTER RESPONSE

Technology disasters do not wait for your IT support provider to get back from vacation. With a single point of contact, your business could be out of commission, unable to view email, process payments, or schedule client services until your solo “IT guy/girl” gets back from Cancun (or Europe, or Cleveland…).

An experienced and well-staffed help desk support team can provide the always-on coverage you need so you always have someone to reach out to – even during beach season.

Furthermore, servers and switches do not wait for business hours to fail. A single-person or “one-man” shop cannot consistently provide effective emergency coverage because they have to eat and sleep and take their kids to little league like the rest of us. On the other hand, a strategy-focused managed services provider offers an entire team of professionals.

These types of providers have the capacity to deliver after-hours support by rotating coverage between techs to keep everyone fresh and ready to spring into action.

Specialized Areas of Technical Expertise

Let’s face it, technology and information services is an incredibly broad and deep field. No one person can possibly be an expert or even proficient in all areas that could potentially affect your business. This can lead to downtime and increased costs while your single point of contact researches and possibly even subcontracts outside help to resolve an issue outside of their area of expertise.

A properly staffed help desk ensures access to technicians with complementary skills and knowledge that allows them to be greater than the sum of their parts. With modern software and technical solutions like internal knowledge-bases and advanced system monitoring, they can share a pool of information that is readily accessed as soon as you call in, allowing each member of the team to contribute rapidly and seamlessly.

Help Desk Teams Offer the Service and Expertise Necessary for Business Continuity and Growth

Ultimately, a one-man IT shop may be perfectly fine for the home user, and many of these technicians can be skilled and knowledgeable. However, businesses that rely on technology for day-to-day operations need the benefits only offered by an experienced help desk team.

A help desk offers:

1. Faster response times for your technology problems, from little issues to big emergencies.
2. Increased effectiveness of your time spent with your IT Provider through reduced phone tag and skills gaps.
3. Improved business processes through efficient and cost-saving suggestions generated by collecting accurate metrics on technology issues you experience over time.