If you are new to business or scaling, then now is the right time to ask yourself, "Should I outsource my IT support?"
In this blog article, we will help you make that decision based on our extensive knowledge of helping companies in your position.
The benefits of outsourcing IT support
Outsourcing IT support can offer several benefits, whether that's
cost savings
improved compliance
access to specialised expertise
cyber security
or around-the-clock support
You know this. But what people don't talk about is flexibility. When you are building or scaling your business, you need to be agile—agile enough to pivot and flex with your growing customer base, nimble enough to remain profitable, and shrewd enough to cut back when you need to.
Many smaller and scaling businesses fail because they don't keep that notion in mind.
Business process outsourcing, or BPO, offers you the opportunity to partner with experts who have already mastered their processes and workflows. They can build and adapt your services to grow and flex with you, providing expertise (and budget) that can give you peace of mind.
What happens if you don't find the right IT partner?
As with any service provision, you must be vigilant for communication challenges, security concerns, and the risk of losing control over certain IT operations and compliance aspects. These are significant issues that can impact your business. With close monitoring of provider relationships and performance, you should be able to identify and address these issues promptly to make a switch to a more suitable provider.
You do this by setting a clear Service Level Agreement (SLA) and outlining your IT KPIs, policies and must-haves.
Factors to consider before outsourcing your IT provision
Here's what to consider before you start your outsourcing process.
What you need - Are you looking for fully remote IT support, or do you want to retain some in-house capacity?
Partner expertise - What expertise do you need, and in which areas do you need support?
Internal team changes - How and where does IT provision free up your team? And where do they need to continue to interact with IT?
Transition plans - How do you plan to transition from in-house to outsourced IT support? Do you need a provider who can guide you through this stage?
Compliance - It's one of your most significant IT issues, so what do you need help with?
Security - How should your IT service provider handle your cyber security needs?
Your budget - How does your budget affect IT BPO, and how does that compare to keeping an in-house team?
Communication and KPIs - What do you expect from your IT provider, and how will you monitor performance?
Service Level Agreement (SLA) understanding - Do you know what you are looking for in a detailed service plan, or are you looking for someone to access your business and guide you through this process?
Once you clearly understand your needs and priorities, you'll be in a much stronger position to find an IT support outsourcing provider that fits your business well.
Are you looking to outsource IT support in the central London area?
Hello! We are IT Soho, and we have helped businesses of all sizes scale with ease through our expert IT BPO. If you are looking to outsource IT support and are in the central London area, we'd like to talk to you.