Why You Should Outsource Level 1 Technical Support
Modern systems assist information technology (IT) companies in improving their customer and client offerings. They can also meet rising customer expectations while streamlining workloads. On the other hand, IT firms may struggle to address technical issues while focusing on customer needs.
Outsourcing a help desk is the best option for handling IT inquiries. Companies benefit from increased efficiency and lower costs while meeting customer needs quickly.
Although help desks differ by tier, most organizations outsource level 1 technical support. Explore this article further to discover why. You’ll also understand how to resolve IT issues with the right outsourcing partner.
The Most Common Types of Outsourced Technical Support
Technical support outsourcing is hiring a third-party service provider to manage your help desk. IT companies frequently categorize their outsourced technical support into three types.
- Level 1. Basic IT and troubleshooting support for known technical challenges. It covers usage problems, network issues, and computer diagnoses.
- Level 2. In-depth technical assistance using more advanced solutions. It addresses user problems that a level 1 agent cannot handle.
- Level 3. Expert product and service help desks involving engineers and specialists. They resolve the most complex technical issues.
What Level 1 Technical Support Mainly Does
Companies typically outsource level 1 technical support the most. Junior-level IT support personnel are involved in this type of back-office outsourcing.
Tier one technicians have the least amount of experience. They must follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) to resolve common user issues such as hardware and software verifications, installation and setup issues, and username and password problems.
They provide basic technical support such as:
- Explaining product information and user manual
- Answering customer inquiries via phone calls, email, or live chat
- Collecting and compiling consumer data
- Conducting data entry to process requests
- Executing basic troubleshooting using scripts and questionnaires
- Understanding the level of needed technical assistance through a standardized system
- Creating tickets for level 2 technical support
In short, the level 1 help desk team is the first line of defense when dealing with technical issues. Junior technicians typically solve day-to-day issues to simplify risk management and organize technical work. They also aid in preventing duplicate tasks from reaching the desks of IT specialists, streamlining support, and increasing productivity.
But what if level 1 technical support agents cannot solve a problem using a set of primary IT instructions? In that case, the queries are forwarded to higher-level technicians for more detailed problem-solving measures.
Continue reading to learn why businesses outsource level 1 help desks to a third-party service provider.
Read more: Outsourcing Tech Support: 15 Important Benefits
Why Should You Outsource Level 1 Technical Support?
Most small, medium-sized, and large businesses outsource their level 1 technical support to contractors. Level 1 support is typically outsourced to:
1. Save money
The primary reason for outsourcing level 1 technical support is to save money. Fortunately, 45% of surveyed companies outsource their IT functions to cut costs. Companies do not need to spend additional money on hiring, training, and retaining in-house employees. Junior-level technicians are already available at third-party service providers.
Vendors also eliminate the need for businesses to purchase sophisticated systems. They already have sophisticated technology and software to provide basic IT support services.
Furthermore, the savings made by companies that outsource level 1 support can be applied to their core businesses, allowing them to increase revenue and profits.
2. Increase Productivity and Efficiency
Level 1 technical support personnel deal with common user issues such as lost internet connectivity or difficulty configuring a device. For simple technical issues and factory defects, they use basic troubleshooting steps.
Outsourced level 1 technical agent receive specialized training to complete tasks based on standard operating procedures (SOPs) and scripts. They can efficiently sort out user complaints based on the situation’s simplicity or complexity because they follow standard methods and rules.
A third-party IT workforce boosts productivity by providing customers with simple and practical solutions. Repetitive complaints are filtered and resolved by agents based on their difficulty level. Upper-level IT specialists can thus devote more time to other critical issues while delegating time-consuming tasks to third-party technicians.
3. Streamline Data Management
Data encoding and handling are also part of technical support. Agents must collect, compile, store, and analyze customer information to find appropriate solutions to IT problems.
Companies also outsource data entry services as part of a technical support contract to help with this. They do this to make managing and categorizing information from user inquiries easier. Meanwhile, providers have knowledgeable junior-level employees and cutting-edge systems that speed up data collection and request processing.
Aside from streamlining information management, technical support agents help to reduce data entry errors and inaccuracies. Vendors train their technicians regularly to organize the data required to resolve technical issues. This method avoids conflicts and project delays.
4. Minimize System Downtime
Hardware or software failures, human error, and cyberattacks can cause downtime. Because these incidents occur without warning, IT firms rely on back-office outsourcing services as a critical preventative measure.
Companies outsource level 1 support to reduce in-house system downtime and gain faster customer response. Third-party level 1 technicians are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to respond to user inquiries. They can also continuously monitor internal systems.
This accessibility enables these technicians to identify and resolve technical issues quickly. It also reduces the cost of conducting extensive system investigations and troubleshooting steps.
5. Emphasize Core Capabilities
Because of tech support backlogs and ongoing customer concerns, IT firms sometimes struggle to prioritize their primary functions. These obstacles impede their efforts to improve products and services. Such issues also impede their plans for future expansion.
Hiring third-party technical support providers assist businesses in streamlining non-core IT functions. Third-party junior-level technicians can efficiently handle time-consuming and labor-intensive tasks by adhering to unified systems and standards. They also sort through and respond to repetitive help desk requests.
As a result, IT firms can concentrate on improving their core competencies. They can also improve their critical offerings in response to user feedback.
6. Collaborate with Skilled Employees
When businesses outsource level 1 support, they can work with skilled employees. Although technicians at this level may have limited knowledge and industry experience, they are highly skilled because their employers provide regular job-related training and certification.
IT companies benefit from skilled outsourced labor in customer service, data entry, and technical support. Outsourced agents can complete these tasks quickly and efficiently using advanced systems while adhering to appropriate policies.
These junior-level technicians are also experienced in providing round-the-clock support. Their clients do not have to worry about unresolved customer complaints or being ignored.
7. Access Modern Systems
When responding to customer needs, technical support outsourcing vendors employ advanced systems. They use cutting-edge technologies like robotic process automation (RPA), cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI). These platforms aid in the simplification of responses to duplicate IT issues and tasks.
Providers also use automated ticketing systems to make responding to technical issues easier. These systems are critical for organizing solutions to common problems. They assist businesses in avoiding delays in responding to customer concerns.
Companies can reap these benefits while spending less on infrastructure and technology. Instead, they can negotiate a reasonable contract with their outsourced provider.
8. Increase Security
If businesses let their guard down, technical support fraud can occur. In 2021, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recorded 23,903 cases of technical support fraud from 70 countries. According to IC3, the losses from these incidents totaled more than $347 million.
Although many businesses consider technical support a non-core function, protecting the sensitive user and enterprise data is critical. However, establishing an in-house team to prevent and mitigate threats can be highly costly for a business.
IT firms outsource level 1 support to ensure critical data security while streamlining customer service. Providers adhere to and implement strict security policies through their advanced systems and skilled agents. They provide robust security support at a low cost.
4 IT Pain Points That Outsourcing Can Help Resolve
You now understand why IT companies outsource their level 1 technical support. Examine the most common IT issues that outsourcing can help to resolve.
1. Troubleshooting
Assisting customers with basic troubleshooting necessitates excellent communication skills. Technical support agents must explain troubleshooting steps in a clear, user-friendly manner. However, due to a lack of training and the need to handle other internal assignments, in-house agents may be unable to perform this task consistently.
Contracting a third-party technical support provider ensures a team with troubleshooting experience and training. Contractor agents are also trained to communicate effectively with customers. Because contractor agents only provide technical support, in-house teams can focus on improving other critical IT functions.
2. Data Entry
Data encoding in technical support necessitates quick and accurate typing skills when taking customer information, particularly during calls and live chats. When faced with multiple tasks, in-house teams may find it challenging to focus on data entry. Overworked employees are also more likely to make mistakes, resulting in inaccurate data and ineffective customer service.
As a result, businesses opt to outsource data entry and technical support. Vendors train their agents to handle data accurately while providing efficient customer service. As a result, IT firms can focus on other critical functions.
3. Ticket Routing
Tickets are a convenient way to organize user complaints and match them with appropriate solutions. This time-consuming task contributes little to enterprise growth but requires additional funds to train in-house employees and maintain advanced ticketing systems. Mistakes and delays can also occur when teams perform ticket routing incorrectly.
IT departments frequently delegate this task to a third-party service provider to increase productivity and reduce costs. Contractors regularly train their employees and use advanced systems to ensure smooth ticket routing.
4. Complaint Follow-up
Customers make follow-up contact when technical support agents cannot resolve their issues immediately. Because they are working on other critical tasks, in-house IT teams may be unable to provide instant updates. Customers may become dissatisfied and frustrated as a result of this action.
Businesses hire third-party agents to ensure customer satisfaction by providing immediate complaint status reports. These employees are well-versed in monitoring pending tickets with appropriate tools and methods.
Choosing the Best Level 1 Technical Support Provider
A company’s reasons for hiring a technical support provider must be clear. It aids in developing a concrete outsourcing strategy that fits within their operating budget. If you want to take advantage of level 1 technical support outsourcing, consider the following characteristics of the right provider.
- Implement practical technical support and workforce management strategies.
- Complement the client’s goals and visions
- Maintain a strong market reputation and brand image
- Ensure excellent service and on-time project completion.
- Value high-quality outputs
- Charge reasonable fees
- Practice a customer-centric technical support approach
- Promote transparency for a long-term relationship
- Address cultural and language barriers
- Employ highly skilled IT technicians and support agents
- Use modern technologies and systems
- Hold prestigious industry awards and certifications
- Follow strict security and data privacy protection rules
- Execute proven cybersecurity mitigation efforts
- Comply with industry and government standards
Read more: How to Find the Best Technical Support Outsourcing Provider
The Bottom Line
As technology advances, so will technical issues. As customers continue to upgrade to more advanced systems, IT companies struggle to accelerate technical support while focusing on core functions.
Delegating technical issues to a third-party service provider assists these businesses in streamlining workloads and achieving continued growth. Outsourcing basic technical support also allows them to improve efficiency and strengthen security at a lower cost. Furthermore, they can effectively address IT pain points by selecting the best outsourcing partner.