Logicalis US IDs Five Reasons Outsourced Service Desk Demand Is On The Rise

Solution Provider Cautions CIOs to Choose a Partner Wisely

Work has evolved from “a place you go” to “a thing you do,” and the hours that people spend working have changed dramatically. Yesterday’s 9-to-5 workday is a thing of the past, making IT pros’ jobs particularly challenging as expectations rise for 24x7x365 support. The equally pressing need for IT to be seen as a business partner to the organization rather than a cost center, however, has caused some CIOs to question their ability to continue staffing and managing their own in-house service desks; alternatively, many are instead opting to outsource these solutions to skilled partners. To help CIOs fully examine their options when it comes to providing a service desk, Logicalis US, an international IT solutions and managed services provider, has identified five key reasons that the outsourced service desk model is trending now.

“I was at an industry conference recently, and one of the key topics of conversation was whether or not service desks are going away,” says Bob Chapp, Senior Director, Service Desk, Logicalis US. “Of course, that’s not happening, and in fact, at Logicalis, we have seen the exact opposite taking place. Employers have a responsibility to provide support for their IT users; when employees’ systems are down, they can’t be productive and that costs the organization money. And in today’s always-on workplace, the need for IT support can be a 24-hour-a-day requirement – something which can get costly if you’re trying to provide all of that in-house. The smarter option is to partner with an experienced solution provider and outsource your service desk so you pay only for the expertise you need as you need it, even if that’s at 2 a.m. on a Saturday night.”

Five Reasons Service Desk Demand Is On the Rise

For CIOs wondering how to balance an increasing need for support with an expectation that they continually watch and even trim already tight budgets, Logicalis US suggests IT pros examine the value of shared resources, including an outsourced service desk option. There are five key reasons, the company says, that demand is increasing for trustworthy third-party service desk options.

1. Availability Expectations: In today’s world, people are not working Monday through Friday 9-to-5 anymore. In fact, those kinds of set working hours are more unusual than usual now. And when people are working from home, traveling, or telecommuting from a local coffee shop, things can go wrong at the most inconvenient times. Therefore, when there’s a need for support, regardless of the day or time, being able to access that support is critical to modern workers’ success.
2. Fast Resolution of Problems: When considering an outsourced service desk, be sure to choose one that is not just a call center, but one that has a history of actually providing technical support. Look for a technical service desk with trained staff who can resolve callers’ problems at the first level rather than a call center approach where the person answering the call can only take a message and promise followup at a later date. It’s important to not only have people available, but to have the right people available so IT users’ problems can be solved fast, getting them back to work quickly.
3. IT Cost Reduction: One of the biggest challenges IT pros face is not whether or not they need a service desk, but how to staff it. While users may have a need for support that arises at 2 a.m. on a Saturday night, the volume of calls that come in may not support the hiring and management of an around-the-clock staff. Partnering with a skilled service desk provider, however, gives organizations the coverage they need, yet only requires them to pay for the level of service they actually use.
4. Tackling Turnover: In the service desk world, turnover is often as high as 40 percent; imagine having to train and re-train technical employees that often – a costly process. When IT users call their organization’s service desk, they become accustomed to the ways in which their calls are handled; they like that consistency, they like having agents who are familiar with their system, and they like having skilled technical resources at the ready who have a long history of knowledge to draw upon. When considering an outsourced service desk solution, look for a partner like Logicalis with turnover rates that are less than half the industry average.
5. Software Support: Simply stated, there are a lot of apps out there. The more companies rely on specialized software to support their business, the more they need someone to call when things go awry.

Want to Learn More?

• Explore three reasons to consider an outsourced service desk solution and four questions to ask before choosing a service desk partner: http://ow.ly/HXBw301i35U.
• When considering a service desk partner, why should you ask about its employee retention? Find out here: http://ow.ly/vDhP301hZz6.
• Read a Logicalis service desk case study, then download a datasheet detailing Logicalis’ service desk capabilities: http://ow.ly/eR1Y301i4oQ.

About Logicalis

Logicalis is an international IT solutions and managed services provider with a breadth of knowledge and expertise in communications and collaboration; data center and cloud services; and managed services.

Logicalis employs over 4,000 people worldwide, including highly trained service specialists who design, deploy and manage complex IT infrastructures to meet the needs of over 6,500 corporate and public sector customers. To achieve this, Logicalis maintains strong partnerships with technology leaders such as Cisco, HP, IBM, EMC, NetApp, Microsoft, VMware and ServiceNow on an international basis. It has specialized solutions for enterprise and medium-sized companies in vertical markets covering financial services, TMT (telecommunications, media and technology), education, healthcare, retail, government, manufacturing and professional services, helping customers benefit from cutting-edge technologies in a cost-effective way.

The Logicalis Group has annualized revenues of over $1.5B from operations in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific and is one of the leading IT and communications solution integrators specializing in the areas of advanced technologies and services.

The Logicalis Group is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg and London AIM Stock Exchanges, with revenues of over $6B.

For more information, visit www.us.logicalis.com.