The Benefits of a Localised Managed Helpdesk Service in Australia

Learn how a local managed helpdesk is better for business compared with offshore options. There are many factors at play when it comes to managing a helpdesk – and cost is only one.

As companies grow, so do their helpdesk requirements. Traditionally companies have opted for a volume approach to meet the needs of screening calls and resolving problems, which is why when you call a bank, government department or insurance company, you’re often speaking with an agent or representative – not a problem solver.

What’s more, in Australia most IT providers have some level of offshoring with their helpdesk operations: leading to many instances where the capability of offshore agent staff is much less than that of a local support engineer.

When it comes to offshoring a helpdesk, distance starts to show – both physical and commercially. With an offshore helpdesk there tends to be a dispassionate view of the end-user and little incentive to stop problems from recurring. These issues can lead to a Kafkaesque experience, rather than actual help!

The offshore illusion

While many local companies have their helpdesk and technical support located offshore for better “bang for their buck”, the cost-saving metrics are inconclusive.

Low-paid offshore call centre staff don’t have the urgency or motivation of a local, well-paid employee trained to do certain tasks. There’s also the measurable and immeasurable damage that poor helpdesk experiences can inflict on the brand as a whole.

Larger Australian companies might look to offshore support to make their profitability look better at the expense of paying local workers. But as we saw recently, this can backfire in a big way. At the start of the pandemic many call centre staff were sent home, and helpdesks could not operate offshore as the support structure disappeared overnight.

In stark contrast, an onshore helpdesk operates in the same environment as your organisation. The support team has close contact with the client organisation and a level of commitment to the people.

Providers like Tecala have a natural investment in the client’s business. The ability to keep knowledge inside or close to the organisation is key to getting a quick and happy resolution to end-users who just want to get work done.

Helpdesks are more than phone lines

There are many factors at play when it comes to managing a helpdesk, which is why a high level of support is needed to get the most out of it. And it’s not just about cost; a good helpdesk requires agents with a breadth and depth of experience in the subject matter.

In-house IT operations typically don’t have experience managing a helpdesk operation in order to service their team’s technology requirements effectively. Helpdesks and ICT service desks involve a complex integration of software management, ticketing, reporting, security, telephony and headsets.

In-house operations may also not have high exposure to wider industry trends and expertise, as an external provider might.

However it’s structured, your local helpdesk provider should offer more capability than an offshore alternative when it comes to providing the many components of a helpdesk to your business.

Helpdesk meets MSP

In recent years the MSP engagement model has proven successful for a range of services – from mobile to cloud – and a helpdesk operation delivered as a service can benefit a customer in similar ways.

Here are some of the key benefits of the MSP model when it comes to helpdesks:

• Location. You know where your managed helpdesk service is located and the immediacy of responses.
• Accessible. IT service desk support is still an underutilised process, and most organisations currently grapple with a mix of email and documents to get things done. MSPs make this support accessible.
• Product knowledge and industry trends. MSPs have technical people on staff who have exposure to a range of developments across industries. You can get engineering-level support with an MSP – not just an agent logging tickets.
• Operational expertise. An MSP will take care of the entire helpdesk infrastructure, including security.
• Optimal capacity. MSPs always have people capacity planned and managed for IT support services, which can often be a headache for an in-house helpdesk.
• Business hours or 24/7. Another challenge with both in-house and offshore helpdesks is getting the right people at the right time. An MSP can offer business hours or around-the-clock support.
• Optimised systems. It is also in the MSP’s best interest to minimise ongoing and systemic issues with their service desk managed services, to minimise the volume of calls coming in.

The business benefits of a local, well managed helpdesk are far reaching – from operational factors all the way to staff confidence. Engaging with a local MSP can result in a better user experience, speedier resolutions and far greater consistency in the support that’s provided.

Put simply, it is IT service desk outsourcing done right.