Running a business is like juggling: multiple balls in constant motion that you need to keep track of at once – clients, employees, strategies, customers, profits, and more. Often, areas like your customer support help desk can easily get overlooked amidst the tumult. Proof of this is a study conducted by Zendesk, which found that 64% of consumers under 40 perceive customer service as an afterthought by businesses. If you do have difficulty giving your help desk the attention and resources it needs to serve your business optimally, you should consider help desk outsourcing.
Does your business need help desk outsourcing?
How can you tell if your business needs help desk outsourcing? There are several key signs that outsourcing your help desk services can revolutionize how your business functions. Especially if you’re a small- and medium-sized business owner and neither you nor your staff are well-versed in technical jargon. Here are the main signs:
Slow resolution time
How long it takes to resolve an issue is a major indicator that your help desk needs improvement. The increase could be because of outdated technology, not enough automation, or other inefficient processes. Outsourcing customer service companies carry the burden of staying up-to-date with technological advances. They are also equipped to scale, making it easier to add or reduce team members when volume spikes or takes a downturn.
Limited availability
Nowadays, 24/7 monitoring and response is less an imperative and more a necessity. Yours may be like most businesses and operate between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm, give or take. However, neither you nor your customers can predict when an issue will arise, forcing your business to always be available to help or you risk unhappy customers. If you want to be available for customer needs and complaints 24/7, you’ll need to hire and train more staff or outsource your help desk.
Limited expertise
When an issue revolves around the more technical aspects of your business’s system, then it requires a specific set of skills. This means either training or hiring a specialist, both of which cost time and money. Worse, both divert resources and focus away from running your business as well, especially if your business is not centered on technology. By outsourcing your help desk your business can still answer your customers’ issues without taking excess focus from the rest of the business.
Rising costs
Most businesses see help desks as cost sinks rather than revenue generators. If the cost of running your help desk is spinning out of control, it’s time to consider outsourcing. Outsourcing saves money on hiring, training, benefits, office space, and equipment. By partnering with an outsourcing provider, you gain cost stability and predictability.
Customer dissatisfaction
If your customers can’t obtain the help desk support they need, they become dissatisfied. Calabrio found that 97% of consumers decide their loyalty to a brand based on their customer service experience with it. Recurring complaints about long resolution times, malfunctioning automated systems, staff lacking knowledge, limited service hours can be another sign to consider outsourcing your help desk. Outsourcing teams often have the bandwidth and expertise to enhance customer satisfaction.
Starting a new business
If you’re just starting a new business then it’s an ideal time to outsource your help desk, especially if you lack experience building an in-house customer support team. You get immediate access to a full technical support team with the knowledge and skills to operate effectively.
Business growth
Your business has just enjoyed some rapid growth. Unfortunately this means your current help desk setup is struggling or unable to meet the heightened demands from new customers. Outsourcing takes some of the weight off your in-house support team. Outsourcing your help desk can also free up your focus and resources to smooth out any issues resulting from recent or predicted growth.
High staff turnover
Dealing with customer issues can be highly stressful, doubly so if it is happening after normal hours or late into the night. This stress often results in burnout, which generates high employee turnover. In addition to the downturn in workplace morale, hiring and training replacement staff is costly and time-consuming. Outsourcing your help desk frees your employees of this extra stress and you the costs of replacing them.
Want to learn more about how help desk outsourcing can transform the way your business operates?Contact Refresh Technologies today.