5 Reasons You Don’t Need an In-House IT Support Person
IT problems can be a hassle. Not being able to access internal systems, having a computer that runs slowly, or even having issues with downtime are incredibly frustrating. If you have in-house IT support, or if you are thinking of hiring someone, you might want to think again. Here are five reasons why outsourcing your tech support to a local IT company is a better option.
#1 – Long Response Times
Because in-house IT support teams are generally quite small, it often takes a long time before anyone even responds to a call for help. For example, a computer in your office fails to turn on and that employee reaches out for support, if it takes more than a few minutes to get a response, then you have a bigger problem than just the computer. Remote IT support teams have an incredible response time and will likely respond to your issue within a few minutes.
#2 – Long Estimated Resolution Times
Once your IT support person responds to your problem, there’s still the issue of fixing it. That individual will need to perform some basic troubleshooting tasks in order to pinpoint the problem. Then, move on to resolving whatever issue they find. The average estimated resolution time for in-house IT repairs is about two hours. That’s two hours that your employee – or even your entire place of business – is down for the count. Remote IT support teams can often resolve issues much more quickly to get you back up and running. You may be asking, what is the industry benchmark for actual time worked, on an issue? Currently, 89% of the support requests are resolved under one hour. This is a measure of both operational efficiency and technical skills in which outsourced it support providers can bring to the table for your business.
#3 – Your IT Support Team Needs Help from Other Professionals
Although IT support professionals go to school in order to learn the trade, they may still need to rely on others to help them solve difficult tasks. Your support team should rarely need to call an outside vendor or internet service provider to ask questions. They should already have the answers themselves. If you determine that your in-house support person is relying heavily on outside vendors to ask questions and get the job done, it’s time to consider a different direction for your IT support.
In all honesty, most small to medium businesses task the most technically inclined employee already on staff as their frontline IT person. Even though these newly minted frontline IT individuals already have a full-time role as something completely different, lika a photographer. So, as a business owner, you have to ask yourself two questions. Is this the best use of my employees time? Could we grow faster if they focused on their main responsibility rather than play, “IT Technician”?
#4 – They Are Not There When You Need Them Most
You’ve probably heard it directly from the mouth of your support person – he or she is overworked, underpaid, but never seems to be around. You should know that setting up a new employee with access to your system or even closing out a support ticket shouldn’t take long. In fact, your support team should always be available to help you. When your IT person always seems to be missing in action, it causes frustration and causes your employees to disengage from their work. Remote IT support is always there for you and your employees. When you transition your technical support to a local IT company you are no longer relying on a single person in-house for support. You have an entire team waiting for your phone call or email.
#5 – You Are Paying Too Much
In all honesty, in-house IT teams – whether they consist of one person or an entire department – cost you a ton of money. Chances are good that you’re not only providing a salary, but you’re also offering benefits like insurance, 401(k), and more. When you choose to hire a remote IT team, you don’t have to worry about any of these things. In fact, you usually pay a fraction of the cost of an in-house person’s salary and benefits for the services you need, and that’s that.
An in-house support person might seem like the best choice at first since this individual will be on-site to handle issues. However, most businesses, if not all of them, are better off finding a local IT support company. Outsourcing to the right local IT company or Managed Services Provider (MSP) will provide quick response times, resolve issues in a timely manner, and are there for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Conclusion
Business owners are becoming very optimistic about the economy. It’s only going to get more competitive out there in the marketplace. You have to bring your A game. As a business owner, if you want to grow, then you got to know, you need the right people in the rights seats. This also means it’s your responsibility to remove the distractions and hurdles in front of your employees. One of the biggest distractions is tasking people to take on responsibilities that their position should not be accountable for.
Going back to my example of the photographer. You need that person taking photos, editing and getting products online to be sold. This brings in revenue. If they are not staying focused on their core responsibilities as a photographer, then that slows down growth. This is one of the many reasons businesses have been engaging with Outsourced IT Support Providers to grow their business.
As a prospective client, we’d like to offer you a free, no-obligation, no-sales pressure IT Assessment where we send one of our senior technicians to your office to conduct an audit of your network’s security and overall health. Call it a $497 “Get-“To-Know-Us” FREE Gift…
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in July 2016 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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