The question of whether or not to outsource IT help desk for libraries can be a difficult one. Taking the decision of handing over a big part of your IT operations to a third party might seem scary. Surprisingly, libraries were the first organizations to outsource work.
Libraries can outsource their IT help desk to improve efficiency and provide better customer care to library users. Nothing is more frustrating to library workers and users than getting poor technical support when they need it.
Unfortunately, many libraries may not have fully functional IT help desk solutions. This stops them from offering reliable customer care services to library users. Outsourcing may help to deliver high-quality services without compromising on the quality of calls or customer satisfaction.
The following are some of the reasons why libraries may outsource their IT help desk.
- To allow library professionals to concentrate on their primary duties
- To achieve more satisfactory results. Outsourcing may help a library to receive value-added services from professional
- To acquire skilled human resources at affordable costs
- To increase the productivity of other employees
Different libraries may have various reasons for outsourcing. The decision should only be taken after speaking to the current members of staff. The following are some of the questions that libraries must ask when outsourcing their IT help desk.
1. What impact does outsourcing the IT help desk have on the morale of the staff?
If a library intends to outsource IT professionals, they need to be aware of the effect they could be having on the members of staff. It is the responsibility of library managers to ensure that other members of staff understand why there is a need to outsource. They should understand how to working with the new ream can help to meet the goals of the library. Managers should find out the impact of outsourcing on other members of staff before making the decision.
2. What will we achieve by outsourcing?
What are your IT challenges? Outsourcing the IT help desk can help to meet certain expectations. Once you understand your needs, it is possible to find an outsourcing company that meets your expectations. Handling IT operations can be difficult. Poor management of operations may cripple the functioning of your organization. Find out how outsourcing can help to simplify the solutions.
3. Is the outsourcing company capable of meeting our expectations?
Outsourcing is a big commitment to your library. Finding an outsourcing company that is unable to suit your expectations is a waste of your time and money. They should help you meet the expected levels of functionality within your budget limits. Ask for a preview of what the outsourcing company will offer and how it will improve the IT help desk functions of your library.
4. Can our library benefit from improved response time?
Getting support for your IT help desk may help to improve your response time. It may facilitate the processes of troubleshooting or fixing problems without having to be at the location. It improves the availability of support to library users who may need services beyond the library’s working hours. Outsourcing a library’s IT help desk may be helpful to library users who need immediate help.
Information technology can improve the efficiency and productivity of your library in a short time. When you are unable to handle your IT operations well, you may experience difficulties in your operations. Hiring an IT professional may not be in your budget and hiring a specialist every time you experience problems may take too much time. Both small and big libraries can benefit from outsourced IT help. Paying a company to take care of your IT front desk needs gives you the chance to enjoy professional IT services. It helps to save time and money and ensures that other members of staff get o with their operations smoothly. Outsourcing allows you to offer front desk services even after working hours.
The first thing that library professionals ask before outsourcing their IT help desk is ‘What is the need for outsourcing? Do we really need it?’ If you need help in handling your front desk IT services, you probably need the help. The choice for outsourcing depends on the goals and needs of a library and its budget limits. Getting a reliable outsourcing company makes it possible for library professionals to focus on their main duties instead of getting caught up with IT challenges. The company should help you create and implement secure, affordable, and reliable virtual, private cloud, public cloud, and on-premise network systems. The outsourcing company should be able to work with the library’s IT team if any. They should focus on offering support and not replacing your team. Think of some of the ways that outsourcing can help to simplify front desk processes.
