The MSP industry has changed radically, much faster than any other sector. As a result, IT providers also need to change and adapt in order to continue to grow revenue and maximise profit.
One notable trend worth considering is the shift to outsourcing helpdesk and NOC services. Roles such as dispatch, Level 1 and Level 2 support that were once thought to be in house roles are now being professionally outsourced giving MSPs a strategic and financial advantage over the competition.
Here as some reasons why this trend is important and why smart MSPs are shifting to a hybrid or total outsourced helpdesk service:
1. Scale
Unlike internal staff, outsourced providers don’t take sick days, vacations or national holidays.Instead of managing an employee you receive a continuous service including anything from having your helpdesk calls answered professionally to supporting your end users on demand.
This streamlining of your helpdesk leads to infinite scale while your company focus shifts from HR and ticket metrics to product development, marketing and sales. In addition, outsourcing your helpdesk can allow your company to support any end user anywhere in the world without staffing concerns, effectively widening your market pool and leading to further growth.
2. Cost
While the cost of staffing continues to rise in the IT sector, customers are refusing to pay more for managed services resulting in lower margins for your MSP. Meanwhile, offshore outsourced providers have the economies of scale to offer helpdesk personnel at a fraction of local salaries allowing them to maintain and grow profitability.
This is the new normal and savvy MSP owners can see the writing on the wall. Outsourcing the less strategic support roles in your MSP keeps unnecessary costs under control and gives you an immediate competitive advantage.
3. Customer Attitudes
Outsourcing may have gotten itself a bad name in the 90s but your customer attitudes toward outsourcing has shifted considerably. In fact, customers of MSPs and IT Service Providers tend to be less interested in where your technicians are and far more interested today in how quickly and effectively their IT problems are solved.
A quality outsourced helpdesk provider focuses on first time fix and customer satisfaction calls ensuring both the quality of work and the quantity of tickets closed meets and exceeds clients’ expectations.
4. New revenue streams
MSPs are experiencing a wave of change and some are carving out entirely new business models. Whether your next play is cyber-security or digital transformation, it’s important you have the time and flexibility to focus on your strategy.
Running a helpdesk can be an enormous distraction and MSP owners often find themselves dragged away from strategic efforts to making sure tickets are getting managed properly and staff are performing optimally. For a strategic MSP focusing on a new business model this can severely limit your ability to execute on your new vision.
An outsourced helpdesk handles all front line support, answering calls, following up tickets and solving IT problems while you focus on growing new revenue streams.
5. Sales Growth
Benchmark 365 Partners have reported up to 97% revenue growth in 12 months since outsourcing to our Private Label I.T services. How is that possible?
When an MSP owner shifts their attention away from hiring and managing staff and toward marketing and sales the results can be phenomenal.
At Benchmark 365 we share sales techniques and pricing strategies and work with you to win more business. It’s a win/win approach ensuring the service we provide doesn’t just reduce costs but ensures you make the most of our expertise helping you to lock in more recurring revenue.