In today’s high-tech business landscape, IT throws down roots in every department. Data security, social media management, logistics, website management… the list of technologically-driven processes grows longer with every passing day. Computing powers march on at a breakneck pace. The latest mutating virus isn’t going to wait until your IT team upgrades its knowledge before it stages an attack, and Google’s SEO updates won’t give your marketing department a warning before pushing your website to page 10 in its search results. The only effective IT team is an evolving one. So the question is no longer, “Can you afford the salaries of inhouse support?” but rather, “Can you afford to educate an inhouse team continuously?” For most businesses, the answer is, “no,” but IT produces the kind of return on investment you can’t afford to lose. That’s why more than half of all businesses rely on outsourced IT support for their customer needs alone. Outsourcing is quickly becoming the norm, and fortunately, one that has led to service offerings nuanced enough to satisfy every need.
The Trouble with In-House Services
An in-house IT helpdesk can implement bespoke systems and develop a profound understanding of your organization but comes at the expense of ongoing training and salaries. You can expect to pay an average of $53, 000 a year per team member. Add $1252 for onboarding each employee, then factor hidden costs into the equation. Lost productivity, premature turnover, and manager attention all cost money. Upskilling is a constant need, but poor outsourcing can be just as expensive. No business should have to sacrifice comprehensive business knowledge for reduced overheads, so Northern Star has built a model that gives you the best of both worlds. A dedicated technical account manager oversees every account so that your outsourced IT support is carried out by someone who has gained an intimate understanding of your company.
Global Needs in a Local IT Company are met with Outsourcing IT Support
Few businesses need to limit themselves to a single territory anymore. Globalization is a profit magnet that can turn a small business into a glittering international brand almost overnight, but how do you develop inhouse teams that cross borders? The answer is rarely cheap and never simple. Weekly Skype sessions and a Slack profile simply won’t do. They can’t accommodate other time zones or relay your brand and its culture. Language barriers and foreign labor laws demand a massive time-investment, too. Your team must feel like a part of your family if you’re to keep morale high, but how do you achieve that? Outsourced IT support is the solution to all of those puzzles. With us, you’re assured of a strong team that can take care of your international affairs according to European and American standards. Your customers and staff will receive outstanding support in their own language.
Break-Fix Support for International Projects
Not all IT support needs are ongoing. Your site visitors might bring in a steady stream of service needs, but other elements of your business might develop temporary support needs that a permanent staff complement cannot fulfill. The Account Management Methodology covers embedded support services for short term international projects. Our 24/7 help desk offers both on-site and remote support for multinational companies.
We make sure our account managers are always up to date on the best procedures and processes for their territories. Through weekly conference calls, they stay up to date on the best practices and regulations of the companies in their stable.
The Importance of On-Site Support
One of the greatest disadvantages of outsourcing is the inability to offer in-house support through remote teams. Cross-office travel supports 3.7 billion jobs in the U.S. alone, accounting for billions of dollars in expenses. Even the simplest of IT accounts needs to offer brick-and-mortar services occasionally, but an on-site, offshore team requires office space and utilities that will quickly render your foreign trade unaffordable. Help desk support simply isn’t enough, particularly when you’re relying on a specialized skill set for some of your projects. Our outsourced IT support structure lets you build foreign territories with face-to-face contact where needed.
Harvard Business Review has found that remote staff tend to feel alienated–a morale problem worsened by communication problems caused by text-based messaging. Your IT department must move to the beat of the same drum, and remote teams on the opposite side of the planet can’t even hear that rhythm, let alone function accordingly. An outsourced account structure comes with quality assurances and face-to-face management, ensuring that your goals penetrate your entire company. That lets you offer the same sparkling service to your European customers as you bring to your U.S. ones. A combination of continued maintenance and break-fix hiring lets you downscale as easily as you upscale. That’s a level of agility even the smartest AGILE process can’t mimic.
