Internal or External Tech Support? Deciding on hiring or outsourcing IT Solutions for Small Businesses (Part 2)
In the first part of this blog, we talked about the first criteria in deciding whether to hire an internal IT Support person or outsource to a service provider. Identifying the most common questions within the organization is crucial as a base information on whether or not the challenges are stemming from the lack of basic knowledge for the end users, or if the questions are really stemming from a more technical root cause that affects business operations. Below are two more criteria that must be considered by small business owners when deciding whether to hire or outsource technical support.
Identify top 3 operational priorities supported by technology
Small businesses can get overwhelmed with operational improvements. With every department requiring support in terms of budget allocation and staffing, it is important to first identify top three priorities which will drive the business’ growth and which will heavily require the use of technology. If it is having a central cloud-based storage of sales reports that can be easily accessible by all managers, or equipping front line staff with mobile phones and laptops, small businesses have to know where to put their budget that will yield the most benefit for their books.
Consider budget and investment capacities
Once the operational priorities have been identified, the next step is to set a baseline budget for getting IT Support. Once this budget it set, check whether the current financial standing can accommodate a 6-month to 1-year expense for technical support. This gives a small business a good “trial phase” to understand how technical support can impact the business. The ideal impact is quicker resolution of technical difficulties or more efficient process flows, depending on the operational priorities earlier identified.
There are more points to consider and deciding on getting technical support will ultimately depend on the maturity of the organization in terms of embracing technology as part of growth. Small businesses can of course engage consultants to initially assess the situation and discuss their challenges. Talk to CMSIT today to learn more about the benefits of outsourcing IT support for small businesses.
