It seems that every time businesses decide to cut down on
expenses, they always seem to focus on the Help Desk/IT
department. IT Managers are very often asked to work with
outdated software, understaffing and an ever- increasing backlog
of calls and angry customers.
What the people upstairs seem to forget is that without proper
equipment, software and competent support staff, the back bone
of the company could very well crumble.
It's a vicious downward spiral; The IT/support budget is cut, we
have to service our customers with outdated software, the
support staff is unmotivated and leaves, there's not enough
money to hire competent people so novices will do, we therefore
offer a shocking service, the word climbs up the ladder, our
budget is cut some more because the service is poor anyway, and
here we go again!
The reality is that while a company is spending thousands of
dollars on computers and printers and everything else they need,
they're cutting back on the one department that takes care of
assuring every system works and that every employee/customer
gets his/her problem fixed quickly.
It costs money when a program stops working and an employee
stares at that blank screen for half an hour. It'll cost even
more if no one knows how to fix it. It's very frustrating for
people to wait hours on end to get someone to look at their
problem. What a waste of time, money and productivity!
No matter how good the warranty is, at some point, the equipment
needs replacing or fixing and at one point - which lets face it
happens more often then not - you need competent people to come
and help. That alone should justify the cost of your help desk.
What it really costs
Take a moment to analyse what your company is already spending
for the following items - the ones that you won't see on any
statement:
o Time spent figuring out where to go for help. o Time lost
waiting on-hold for a customer support officer. o Time spent
reading the product manual. o Time wasted through poor practices
& procedures. o Lost productivity of those called away to
assist. o Duplication of support efforts, re-learning the same
lessons over and over.
If you think that all these items only occur once in a while and
that your staff are resourceful enough to find a solution on
their own, think again. The same problem could reoccur time and
time again and be fixed time and time again by different people
not knowing that it's happened before. If your staff member
can't fix his/her problem on his/her own, they call someone else
to help him or her. That someone else stops what they're doing
and takes an hour trying to fix the problem but can't. They call
another one, and another one. See where I'm going?
Every office has a knowledgeable person that learnt a particular
software application or is naturally inclined to technology.
That person is often called to help out in the situation
mentioned above. And every time this person stops what they're
doing to go and help, they stop being productive at their job.
Even worse, if this employee happens to be a high-paid
specialist, then the company is throwing away dollars out the
window when they could employ a cheaper and trained resource to
deliver support.
Worse still, in some instances, when your help desk department
is so short staffed that your customers are by-passing the
official support people and asking the specialist for help, the
company is still losing money!
How to Calculate The Costs of Your Help Desk
Start with the obvious: The salaries, cost of training your
support staff, computer hardware and software, phones, copiers,
office space etc. The accountants should be able to provide all
of this, and tell you how your company for such assets is
booking depreciation. Include in the software category the cost
for the help-desk automation tools (help desk system). If you
don't have a help desk software that keeps track of the length
of your calls, the level of urgency of the calls, what type of
problems are logged and how long it takes to resolve the
problems, then you need to seriously consider such a purchase.
This is the most efficient way to track what your department is
doing, how it spends its budget and what resources need to be
considered when the next budget comes around. This software must
have the ability to create analysis reports on, the level of
urgency of the calls, what type of problems are logged and how
long it takes to resolve the problems. If you present this
important information to the accountants you'll show them what
your department does and why it needs a bigger chunk of the
budget!
Final Note
Basically, when it comes time to determine if you need a support
department, think of how you couldn't afford not to. Computers
will crash, people will need support on different software
programs, and your employees/customers will need someone to help
them with their problems. Having properly trained support staff
makes a big difference when we think of a company's
productivity. Without them, so much time and money would be
wasted.
About the author:
Paul Smith is the manager of Auratech Software, a company that
specialises in Help Desk Software to help businesses with their
customer support. If you would like to read more articles on
improving your support or would like to check out Auratech's
range of Help Desk Software, please visit:
http://www.helpdesk-support.com/better-support.htm
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