October 4, 2024
How to Ensure Quality When Outsourcing Help Desk for MSP Clients
Patricia Arcilla
Patricia is a content writer for STAFFVIRTUAL. She’s been interested in writing since she realized...
Running a help desk is a major undertaking for any managed service provider (MSP). Your clients depend on you to solve their IT issues quickly and efficiently, but keeping everything in-house can be formidable. You’ve got central business operations to focus on, and constantly managing support requests can stretch your resources thin.
Consider outsourcing your MSP’s support services. This approach is an increasingly popular solution that can save you time and money. But we know that with outsourcing or offshoring, quality can sometimes feel like a gamble. How do you guarantee that your clients will still get top-tier support when you hand the reins over to an outsourced team?
According to a recent Deloitte survey, 78% of businesses feel positive about their outsourcing partnerships. However, ensuring high-quality service remains a top concern.
In this article, we’ll walk through how MSP Help Desk Outsource service can still provide excellent care for your business and its clients. If you want your users to feel like they’re getting A+ support, this guide is for you.
Why Quality Matters for MSP Help Desk Services
When it comes to IT support, quality isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have.’ Every time a client reaches out with an issue, how quickly and effectively you handle it shapes how they view your business. A slow response or a mishandled issue? That can break trust fast.
Your clients need to feel confident that when they call, they’ll get help right away, and their problem will be solved in a timely manner. Poor service doesn’t just risk losing a ticket — it risks losing the entire client. In fact, Zendesk reported that around half of customers would turn to a competitor after just a single negative support interaction.
As an MSP, your clients see your help desk as a reflection of your entire operation. If they’re waiting too long for a response or getting inadequate solutions, it casts doubt on your whole business.
Setting Clear Quality Standards from the Start
Outsourcing doesn’t mean you give up control. It actually lets you set the rules. The first step in ensuring quality support services is establishing clear, measurable standards from the start.
Think of it this way: if you don’t tell your outsourcing partner exactly what ‘good service’ looks like, how will they know? Be specific about what you expect:
- Response Times. How fast should they acknowledge and address an issue?
- Resolution Times. How quickly should the problem be resolved?
- Communication. How should they communicate updates to you and the client?
These standards should be written down, discussed, and agreed upon. This isn’t just to cover your back. It’s to make sure your outsourcing partner understands the level of service you want for your clients. Setting clear expectations from day one prevents misunderstandings and helps keep everyone on the same page.
Monitoring Performance and Response Times
Now that you’ve set the standards, how do you know if they’re being met? You’ve got to track performance regularly. Don’t just assume everything’s running smoothly, check the data.
Keep an eye on key metrics like:
- First Response Time. How quickly does the help desk reply when a ticket is submitted?
- Resolution Time. How long does it take to handle and fix an issue?
- Client Satisfaction. Are your clients happy with the service they’re receiving?
These numbers tell you whether your support desk is performing well or falling short. If response times start to slip or client satisfaction takes a dive, it’s time to step in and address the issue with your provider. Regular check-ins and performance reviews help you stay on top of things and nip any problems in the bud.
Training Outsourced Teams to Meet Client Expectations
Even if you outsource to a team of experienced professionals, they still need to know how your business works. Your clients may have specific systems, tools, and expectations that the help desk needs to be familiar with. Without proper training, even the best support team won’t meet your standards.
Make sure your help desk partner knows:
- The software and hardware your clients use
- Common issues your clients face
- Your MSP’s specific service expectations
For instance, if your clients rely heavily on a particular type of software, your offshore team needs to know how to troubleshoot it quickly. Otherwise, they might spend valuable time figuring it out while your client sits waiting.
Training shouldn’t be a one-off thing, either. Keep the team up-to-date with ongoing education, especially as technology changes and your clients’ needs evolve. Some outsourcing companies offer to train formed teams for you. With this, it’s still important to inform them of your expectations and objectives.
Using SLAs to Guarantee Consistent Service Levels
Service level agreements (SLAs) are your contract for quality. They outline exactly what your dedicated outsourcing company is responsible for. This includes things like expected KPIs and what happens if things go wrong.
For example, you might specify that high-priority issues must be acknowledged within 15 minutes and resolved within two hours, while lower-priority issues can have a 24-hour resolution window. This way, your clients know what to expect, and you know your provider is committed to meeting those expectations.
SLAs also give you leverage. If your provider isn’t meeting the agreed-upon standards, you have the framework to hold them accountable and request improvements.
Ensuring Seamless Integration with Existing Systems
One often overlooked factor when handing off help desk services to external firms is how well the outsourced team can integrate with your existing systems and tools. Seamless integration is key to guaranteeing there are no disruptions in the flow of support tickets or client interactions.
Before choosing an offshore partner, verify if they are familiar with or capable of working with the platforms your MSP uses. That could be your ticketing system, CRM, or specific software your clients rely on.
If your team uses Zendesk or Zoho, your BPO partner should be able to plug into these systems without a steep learning curve. This way, your clients won’t even notice a difference in how their issues are handled, and your internal processes can continue without interruption.
Having aligned tools and processes between your internal team and the third-party agency also allows for better collaboration and transparency. It can give you full visibility into how tickets are managed and resolved. This fosters smooth communication and maintains the high-quality support your clients expect.
Extra Tips to Ensure Quality Help Desk Services When Outsourcing
Maintaining quality is just as about staying proactive as it is ticking boxes. Here are ten extra strategies to help keep your help desk on point:
- Gather Feedback Regularly. Ask your clients for feedback after every support interaction. This helps you identify areas for improvement and keeps the service in check.
- Test Your Help Desk. Do occasional spot-checks to see how the outsourced team handles real-time issues. It’s a great way to evaluate their performance firsthand.
- Emphasize Soft Skills. Technical skills are crucial, but communication matters just as much. Make sure your support team knows how to talk to clients in a way that’s helpful, clear, and calming — especially when things are stressful. Forbes even emphasized how soft skills are more sought after as everything gets more personalized and customer-centric.
- Build a Relationship with Your Provider. Regular check-ins with your BPO partner can help address any concerns before they become bigger problems.
- Provide Access to Client History. Equip the external team with detailed information about your clients’ previous interactions to improve support quality.
- Establish Clear Escalation Procedures. Make sure the help desk knows when and how to escalate complex issues to the right experts.
- Implement a Knowledge Base. Build a comprehensive internal knowledge base that your offshore team can reference to quickly resolve common issues.
- Use Mystery Shopper Techniques. Test your help desk with anonymous tickets to see how well they handle real-world scenarios.
- Offer Incentives for Performance. Motivate the third-party team by tying bonuses or recognition to specific performance metrics, such as client satisfaction or response times.
- Align Support Practices with Your Brand. Ensure the dedicated team understands your company culture and values, so they represent your brand consistently when interacting with clients. This helps create a seamless experience that feels personal and trustworthy.
Form a Quality Help Desk Team with STAFFVIRTUAL
Outsourcing your help desk doesn’t mean losing control over quality. By setting clear standards, monitoring performance, training your team, using SLAs, and enabling seamless integration, you can ensure your clients continue to receive the high-quality support they deserve.
If you’re looking to outsource your help desk but want to make sure you’re getting top-notch service, check out STAFFVIRTUAL. We know that your clients’ IT support is critical to your success, and we can build a team of experienced professionals who specialize in providing fast, effective solutions.
Our help desk services are designed to meet your specific needs, with flexible SLAs, regular performance reviews, and a team committed to your MSP’s success. When you partner with STAFFVIRTUAL, you’re not just outsourcing — you’re gaining a trusted extension of your team.
Schedule a meeting with us to learn more about how we can help your MSP with our services.
Sources:
2020 Global Outsourcing Survey | Deloitte
What is bad customer service? 5 examples of poor customer service | Zendesk