The Case for a Dedicated Help Desk: Why Your Small Business Needs Proactive Support

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The Case for a Dedicated Help Desk Why Your Small Business Needs Proactive Support

Competition drives innovation, and in today’s world, innovation is the key to survival. Technology has become an ever-increasing component of small businesses, which is why it is critical that small businesses take care of their technical environment. Part of it is having a reliable digital landscape. Many small businesses recognize the importance of their technology but still fail to invest in this critical area of their company. Rather than properly planning for changes to their computer networks, they adopt a reactive method to IT issues. 

Reactive Methodologies Can Be Costly

While the dollar costs associated with being reactive can be quite high, there is an even higher cost when the work environment becomes unstable. Instead of proactively applying security patches and upgrades to servers, some small businesses wait until the server crashes to do something. This can lead to extensive downtime and considerable repair costs. A long-term effort is required to ensure network stability. 

There are many problems with remaining reactive to network issues. The most common include:

  • Costs: Preventative costs are much lower when compared to the potential costs of hiring IT teams to do emergency work.
  • Impact of Systems Being Offline: When systems remain offline for extended periods of time, business operational productivity drops. 
  • Cybersecurity: Security problems compound when there is no proactive oversight of access attempts and patch management.

The Dedicated Help Desk Model

When an organization decides to implement a dedicated help desk model, it can do so in-house or by hiring a managed services provider. This provides a single contact point for all computer-related issues and allows for accurate documentation to be made about every issue. With a dedicated help desk, the individuals answering problem calls know your business model and the architecture of the digital landscape. This ensures efficient responses to all problems reported.

Most help desk models provide the following:

  • Tiered support 
  • Around-the-clock monitoring
  • Provides remote and on-site support

Support in a Proactive Framework

When IT teams take a proactive stance regarding environment management, they can anticipate and prevent serious issues before a network disruption can occur. It provides system monitoring and patch upgrades to remain ahead of cyber threats and potential outages. 

Dedicated help desks provide the following benefits:

  • Raises productivity: Affording the ability for quick responses decreases downtime and allows for greater productivity.
  • Improved communication: Having a single point of contact for all users allows for more efficient support.

Cybersecurity Concerns

In today’s business environment, every organization heavily relies on its technology to remain successful. While many small businesses try to have internal staff perform all IT functions, it can cause problems. When IT staff are required to provide help desk IT support along with their other duties, it can cause staffing to be stretched too thin. A dedicated help desk can protect your environment by adopting cybersecurity best practices across all devices and users.

Cost Control

Small businesses mired in the reactive method of problem-solving are constantly being hit with varying costs and an overwhelming sense of unpredictability. For those businesses that adopt a dedicated help desk, all services are provided at a single monthly cost. This stable cost allows businesses to better manage their budgets. 

Another aspect that many businesses overlook is that a dedicated help desk offers immense scalability. If there are additional workstations or users that need to be added, it can be done efficiently and simply added as part of the management plan. Without a dedicated help desk, if your business adds 100 workstations and 50 new hires, you will likely need to add additional IT staff to keep up with the demand. That’s not the case with a dedicated help desk.

Pay Attention to Metrics

The concept of a dedicated help desk is not a new one, but businesses need to stop looking at them as just a means for network support. They also help your businesses grow when you become more efficient and capable.  

With a proactive model, your digital landscape can improve and grow without the need for additional staffing. But it is more than just that. Business models can now plan for additional costs for infrastructure upgrades and future technology improvements. The ability to plan and better negotiate the associated costs can lead to improved productivity and growth.

Help Desk as an Asset

While some small businesses might consider implementing a dedicated help desk to be an unneeded expense, they fail to realize how impactful it can be. It is more than just a number or email account to use to report problems. It is an investment in bettering the business to maintain maximum productivity.

The simple fact of improving the stability of the network infrastructure can make all the difference in the world to staff, uptime, and productivity. With fewer system interruptions, every business can react to industry climate and make adjustments where needed quickly and easily. When your organization partners with C Solutions IT, we provide the insight and guidance needed to get you to the next level. Reach out to us today.