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What is technical support?
Technical support or IT support is the assistance of companies for their customers, who experience technical issues with their devices. If a customer is struggling with an electronic product or can’t figure out how to use a piece of technology, technical support will help them by guiding them to a successful resolution.
Technical support has always been common with electronics companies that sell gadgets like laptops, smartphones, music devices, and software. However, nowadays, most companies use technology to provide service to their customers, no matter the field. Almost every business has a website and provides customers with some digital services (like an e-store, a digital sign-up option, or an online booking service, etc.). When customers have issues with these, they need to be able to contact technical support.
The technical support team is composed of individuals that are familiar with the ins and outs of a device. With this kind of knowledge, they are able to resolve most problems that a user experiences. Information on how to reach technical support is usually provided with the packaged materials included with a device or online, on the company’s website. Technical support may be provided over the phone, through email, or live chat.
Why technical support is important?
Technical support is primarily important to ensure customer satisfaction. When a customer has a technical problem, your product or service can be as good as useless to them until their issue is resolved. If your customers cannot receive the service or help that they need to use your company, they will go to a competitor to find their products or services.
Also, technical support provides another important service to businesses. Tech support helps businesses learn about problems, issues, and mistakes that need to be corrected and stay up-to-date. For instance, there could be an issue with your online e-store or booking service that’s preventing people from placing an order. Without someone contacting tech support for help, the problem may go unnoticed, resulting in missed orders and lost customers. In this way, technical support can quickly minimize damage.
Advantages of outsourcing technical support
You can save on IT costs
Creating your own IT department and hiring your own tech support team will cost a lot of money. Salaries, benefits, and technology can quickly add up. When you use technical support outsourcing, you receive tech support at a lower cost of what it would cost to operate in-house. Therefore, outsourcing allows you to use your budget effectively and carefully. In other words, you only pay for what you use when you need it.
They are trained and certified
Poor technical support is an easy way to quickly lose customers, especially if there’s a major issue with one of your products, services, or websites. When you use IT support outsourcing, you can be assured that you have access to a professional, trained team that is able to quickly resolve issues and minimize damage.
They are flexible
If you are a smaller company, you may not be able to justify the cost of hiring an IT worker to handle a low volume of calls or requests. However, there may be times when you do have a high volume of calls or emails and need technical support workers. Outsourced technical specialists can be supplied on an as-needed basis, and they will be ready to answer all of the customer’s questions at any time. Also, you don’t need to worry about when an employee calls in sick because the outsourced agency will always have people available to replace the staff. Usually, they offer services 24/7, regardless of the time zone.
They know the latest trends in technology
As your company grows or is in the midst of a campaign, the demands from consumers might change too. Also, every day a new technology or feature might come up. This may be difficult for your internal team to handle as they may be not familiar, but an outsourced IT support agency is better equipped to manage these sudden changes and the latest trends in technology.
You can reduce risks
Every business investment carries a certain amount of risks. Markets, competition, government regulations, financial conditions, and technologies all change very quickly. Outsourcing technical support providers can handle these risks for you, with specific industry knowledge, especially security and compliance issues. They generally are much better at deciding how to avoid risk in their areas of expertise.
Raises competitiveness in the market
Most small businesses can’t afford to match the in-house support services that larger companies maintain. Outsourcing tech support can help smaller companies catch up by giving them access to similar technology, and expertise that large companies already enjoy. An independent outsourced agency can give a boost to your small company and thus become more competitive in the market.
You can focus on the main business goals
Last, but not least, hiring an outsourced IT agency allows you and your staff to focus on the main business goals. Businesses have limited resources, and every manager has limited time and attention. Outsourcing an agency for technical issues can help your business stay focused and not get distracted by complex IT decisions.