4 Signs it is Time to Invest in an IT Help Desk

Most companies start off small, using manual processes to complete tasks due to budget and resource restrictions. But as an organisation expands, there comes a time when this simply is not enough and automation becomes a strategic necessity. It is at this point that business leaders should invest in IT help desks. Below is a list of signs that it is time for your company to deploy an IT help desk:

1. When you feel like are missing out on vital help desk features

   In companies with a large customer base, email, post-it notes and calendar notifications are no longer adequate solutions. Calls become more frequent, requiring organised help desk queues and issue tracking systems. Questions also become more repetitive, requiring a self-serve knowledge base, community forums, and consistent responses. When you reach a point at which the lack of automation negatively affects your productivity levels, know that it is time for an IT help desk.

2. When real-time communication between employees becomes difficult

   Typically, in small businesses employee interaction is high. The organisation is more like a close-knit family than a business. However, as your business expands, so does the number of employees, who may even be spread over various geographical locations. Many companies now hire remote CS reps making it difficult to coordinate with them promptly. As a result, face to face employee interaction is often no longer easy. A cloud-based IT help desk allows them to input ticket information into the software for their colleagues to refer back to in the event of follow up calls.

3. Improper management of tickets

   Often times, the number of queries via email and other points of contact become extremely difficult to maintain in an orderly fashion. So much so, that more time may be wasted managing tickets and fixing manual mistakes than solving the queries themselves. In such cases, the absence of an IT help desk greatly hinders business growth.

4. A fall in customer satisfaction

   Not being able to keep up with all the queries you receive means that you and your employees will be over-performing with nothing to show for it. Customers will not see the extra effort you expend to satisfy them which inevitably decreases their satisfaction levels. If the number of follow up calls increase, this is a sign that your company's first call resolution (FCR) levels are low. This is often due to a knowledge deficiency, an issue that can easily be rectified by deploying a help desk.