In recent years, outsourcing IT services has become more common. The main factor driving the appeal of outsourcing is allowing business owners to focus on more pressing issues by delegating tasks to a third party. Additionally, it lowers operating costs and frees up resources for other projects while having access to consultants with a wide range of skills and experience they may not have in-house. Outsourcing saves money, time, and guarantees a higher level of expertise.
It seems to be a win-win situation with many benefits, but to fully reap the rewards of outsourcing, your business needs to be prepared.
Here are our tips to prepare your business for outsourcing your IT services to help you get (and stay) on track with your chosen partner.
1. Define your goals for outsourcing
Many businesses approach outsourcing without fully understanding what they want to achieve. To help you find the right partner with the skills, knowledge, and expertise to compliment your business, ask yourself why you want to outsource. What do you hope to accomplish by outsourcing? Some examples include:
- reduce costs;
- improve the quality of support services;
- have access to the latest technologies;
- implement a project;
- mitigate risks.
Having a clear understanding of your goals will set expectations for you and your outsourcing partner and will prevent misunderstandings.
2. Identify tasks to outsource
You should perform a thorough assessment of your IT assets, capabilities, inadequacies, and current operating policies and processes. By undertaking this assessment, you will be able to better understand and evaluate your company’s capabilities and which IT services, tasks, or projects, are best managed in-house, and which should be outsourced.
3. Choose the right partner
Knowing why and what you are outsourcing will make it easier for you to choose an IT services partner that fits your business. When deciding which company can be trusted with your IT, there are several factors to consider:
- Are the services provided appropriate for your business?
- Do they have the right experience and expertise?
- Do they have good client references?
- Do they guarantee their response times?
- Do they hire qualified and certified local workers?
In addition, your IT services partner should understand your business and be fully aligned with your objectives and culture to help you succeed.
4. Prepare your team for the transition
Your business may face significant management and organisational structural changes when you transition to outsourcing. You can reduce any process resistance and boost efficiency by being open and honest in your communications and outlining why you are outsourcing, as well as the benefits to your employees.
You should also adopt a change management plan to train your staff to work collaboratively with the new outsourcing team, whether it be a new helpdesk, process, or system. By ensuring everyone is on board with the change before it happens will reduce pain points down the road.
Your chosen IT services partner should be an extension of your company, contributing to its success. If you are looking to outsource your IT services or would like to learn about CyberPro and how our team will take the time to understand your business and work with you towards your goals, please contact us.
