The Hidden Cost of Outsourcing First-line Help Desk Operations

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    Desktop self-support costs on the rise,” an article published on the Compass Publishing Web site, points out a hidden expense in outsourcing desktop services: users resolving their own PC issues.

    According to Compass research, the more desktop service is outsourced, the greater the amount of end user effort required to keep their systems up and running — and the greater the cost per desktop.

    Why is this a concern? As the article states, “Do-it-yourself problem-fixing can lead to further problems, as well as hide an issue from the central support team.”

    First, you want employees focused on their primary jobs, not on figuring out why something isn’t working the way it’s supposed to on their computers. Second, typical users don’t concern themselves with corporate computing configurations and lack the sensitivity to and knowledge of security issues that IT people have.

    Compass recommends that companies think carefully about outsourcing first-line support, since that’s how users judge their IT supplier. It also suggests avoiding paying for the service desk on a per-call basis, since it discourages use of the service desk in the first place. More advice in the article.