IT MANAGED SERVICES & SOLUTIONS

5 Myths of Managed IT Services Debunked – Myth #4: Tier 1 Support is a Commodity

The next of our five-part series explores what end users want today: intelligent, real time, first-call resolution to their IT service inquiries.

To dispel the myth of Offshore is Always Less Expensive, ask yourself whether you’ve analyzed the total cost of ownership compared to the quality of service and the end user experience, especially for select services that are highly interactive with end users. Let’s move ahead to another misconception about how to assess, engage and leverage Managed Service Providers to suit your needs.

MYTH #4: TIER 1 SUPPORT IS A COMMODITY

For decades the IT industry has been attempting to stave off the commoditization of Tier 1 End User Support –that initial connection with a customer by Enterprise Service or Help Desk staff responsible for basic customer service. This dialogue has revolved around the promise of full self-service, self-healing autonomic systems and robotic user support models to quench the thirst of a tech savvy next generation of users who no longer will need –nor desire- to talk directly to human beings for service and support.

With the trend towards BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), users indeed have more and more control over what they use and how they consume IT services. Managed services providers are wondering whether or not Tier 1 End User Support is even necessary; perhaps end users should really be able to service themselves. However, reasoning doesn’t ring true for the vast majority of enterprises and public sector organizations that need top notch Managed IT Services. While today’s end user has available multiple channels of support, such as self-service portals and user knowledge management systems, most service interactions have remained person to person. Whether it be a phone call, email, voicemail or post, a human being is on the other end of that inquiry to provide services.

Supporting Always On, Always Connected Service

Today’s reality for managed IT service providers christens the user experience as tantamount to success. In the world of “always on, always connected,” the ability to engage the user through multi-channel support methods, to solve their issues quickly and to analyze and address root causes is as important as ever.

Again, the trend toward BYOD can make self-service options quite frustrating for many end users, especially if they use a variety of devices like a smart phone, tablet, laptop and a PC. When they are having a time sensitive issue or are trying to figure out a complicated IT matter –even something as SOP as “I can't print” or “My email is down,” they want to talk to someone about it in person. Their issue could be a mission critical. Do you really want to have your customer go through five levels of interactive voice response (IVR) and wind up on an offshore phone call, waiting too long for Tier 1 support?

What people want today is intelligent, real time, first-call resolution to their IT service inquiries.

True Gateway to All Managed Services

It can be argued that the modern Enterprise Service or Help Desk can dictate how the user experience unfolds and determine the level of quality and service where an end user becomes satisfied. Along this thinking, Tier 1 End User Support:

  • can provide an exceptional user experience
  • can provide perfect feedback for business intelligence to improve IT services overall
  • can provide a true gateway to all Managed IT Services

Today's Enterprise Service or Help Desk must continue to mature and evolve into a multi-channeled service model that accesses a smarter informational depth, so issues can get resolved quickly and efficiently. Tier 1 End User Support is not a commodity by any means; it is an efficient indicator of end user satisfaction that can successfully track that experience throughout the entire support paradigm.

Next time, we’ll explore Myth #5: Outsourcers Are Not Innovators.

 

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