August 2, 2018

Transitioning from In-House to Outsourced IT Services

by: Align

AdobeStock_97870871_Align_Managed_CloudPhoto Credit: © Jakub Jirsák - stock.adobe.com

Your IT team and service desk serve as the first point of contact for technical issues and service requests. They are tasked to support end users 24x7x365, allowing the remainder of your company to focus on business objectives, while they concentrate on managing and troubleshooting IT operations. Recently many firms have chosen to either outsource IT services completely or to augment their existing internal teams with the help of a third-party service provider. Making a successful transition from in-house to outsourced IT services should be run as a critical IT project, with a proven transition methodology, step-by-step planning laid out by your new provider and continuous communication to ensure expectations are properly managed.

Robust Experience and Methodology

An outsourced IT service provider should have a demonstrably successful transition methodology. While every company is unique, the IT services provider should have a wide range of experience working across different types of industries, businesses and environments. They should be able to draw on previous, successful transitions – and anticipate any problems that may arise and how to mitigate them.

Planning

A projected timeline should be established at the start of the transition to document progress and estimate project completion. This will help identify key milestones and go a long way to mitigating the impact to business-critical operations. The timeline should also include expected completion of each deliverable. Examples of deliverables might consist of onsite discovery, meeting company personnel, documentation of internal processes and the integration of an external ticketing system. All of this information should be well documented in a service providers scope of work.

Pricing

A provider’s pricing model will help you assess a suitable option for your business. Does the vendor charge per call, per minute, per agent or per incident? Many organizations find that fixed fees are the ideal option because it eliminates the risk of incurring redundant charges for the same technical problem, and may help you manage unanticipated costs that arise during the project.

Roles

The provider should be able to furnish your company with a structured framework to guarantee that business goals are met during your transition. The framework should define each of the individual project roles and responsibilities and should specify who will spearhead and oversee the entirety of the project.

Communication

Communication and collaboration between the outsourced and existing IT teams is key to making a successful transition. The client and service provider must be engaged in an ongoing conversation over the course of the transition. Regular meetings should be scheduled at the start of each new implementation to discuss the specific tasks that will be accomplished in each project stage. Working alongside the internal IT team will help service providers gain a more thorough understanding of internal operations and learn any existing pain points within the environment.

Making the transition to outsourced IT services can prove to be a significant undertaking. Choose a provider who can make it as easy as possible with careful planning, who provides transparency with constant communication and offers proactive, around the clock support for your user base. To learn more about outsourcing IT operations, contact an expert at Align today for a free consultation.

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