Managing and Outsourcing

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A help desk that isn't properly managed can lead to problems which could cause an organization significant loss, financially and in terms of its reputation. For those reasons and many others, the help desk must be managed to the highest quality possible.

One of the most highly acclaimed tools available to assist in managing the help desk is the Help Desk Management Toolkit. Some of the areas covered in this guide include:

* An 83 page guide on establishing and managing the help desk.

* A power point presentation covering key concepts and issues.

* A detailed help desk service level agreement template.

* An interactive guide to explain each clause and how to implement it.
* A complete set of security policies for the help desk function.

* An audit checklist to review the help desk service from all aspects.

* An introduction to service level management.

Aside from the tools available to an organization concerning managing its own help desk, an organization may also choose outsourcing as a way of managing its help desk. An organization can hire an outsourcing firm to oversee the operations of either the help desk function alone or the entire IT operation including the help desk.

The smooth running of the help desk is crucial to the organizations success even when it is outsourced. The organization and the outsourcing firm must have agreements in place to provide structure concerning the management of the help desk. Poor help desk management will negatively effect both the help desk provider and the outsourcing firm. The outsourcing arrangement must be closely documented and monitored, full audit capabilities must also be in place.

In any case of outsourcing there are usually both benefits and risks involved. Any organization considering outsourcing as a possible means of managing its help desk should be aware of three important documents; the transition plan, the outsourcing service level agreement, and the outsource contract. Deciding if outsourcing is right for a particular organization can only be determined by specific study of that organizations needs and careful consideration of pros and cons.