Posted by Rachel Shuster on Tue, Feb 14, 2012 @ 06:21 AM
A shared company culture is a key ingredient for a company’s success. Without a cohesive team, company goals and objectives cannot be reached. Each employee must do her part and fit into the company. Employees with the same culture, value, and work ethic mesh well and build upon each other’s strengths to accomplish great things.
At America’s Remote Help Desk, we have a ‘work hard, do whatever it takes’ attitude. We share accountability and embody a true team environment. We have a consistent culture, and everyone’s voice is heard.
Over the next few months we’ll be speaking about how our employees live the ARHD culture by incorporating and focusing on our 20 expectant behaviors, which can be broken down into five major categories: Customer, Management, Playing in the Sandbox, Meetings, and Self.
By incorporating these behaviors into our daily lives, we can make a difference personally and professionally. Check in each week to see what our employees have to say about each Expectant Behavior and what it means to them.
Check out Harvard's Business School's take on on creating company culture.
Contributed by Rich Rubinstein, CEO
Posted by Cheryl Balassone on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 @ 11:08 AM
Help desk support can provide numerous benefits to any firm, including:
- Reduced service desk costs
- Improved communication with users
- Increased control over network and systems
- Process standards, like ITIL
- Audit trail and reporting
The cost of maintaining computer resources can be a large part of any firm's IT budget. Keeping a help desk staffed with trained personnel to answer questions and provide users with assistance is an expensive proposition. By outsourcing help desk tasks and improving the tools available to provide service to end users, overall costs of system maintenance are reduced.
One of the most important aspects of remote help desk systems is the ability to "take over" the user's system and change settings or install software remotely. This cuts down on the need for in-person service calls and repeat visits to solve individual problems. Despite the fact that the user is receiving help remotely, seeing the results of the help desk activity as it is taking place actually improves the communication between the service desk and the end user.
Using the remote control capabilities of remote help desk also makes network analysis and control faster and more reliable. In some cases, the entire IT infrastructure can be controlled and maintained remotely. Instead of traveling from desktop to desktop with a DVD to install software, remote help desk analysts can make these changes from a single location over an entire network. Licensing and access can be controlled and documented from a central location, thereby increasing control and stability of these systems.
For organizations that want to implement a standard for service and infrastructure management, such as ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library), remote help desk makes this possible using expert application of the standards from the ground up. Instead of designing a network and hiring consultants to implement the standard, you can outsource the service and infrastructure management tasks to a vendor that provides all of these capabilities.
Outsourcing the service desk also makes tracking of changes and network service simpler. Using one service provider for all systems, each service call or maintenance change is tracked and reported. This can be important for regulatory compliance or financial audit requirements.
Remote help desk support cuts costs, improves communication with users, establishes audit and reporting tools, and increases centralized control over network and infrastructure management. These benefits provide a clear advantage over traditional help desk and service desk solutions.
Posted by Rich Rubinstein, CEO on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 @ 10:48 AM
Many firms need, want, and generally expect, different things from Help Desk support. With outsouce help desk support especially, businesses purchase customized solutions tailored to their exact needs. However, there are four areas of Help Desk Support that should be universal, no matter if it’s internal or external.
Responsiveness- Help Desk technicians should be prompt and answer the phone quickly. Your call is important to them and should be addressed in a timely manner.
Quality Support- Problems and issues should be fixed quickly and efficiently to eliminate downtime.
Customer Service- Service should be delivered with a smile. The Help Desk should be friendly and knowledgeable.
Communication- Both users and Help Desk technicians should be aware of any and all issues and the status or progress of the issue. Updates should be provided and the lines of communication left open.
The scope of services provided, knowledge of firm-specific applications, and available hours among many other variables differs by company and Help Desk support team. The four areas mentioned above, Responsiveness, Quality Support, Customer Service, and Communication, should be Help Desk support universals. If your Help Desk support lacks in any of the four areas, you and your firm deserve more.
Contributed by Rich Rubinstein, CEO and President
Posted by Cheryl Balassone on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 @ 11:39 AM
Gartner forecasts that by 2012, 70% of North Amercian companies be be engaged in infrastructure magement contracts. A large perentage of those organizations are law firms. When it comes to IT infrastructure management companies, too much is at stake to choose a partner who doesn't understand the client's unique needs and how technology effects their overall business objectives.
At first glance, many infrastructure management providers offer similar services in terms of securing operations and reducing costs. The following key factors differentiate providers and should be carefully examined when evaluting infrastructure management companies:
Flexibility: Today's global marketplace demands quick repsonse time, the ability to make rapid changes and universal collaboration.
Process maturity: At a mimunum, the infrastucture management provider must embrace a framework such as ITIL and deliver consistent performance. Benchmarks and metrics for improving service delivery indicate an emphasis on continuous process improvement.
Service delivery visibility: If problems arise related to IT service delivery, the provider should offer visbility into the problem and how its was addressed/resolved.
Value: Firms must ask prospective infrastructure management partners specifically what value they bring in terms of operational efficiencies and providers must be able to provide a detailed accountability of the value they will deliver.
By exploring these critical areas when selecting an infrastructure management company, law firms can ensure they find a partner who truly supports the IT needs of the organization.
Posted by Guest Author on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 @ 09:30 AM
For many law firms, managing their technology infrastructure can be quite a challenge. They may have no internal IT staff or have a staff that is not skilled enough to maintain the software and hardware that is essential to their daily operations. These reasons have prompted many firms to investigate some level of outsourced managed IT services as opposed to the overhead and cost of hiring additional full-time staff. The benefits of this approach are many as outlined below:
- Reduction and predictability of IT operations costs
- Lower facility costs (hardware, power, real estate, etc)
- Lower training and hiring costs
- Lower support infrastructure
- Lower personnel costs
- Lower administrative overhead
Many offerings are typically available, depending on the businesses needs, and in many cases, services can be provided in a remote fashion that has a very low footprint on regular, daily operations of the business.
Finding an Infrastructure Management company that understands your firm's needs will greatly reduce the stress and pitfalls that happen with managing your IT environment, enabling you to focus on running your business.
Contributed by Patrick Connolly, Help Desk Analyst
Posted by Cheryl Balassone on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 @ 09:55 AM
Why are outsource help desk services such a growing trend? Some reasons that a firm may choose to outsource all or part if its IT support function include:
Lack of resources: Some firms outsource because they lack the resources—for example, knowledge, personnel, and space—to develop an internal support structure.
Global business: Outsourcing can be used to fill in gaps when internal staff members are not available. For example, suppose a company’s internal help desk is staffed from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. EST. The company has offices on the East and West Coasts of the United States.
To meet the needs of its West Coast offices, the company hires an outsourcing firm that provides support from 6 p.m. until 12 p.m. EST.
Core competency: Firms also work with outsourcing vendors because they want to concentrate their resources in other areas. They still require support for its computer technology, and hiring an outside firm to provide support is a viable option.
Outsourcing the support function offers a number of advantages for firms of all sizes, including:
Reduced support costs: The organization does not need to provide payroll, training or benefits to an internal support staff.
Flexible, scalable staff size: Without going through the process of hiring and terminating employees, firms are able to expand or reduce the size of the support staff according to business needs.
The latest tools and technology: Outsource IT providers make a significant investment in the latest tools and technology so that they can perform support tasks with great efficiency.
Highly qualified support staff: Individuals working for outsourcing firms receive ongoing training in the latest technology. They also have experience diagnosing and solving a wide variety of technical problems.
It's easy to see why outsource help desk services for law firms have become so popular. The pluses far outweigh the minuses if you do your due diligence and select a qualified IT provider.
Posted by Rich Rubinstein, CEO on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 @ 09:51 AM
There are four primary focus areas for law firm Help Desk Services. Technicians, be they insource or outsource, should focus on Customer Service, Responsiveness, Quality Support, and Communication.
Customer Service: As any service industry will say, the customer is number one. This holds true in the IT field as well. The customer or caller is always right, and the help desk technician should treat the customer as royalty. Always treat the caller with respect be courteous and polite, even when and especially when the customer is not. With great Customer Service, a help desk technician can calm a panicked caller and appease an irate caller.
Responsiveness: There is no predictable pattern to Help Desk Services. Sometimes there are slow periods and sometimes there are busy periods. Help Desk technicians need to be able to respond and react appropriately to any situation that may arise. They should be able to juggle multiple calls coming in at once, work on various issues at once, and be sure not to miss or over look anything if need be.
Quality Support: While Help Desk Metrics are important, Help Desk Services should not sacrifice quality for quantity. Help Desk technicians should focus on giving the best support they can to every single caller. Quality IT support also means not giving up on a difficult issue and really digging in to research and find the root problem.
Communication: If communication was a street, it would be a busy intersection of multiple two way streets. Help Desk technicians need to be able to communicate effectively with callers in order to understand the issue, but they also need to be open with the caller in regards to how the issue is being fixed and why might be done to prevent it in the future. Technicians should also communicate with each other and management, so everyone is aware of potential issues.
Focusing on these four areas will help improve and hone your firm's Help Desk Services for the better.
Contributed by Rich Rubinstein, CEO and President
Posted by Guest Author on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 @ 10:47 AM
The reasons behind outsourcing IT services to an outside firm are clear. It’s been proven through long term studies that organizations are able to better perform within their core business when they are utilizing specialists who are laser-focused on core IT functions. Some of the core IT functions that often get outsourced might include first tier help desk support, network engineering, and software consulting.
What are important to law firms today are results. Long term goals such as revenue growth, cost controls, and productivity improvement are paramount in increasingly competitive industries. Many companies today are concerned about intellectual property and marketing strategies more than ever before. This begs the question: if IT operation is becoming a commodity service, then it is something you should purchase without worrying too much about quality. In reality, however, Information Technology continues to evolve and change, making it hard to constantly keep up with best practices. Plus, every business is unique and requires specialized IT operations. An outsource help desk company can bring its experience handling many different facets of IT (such as help desk support, network engineering and software consulting as indicated before) while being able to take a client’s needs and make sure that they fit. This helps businesses remain on point.
Are you focusing on the specific needs of your firm? Should you consider letting someone else take care of complex IT issues? Talk to an outsource help desk company for law firms about what they can do to make your organization leaner, faster and reliable.
Contributed by Dan Cawrey, Google Apps Help Desk Analyst
Posted by Guest Author on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 @ 11:44 AM
There are many benefits to using a remote help desk company for your firm's IT needs. Several are highlighted below:
- For small to medium businesses especially, it can be expensive to hire, train, and employ the people needed to maintain and run the IT infrastructure.
- Less physical office space is required when you outsource your IT needs to a remote help desk company.
- Remote help desk companies can save overhead costs because you can structure your costs to fit your needs. Pay only for the services that you use.
- Remote Help Desk is their business. They are on top of the latest and greatest technology and know how it can be utilized to benefit your business, whatever your business.
- Remote Help Desk employees have to stay on top of new technology as well and are always training/learning the latest options available.
- These companies have a lot of exposure to different types of businesses and various IT processes which could bring new ideas to your company.
- The resources are already in place for 24/7 support if it is a concern for your company. With so much reliance on technology these days, the importance of 24/7 support has never been more prevalent.
It is smart business to explore the options that remote help desk companies can offer your firm. The benefits are unlimited.Contributed by Toni Giesler, Managed Services Technician
Posted by Rich Rubinstein, CEO on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 @ 11:31 AM
As technology evolves, many law firms find it hard to keep up with the influx of technology and focus on running their business effectively and efficiently. In a sense, they have to do double duty by running both the business side of the company and managing the technology side, especially with a small or non-existent internal IT department.
The result is a growing trend of law firms, as well as businesses in general, moving to outsource their help desk. According to the HDI Support Center Practices and Salary Report 2011, Sixty-eight percent of help desk respondents have seen an increase in the number of tickets/callers to Remote Help Desk centers. New equipment, new devises, and new applications account for 60.7% of this increase, while 52.2% attribute the increase in tickets to an increase in the number of customers.
Companies are looking to outsource as a way to quickly resolve IT issues at a fraction of the resources and cost it takes to have an internal help desk. The HDI report also states 62.3% of businesses consider the cost of outsourcing as the number one factor that would influence their decision to outsource.
Selecting a great Help Desk company to provide quality remote support that is right for any firm or business should not be a hasty decision though. Google ‘remote help desk’ and 15,200,000 results will be returned in about 0.17 seconds. Focus on quality of service, range of services and hours provided, and customized business solutions. The right solution is available.
Contributed by Rich Rubinstein, CEO and President