It was Peter Drucker, the Austrian-American management consultant, who coined the phrase, “Do what you do best and outsource the rest“, in the 1990’s.
The idea that companies should stick to their core competencies, and buy in any additional skills and services they need.
In the world of IT, outsourcing has been around for many years too. In 1989, IBM struck a deal with Eastman Kodak, to design, build and manage a data centre. As part of the deal, Kodak is thought to have transferred hundreds of employees to the IBM outsourcing division.
Although the complete outsourcing of IT is still an option, many companies are looking for a long-term strategic partnership, augmenting the core skills they have in-house, with additional external resources. Whilst sometimes these additional skills are brought in-house, often they remain outsourced. This is good news for both the end customer and channel businesses that have an offering that fits the outsourcing model.
So, what are the benefits of both end user and channel businesses outsourcing some of their services? Let’s have a look!
Complement your existing skills and resources
It goes back to Peter Drucker’s insight, trying to do everything is a recipe for disaster. There will be times when a specific project calls for additional skills, knowledge, and resources. Other times, a tight deadline might mean you need to bring in external resources. Then there are situations where a service you need, or want to offer, would be either expensive or time consuming to establish in-house. Investing in outsourcing can be a great solution in all these scenarios.
Get support when you need it
Nothing is constant, and that certainly applies to business and IT! When a peak in demand means you need more resources, what do you do? Taking on permanent resource is both expensive and time consuming. An inevitable delay in terms of recruitment and training, that could mean by the time the additional resource is in place, the need for that additional support has ended.
Outsourcing means there is a pool of trained resource ready to be deployed quickly, providing the support you need, when you need it.
Focus on your expertise
Conversely, outsourcing allows you to focus on the things which are key to your business success. Finding a reliable outsourcing partner means that getting additional help is only a phone call away (especially easy to access with a 24/7 help desk. You can focus on your core business and let someone else focus on the rest.
Access new services and solutions
Outsourcing allows you to better manage peaks and troughs, but it also provides a route into completely new services and solutions. Channel partners looking to add a third-party maintenance capability for instance, or offer a smart inventory solution to meet their customer’s needs, can find the answer in outsourcing. A good provider will work with the channel, helping to provide a seamless service, for the benefit of everyone.
Improve your customer satisfaction
For all businesses, ensuring good satisfaction is vital. Customers expect and demand an exceptional level of service, and outsourcing plays an important role in delivering it. The fast response to resource requirements, the ability to say ‘yes we can’, rather than ‘no, sorry’. All the areas we have already mentioned will help ensure that customer satisfaction is as high as it can be, meaning successful ongoing relationships and business.
Saves you money!
Investing in outsourced IT services is never primarily about cheap, but it does save you money! The avoidance of direct and indirect costs of hiring more staff to meet peak demands, or upfront costs in establishing a new area of business. Outsourcing means you pay for the things you need, when you need them. It really does allow you to do more with less!
How can SCT help?
Smart Capital Technology (SCT) is an innovative IT services organisation, 100% dedicated to the channel. We specialise in the provision of high-quality complementary services, including maintenance, project management, auditing, logistics and staging services, designed to help boost your company’s efficiency and profitability.
Specialising in network support and providing IT spares and logistics across the globe, SCT supports organisations such as global outsourcers, system Integrators and value-added resellers, who rely on us to deliver the right equipment and reliable technical support, with the highest service standards.
Perhaps the best testimony to the quality of our services is our customers’ loyalty, as many have committed to long-term, multi year agreements, with some partnerships stretching back 20 years, to SCT’s beginnings.
If we can help you provide even better support and services to your customers, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us via sales@smartct.com or telephone us on +44 (0) 118 960 2520.
