Technology has challenged preconceptions of what the workforce is supposed to look like. It used to be straightforward: you hired full-time employees and they sat at a desk in your office. Now, that's negotiable. Contractors, freelancers, remote workers, and external teams have become common. It's a natural progression of the workforce made possible by technology. Modern technology is making communication easier than ever - making physical location less and less meaningful.
Every business is different. But, across the board, there are compelling reasons to believe that leveraging external resources will greatly improve your bottom line. That is especially true for information technology support. Below are 5 'E's' that explain why you should consider using external information technology support to boost your bottom line:
As any hiring manager can attest to, experience will cost you. Hiring an internal IT staff that has the experience necessary to take on your growing IT needs will come at a steep price. However, with an external IT staff, experience is included. Plus, the time-consuming vetting process has already been done for you. Instead of evaluating experience level and then paying top dollar for a highly experienced CIO-level employee, opt for an external team that already has it covered.
Like experience, expertise also costs money. If you're limited in hiring only a few internal IT staff members (the most likely scenario), there will inevitably be blind spots in their areas of expertise. If your staff is missing a particular necessary skill, guess who is footing the bill for further training? You guessed it: your company. In contrast, an external IT staff will be responsible for covering all of the skills that your business needs.
Technology equipment comes at a huge cost. Hiring an internal IT team isn't enough - you need to supply the equipment they'll need to do their jobs. That will also require research, price comparisons, and maybe even dischord over what equipment is needed and what kind is best. It's another headache and another gut punch to your budget. With an external IT staff, you'll be advised on what you'll need, when you'll need it. Also, much of the equipment will be provided/housed offsite.
Full-time employees are more expensive than they appear. The most obvious cost is salary, which can be broken down hourly and compared against the hourly rate of an external team. But, that kind of comparison is faulty. Full-time employment comes with costs far beyond compensation. Consider the overhead and general costs of hiring a full-time employee: training, benefits, taxes, office space, PTO, supplies, and raises - to name a few. An external team is simply less expensive.
The other fallibility of internal IT support is that they're subject to the same things as every other employee. They can miss work because they're sick. They can take vacation. They can become disgruntled. They can quit unexpectedly. With an external IT team, you're ensuring a quick response and laser focus on the task at hand. You can trust that whatever arises, it will be handled as efficiently as possible.
Those are just 5 'E's' that help explain why 'E' (as in external) beats 'I' (as in 'internal') when it comes to information technology support for your business. External support helps save money and provides a flexible and effective option for handling your company's technology needs.