How to Choose the Best IT Help Desk Provider

May 8, 2019Manhattan Tech Support

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Research shows that businesses lose about two weeks of productivity per employee per year because of day-to-day technical problems. Even companies that have internal IT staff may struggle to keep their computers running smoothly. An over-burdened IT team that’s forced to build, maintain, and protect an entire IT infrastructure by itself is likely to let small problems slip by unaddressed. These lead to reduced productivity and morale.

An outsourced IT help desk is the best way to address this problem and prevent IT issues from draining productivity and efficiency. Most help desk services will provide access to technicians, but that’s really just one of the factors that make them such a valuable resource. Here are some of the differentiators that make a help desk truly stand out.

Understanding the Fundamentals of the IT Help Desk Solution

First, let’s look at how an IT help desk works. Reputable managed services providers like Manhattan Tech Support will have documented processes in place for addressing common IT and technology problems. They should also have systems to make that expertise as accessible as possible.

• Create a Support Ticket
  Tell the help desk about your problem in the way that’s most convenient for you, including phone, email, or our online support portal. No matter how you want to report the problem, it should automatically get assigned to a member of the help desk team.
• Analyze and Address the Problem
  The technician will do their best to solve the issue right away, drawing on a detailed profile of your hardware and software. This solution may involve purely remote support, on-site support, or a combination of the two.
• Test and Resolve
  The help desk technicians shouldn’t consider a support ticket closed until they’ve taken the time to verify that your issue has been completely resolved with another round of verification testing.
• Escalate Serious Issues
  If your problem is particularly serious, and the Level-1 technician doesn’t have a documented way of solving it on hand, the help desk staff should immediately pass it to a senior technician who does have those skills to resolve your issue.

What’s the Difference Between a Good and Great Help Desk?

Ultimately, the IT help desk is built on personal relationships. A good help desk partner will be someone that not only supports your entire IT infrastructure and brings you a new level of efficiency and confidence, but one that makes you feel valued and listened to as well. Your help desk partner should make your computers and business efficiency their personal concern. Here are a few things that separate a good provider from a superior one.

• You Always Talk with a Person — A good help desk provider will never use automated phone menus or IVR systems. When you call for technical support, you should speak directly to a service desk technician who can expertly start helping you with your problem right away.
• Highly Qualified Technicians — Not all help desk technicians deliver world-class service or are experts in their line of work. Check to make sure they hold recognized certifications like CompTIA’s A+ and Network+, as well as advanced credentials from companies like Google and Microsoft.
• A Positive & Friendly Attitude – Each help desk engagement should leave you satisfied, feeling valued, listened to, and respected. IT support incidents are often stressful, and technicians who can be helpful and friendly while responding to your IT problems are hard to come by.
• 24/7 Service – The work day is changing, as companies embrace employees spread out across the country, or even the world. This makes it harder to predict when an IT issue will strike thus making it vitally important to have your help desk available around the clock. Find a provider who’s there to help you whenever you need them.

You Don’t Want a Help Desk – You Want a Help Desk Partner

Just like you expect any internal hire to perform as a real team player, hiring a help desk provider should be no different. Your help desk should work as an extension of your team, take the time to learn about your business and the way that your company works, and be ready to work with your firm over the long term to ensure maximum productivity.

To ensure you get the most from your IT help desk investment, you may ask them for help managing other aspects of your technology. Some things that a help desk might be able to help you with include the following.

• Scale IT support that allows you to add other capabilities flexibly as needed.
• Automate simple IT tasks to decrease your maintenance needs
• Improve IT asset management processes
• Proactively manage network infrastructure to minimize downtime

Pricing Structure — Flat-Rate is King

We feel that a quality help desk package should include unlimited on-site and off-site support for a single fee. You can’t predict what type of technology problems your business will face, and a flat-rate service ensures you don’t deal with sudden costs or hidden fees during an already stressful time.

Here at Manhattan Tech Support, we take that commitment one step further. We’re so confident in the quality of our service that we don’t require clients to sign long-term service contracts either. You can work with us for as long as you want. If our help desk ever fails to earn your trust and respect, you’re free to find a provider who does meet those needs – no strings attached.

A flat-rate pricing model that contains no hidden fees demonstrates a help desk partner truly has your company’s best interests at heart, and we strongly recommend bringing the topic up with a potential provider.

We’re NYC’s Trusted IT Help Desk Partner

Do you need help addressing your day-to-day IT issues before they harm productivity and cost you monetary losses? The team at Manhattan Tech Support has been providing IT help desk service to businesses in NYC for over 20 years. During that time, we’ve developed a unique, flat-rate help desk solution that puts world-class IT support within easy reach for NYC’s small and midsized businesses. If you have any questions or would like to find out more, contact us at 212-299-7673 or

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