Why the need for 24×7 support is increasing
Today it is important for many people to be able to combine work and private life in a balanced way. Instead of employees cutting back on working hours to make time for nursery pick-ups and drop-offs, to take time off work, etc., they are working at other times of the day. The modern workplace makes this possible.
Many companies today offer their employees a modern workplace with the possibility to work anywhere, anytime. This places new demands on the support and operations organisation to be there at all times to support the business.The new requirements are not always easy to meet with the existing organisation. If you only offer your employees support during regular working hours, you run the risk of negatively affecting the productivity of your business.
What does an employer gain by offering a flexible workplace?
Opening up the business to a flexible workplace also increases the likelihood that the company will maintain the efficiency and productivity of its employees and thus the profitability of the company. Those new to the labour market are also attracted by the flexibility of the modern workplace and therefore gravitate towards employers who can offer them this.
Other types of activities where the need for 24x7 support is clear
The need for enhanced support also exists in the more traditional workplaces such as retail, manufacturing operations with shift work or operations with offices in different time zones.
What do customers say?
Many of the IT managers AddPro speaks to see a challenge in providing support and the right skills to their business during all working hours. The biggest challenge is usually finding the finances to have in-house staff that can stretch the support and operations organization's availability. The majority have established an on-call phone that is circulated among IT department staff and this can be a good solution although it has its challenges. First of all, it is relatively costly to have an on-call allowance but after the on-call period is over, the employee should have their weekly/daily rest which means the company gets fewer hours out of their employees. Sometimes there are discussions regarding who should be on call over certain major holidays and when someone falls ill someone needs to fill in and so on. This solution also places high demands on employees as they should have a deep understanding of all the company's systems and infrastructure. This is not always possible and really means that the entire IT department is on standby at all times to ensure that all skills are always available.
Why should you consider having a provider that offers 24×7 support?
The benefits of outsourcing support and operations to a provider with an established 24×7 organisation are several.
- You can more easily meet the accessibility requirements of your business.
- If you already offer your employees the modern workplace, 24/7 support is a great addition to support your business at all hours of the day.
- You get a lower cost as multiple customers share the cost of having technical expertise available at all times.
- You can avoid having to run standby operations and get more out of your IT staff.
- The business gets happier staff who become more productive.
- The ability to respond quickly to incidents that disrupt operations around the clock.
If your business has any of the items below, you probably need an extended support function.
- Flexible/Modern workplace
- Activities in other time zones
- Shift or shop operations
- Activity Based Workplace (ABW)
Are you interested in learning more about how 24×7 support can help your business. Press the button below and fill in the form and we will contact you.
