To outsource or not to outsource? That is the question — or at least it used to be.
In the pre-pandemic world, executives in the IT industry found themselves grappling with the decision of which services they should outsource and which ones should be kept in-house.
Why was this decision so difficult? Well, IT outsourcing is a little different than other forms of outsourcing that you may be familiar with.
Specifically, it’s defined as “the use of external service providers to effectively deliver IT-enabled business process, application service and infrastructure solutions for business outcomes.” IT outsourcing, also known as ITO, is often compared to the more commonly known practice of Business Process Outsourcing, or BPO. While BPO can sometimes include ITO, its focus is less on specifically catering to IT needs and is instead geared towards replacing a more general business function or process.
Since ITO is more uniquely specialized to replicate individual elements of an IT service, it can be an especially useful tool for IT companies that want to streamline certain processes without losing what makes their organization stand out against their competitors. For this reason, deciding when and where to implement ITO has historically been a complicated choice for many IT execs.
IT and COVID
This outlook has changed, however, during the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In both the short and long term, the impact of COVID-19 on the industry has been far-reaching.
IT has not been exempt from this reach — complex and fluid international mobility restrictions, rapidly increased demand for tech infrastructure, and emergent funding needs for smaller tech companies are just a few of the problems that have impacted the IT industry over the past two years. As a result, the need for IT outsourcing has skyrocketed to an all-time high.
Gallup reports that 62% of Americans worked from home in 2020. The desire to continue this remote working lifestyle versus the want for a “return to normal” has many people split, with most companies leaning into a hybrid remote/on-campus work blend since the lifting of many nationwide lockdown restrictions. In order to accommodate this new set-up, executives are finding that revisiting ITO is the best way to incorporate the needs of pandemic life into their business models.
As a matter of fact, “95% of IT professionals have seen their organizations redefine technology priorities following the Covid-19 outbreak, and 63% of Fortune 500 CEOs (paywall) expect the 2020 crisis to propel tech innovation in business.” ITO allows for this rapid transformation in tech without having to pay exorbitantly for new payrolled employees.
What services can be outsourced with ITO?
The possibilities are pretty endless. Depending on what your business needs, there’s almost guaranteed to be a third-party option out there that can satisfy these requisites. Some of the most frequently outsourced IT services include application and/or software development, web development, web hosting, application management, technical support, database development, telecommunications, and infrastructure.
The length and intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic was something none of us were expecting, and the way it has hit the globe has changed the way people will perceive business operations for decades to come. Whatever your plan may be for your business going forward, VoiceNation is here to help.
VoiceNation and Business Continuity
We care about your company’s ability to thrive, and we want to take communications and customer support out of the list of things you need to worry about while drafting out your business resumption plan. VoiceNation’s 24-hour answering service provides an easy-to-use, ever-available IT answering service for your business whenever you need it.
Our professional virtual receptionists are here to make sure your customers get the experience possible any and every time that they call. We also offer a call forwarding answering service for no extra cost, so that you never miss a call that you really need.
Business continuity is the name of the game here at VoiceNation!
Whether you need help with after-hours and weekend answering, extra support for your online shop, or simply hope to improve the overall quality of your customer interactions, we’re here to assist you. Check out our range of affordable price plans and start outsourcing your answering service today.