Recurring issues and long waits frustrate users. Managed services can help.
Virtual work is here to stay, but remote IT support remains a vexing issue for the millions of Americans working from home at least part of the time.
Because they are no longer working with office technology that is regularly maintained by the company’s in-house IT staff, remote workers often encounter technology issues they can’t resolve themselves. The average remote worker has experienced 230 tech problems trying to do their job from home over the past year, according to a OnePoll survey.
Getting help for those issues can be frustrating, other surveys show. Nearly half of remote workers in the U.S. report they’ve had to wait at least three hours or more to resolve an IT issue, according to the market research firm Omnisis. About 60 percent report having a negative experience with the IT department when seeking remote support.
Paradigm Shift
In many ways, recurring tech issues and long wait times simply illustrate the degree to which IT support processes have been designed for in-house staff and company-owned systems. Keeping remote technology up and running is a terrific challenge because it is largely out of IT’s direct control. The PCs, laptops, printers, wireless routers and other gear being used at home aren’t being regularly monitored, maintained, patched and upgraded by certified IT technicians.
In fact, IT staffers may have little to no knowledge of much of the technology being used by at-home workers. According to Gartner’s 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey, more than half of respondents reported that they use applications or web services that they personally obtained.
“When organizations were forced to go remote in early 2020, workers started to rely on their own devices or programs they discovered themselves to make up for their employers’ technology shortcomings,” said Whit Andrews, distinguished research vice president at Gartner.
To support work-from-home operations, organizations must have the capacity to remotely resolve a broad range of issues that can derail remote work. Some of the common support requests from remote workers include:
- Network access. Remote employees often need help installing, configuring and troubleshooting VPN technology for accessing the company network.
- Cloud support. Users often need help setting up profiles and accessing cloud-based applications and services.
- Security. Remote workers often need help installing client security software on their devices, as well as application updates and patches.
- Conferencing and collaboration. Teleworkers often need help with webcams or digital cameras, microphones and speakers, video cards and client software.
However, the manpower and expertise required to provide such support are often beyond the capacity of small to midsized businesses (SMBs). More than 80 percent of SMBs do not have an actual IT staff, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Instead, these organizations may rely on one “IT person” — a generalist who handles everything from setting up the network and updating software to resetting passwords and maintaining printers.
Managed Services Advantages
Going forward, businesses of all sizes will need qualified IT experts with specialized skill sets to support hybrid environments with both in-house and remote technology. Smart organizations are working with managed services providers (MSPs) who have the manpower and expertise to augment company IT staff.
In addition to handling basic IT functions such as maintenance, updates, security patching and more, MSPs typically offer network monitoring and maintenance as well as more specialized services such as managed security, help desk support and more. An MSP can also provide remote workers with on-call expertise on the deployment and use of cloud, collaboration and other emerging technologies.
The shift to virtual working requires a new approach to IT support. Addressing the needs of an increasingly flexible workforce requires around-the-clock availability of IT staff who can rapidly resolve a wide range of issues. For most companies, a managed services arrangement will provide the ideal mixture of availability and expertise.
