This is Why Law Firms Should Outsource Their Tech Support
Technical support is a critical service that law firms should have just in case something is wrong with their computers or other technology. However, having in-house tech support can be expensive and overall lower quality. The best option for law firms is to outsource their tech support.
Outsourcing their tech support is the more cost-efficient and overall more effective option for law firms. There are also multiple different tech service options available, so the law firm can select which one works best for them based on their own needs.
The following article is a more in-depth explanation of a few reasons why outsourcing tech support is the best option for law firms. It also includes a few recommended technical sources that a law firm should outsource.
Higher Quality IT Service
Having a professional technical support service handle any technology-related issues will ensure that the law firm is getting high-quality service. It will also ensure that any law firm clients can speak to professionals that can handle their specific problems.
Better For the Firm
It’s common for a law firm to have a few employees designated to handle technical issues. Depending on the firm’s size, there can be one person or a few people who have the majority of the technical knowledge required to solve most issues.
But having one person handle all of the technical issues can be highly inefficient for the firm and overwhelming for the employee. Even if it’s more than one person, an issue might come up that none of the employees know how to handle.
Outsourcing the law firm’s tech support will ensure that its employees can access the service whenever needed. Whether the firm is large or small, there will be a tech support company that has enough employees to cater to each of the employees when needed.
Furthermore, outsourced tech support companies have employees specializing in specific technical issues. This ensures that an expert can resolve any technical issue, and no problem goes unsolved.
Better for Your Clients
Having an entire technical support department will also be advantageous for the law firm’s customers. If there is an issue with the law firm’s website or another technical issue, customers will receive high-quality and fast tech service from the outsourced company. This gives the law firm an advantage over firms with in-house tech support, since customers can receive faster service from technical experts.
More Cost-Efficient
Hiring an outsourced technical support company is much more cost-efficient than having in-house tech support. The cost of an outsourced tech support company will also be much more predictable compared to in-house support.
Keep Employee Costs Down
The average cost of hiring outsourced tech support is about $1,000 to $1,500 a month. The cost fluctuates depending on how much support you need to cater to your law firm and how many tech resources you outsource. But the cost of outsourcing tech support is significantly less expensive than hiring a tech support staff.
The average cost of hiring tech support employees is hard to pinpoint precisely, but the average wage is $15 an hour. After a month of pay, the average cost is more than $4,000 a month. If the law firm has more than one technical support employee, the cost will increase.
No Need for Expensive Updates
The law firm will also save money and time on updating their technology. The outsourced company will handle setting up any necessary software to update the technology, and train their employees to be able to handle any new issues that can occur.
Cost More Predictable
Finally, outsourcing tech support will help the law firm better predict the monthly cost of tech support. With in-house tech support employees, the firm has to adjust their payment depending on how many hours the employees worked. But with outsourced tech support, there is usually one fee to pay per month that remains the same, so the law firm can plan out their budget more efficiently.
Information Is More Secure
Law firms have a significant amount of important information concerning customers and court cases. This information must be kept safe, and outsourced tech companies can keep information more secure than in-house tech support.
Law firms need to keep the information they are trusted with as secure as possible. Otherwise, they could be breaking multiple confidentiality laws. While information can be kept safe with in-house technical support, outsourced support is the more secure option.
The main ways outsourced tech support services keep information secure are through end-to-end encryption and using backup servers. Encryption means that information is coded from one server to another, making it harder for hackers or other cyber threats to find. Backup servers do as the name suggests: they are a second server that stores the data and keeps it safe if the primary server crashes.
Most outsourced tech support services also use malware protection softwares to detect any threats and prevent them from reaching the data. Technical support service employees are also monitoring your information at all times to ensure that nothing threatens the security of the law firm’s information.
More Accessible and Reliable Service
Having a separate technical support department makes it more accessible and reliable for law firm employees and customers. The more accessible and reliable the service is, the more the law firm can focus on providing the best service possible.
If there is a technical problem, then it’s imperative to get it solved as quickly and effectively as possible. If customers need to wait for a technical support employee, they might go to another law firm with faster service, and a potential customer was just lost.
Furthermore, law firm employees will need access to fast technical support services if they need to review something for a case or if they are dealing with a customer and their information. Easily accessible tech support service will help solve the problem quicker. More reliable service ensures that the problem is solved by an expert and prevents it from happening again soon after.
Which IT Resources Should Law Firms Outsource?
The main tech resources that law firms should outsource are:
- Call center services
- Printer and computer repair
- Data backup and storage
- Substantive software systems
Outsourcing these four technical services is the most ideal for law firms. They will solve the majority of any technical problems and be the most effective choices for making the firm run smoothly.
Call Center Services
The primary tech service that law firms should source out is call center services. These services will take any calls that customers or firm employees make, providing one-on-one customer service to help them solve their issues.
Outsourcing call centers is highly recommended because working in a law firm is highly demanding. Whether the employee is a designated tech support servicer or a lawyer, law firms must complete a significant number of tasks in one day. Having to handle technical issues can take time away from the tasks that must be done, but that issue is easily avoided with call centers.
Call centers have a variety of highly-trained employees that are able to handle any issues that customers or employees may have. While the call center handles technical issues, the law firm can ensure the practice is run successfully.
Printer and Computer Repair
Printers and computers are two of the most used technical pieces of equipment in a law firm. If they get damaged or there is an issue, then it’s crucial to get them fixed as soon as possible. Outsourcing the repair staff for this equipment will help the firm save time.
Law firms primarily use computers to store sensitive information and printers to print out reports and other important documents. But when there is an issue with them, the technical support employees might not be able to fix it, or they might be unavailable.
The law firm will then probably have to call a specialist and have them come down so the computer or printer can be fixed. The other option is to ship the printer or computer to the manufacturer for repair, which can take a significant amount of time.
Fortunately, outsourced tech companies are able to handle computer and printer problems. If a computer or printer starts having issues, the firm can contact the technical support service and receive live guidance on how to fix the issue. If the issue is more severe than what the tech support service can handle, then they will send out an expert at a time that works for the firm.
Having a support service the firm can contact will save a significant amount of time when trying to repair computers or printers. This allows the firm to solve any problems quickly and get back to using its equipment to complete tasks.
Data Backup and Storage
Law firms need to handle and store a significant amount of data. By outsourcing technical support services to focus on making sure the data is stored safely, the firm doesn’t have to worry about losing any critical data.
Data Backup Is Easier Done Off-Site
Data backup refers to a system that stores data in case the primary server crashes or gets hacked into. It acts as another level of security for important information, something that law firms have a significant amount of.
But these servers also require frequent monitoring and maintenance, something that a lone or even a few tech support employees might not be able to handle if they work for a large firm. Even if the firm is small, having a designated source for monitoring and managing the data backup servers can make things easier for the firm as a whole. Data backup services can provide high-quality and reliable backup servers, giving the firm an extra layer of data security.
Store Your Data Somewhere That Makes Sense
Data storage does precisely as the name implies: it safely stores data within the computer to ensure nothing gets lost. But if there is a large amount of data, then the computer might run slower or have more issues while someone is trying to use it. This is especially true if the firm is large, as larger firms have more significant amounts of information and data they need to store.
To avoid these problems, outsourcing a technical support company to store data can help ensure a firm’s sensitive data is kept safe without causing other issues. The technical support will be able to store data more efficiently and securely, and keep an eye on it so the firm’s employees don’t have to.
Substantive Software Systems
Substantive software systems refer to any systems that a law firm uses to manage its company. No matter how the firm uses management software, outsourcing its maintenance can help keep the software up-to-date and running smoothly.
But this software also needs to be monitored and protected to ensure it doesn’t crash or get hacked into, damaging all of the stored data. It also needs to be updated and consistently maintained to ensure that it keeps running smoothly. While a single or small group of technical support employees can do this, it puts less stress on them and the firm as a whole if this resource is outsourced.
Outsourced technical service employees will keep track of any necessary updates or maintenance that the management systems need and update them as soon as new updates are available. The employees will also watch the management software to ensure it doesn’t crash or get hacked into. This will allow the firm to focus on the tasks they need to and efficiently manage the critical information on these systems.
Final Thoughts
Shifting from in-house to outsourced tech support can definitely be a significant change for a law firm. But based on the advantages described above and how many resources a law firm can outsource, it’s the best option for high-quality and reliable technical support. Keeping these resources in-house may sound like a good idea, but the result is often messy and risky for a law firm.
Websites used:
https://www.masryvititoe.com/7-smart-reasons-why-law-firms-should-outsource-their-it
https://www.scarlettculture.com/blog/why-law-firms-should-outsource-their-legal-it-services
https://www.voipreview.org/blog/best-online-tech-support-services
