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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Kristin Robertson
KR Consulting, Inc.
604 Saddlebrook Drive
Colleyville, TX  76034
817/877-7030
krisrob@krconsulting.com
www.krconsulting.com

Outsourcing May Not Be the Answer For Smaller Help Desks and Support Centers:

Kristin Robertson Authors Best Practices Resource Book

Outsourcing – or offshoring – the help desk function is a growing trend in larger IT and high tech organizations. Many large companies have sent some or all of their technical support calls to centers in India, China and other offshore locations. According to HDI (formerly called Help Desk Institute), 2006 was the first year that most companies outsourced some aspect of their IT services.  The belief is the economies of scale gained from outsourcing will decrease the cost of support.  However, most experts agree that this trend does not extend into small to mid-sized organizations, where cost savings from outsourcing may be lower than for larger companies.  “If an organization is very small, it is usually not worth the trouble {to outsource}”, says Paul Roehrig of Forrester Research[1].

The need to maintain in-house help desks and support centers in the small to mid-sized (SME) market is the motivation behind Kristin Robertson’s latest book, Spectacular Support Centers: Best Practices for Small to Mid-Sized Help Desks and Technical Support Centers (ISBN 978-097134069-5, Customer Service Press, $56.95). This guidebook covers all aspects of the complicated art of running a support center, whether it is a corporate help desk or a technical support center.  Finally, managers of smaller support centers have a definitive reference guide to build and maintain the many processes, tools and people programs needed to provide excellent customer support.  The book presents best practices that are commonly used at larger support centers, then discusses modifications needed for smaller centers. Having managed both small and large centers, Ms. Robertson understands the unique challenges of running a smaller support center.

Kristin Robertson, founder of KR Consulting, Inc., a help desk and support center consulting firm in the Dallas, TX area, firmly believes that the smaller center can be a viable solution for companies.  She understands that customer perception and satisfaction are critical to efficient technical service delivery, repeat business and customer loyalty.  Often, customers are disenchanted with the treatment they receive when working with an outsourced support team, particularly overseas.

For additional information on Spectacular Support Centers, contact KR Consulting at www.krconsulting.com or visit www.spectacularsupportcenters.com.  This book is available now at a discounted, pre-publication price.  The official publication date is July 7, 2007.

ABOUT KR CONSULTING, INC. – KR Consulting provides a variety of consulting services for the help desk and technical services community.  Our focus is on assessing current operations against industry best practices, casting a vision of your ideal operating state, and creating a plan to get you to that goal.  We commit to equipping you with the knowledge you need to work independently and effectively.  In essence, we plan for our exit and are proud of you when you no longer need our help.  Kristin Robertson, President of KR Consulting, Inc. was a support center practitioner and manager for 15 years at both large and small companies. As a faculty member of HDI (formerly called Help Desk Institute) training program, she facilitates HDI soft skills certification classes for both frontline analysts and managers.  Ms. Robertson also audits many of the best support centers in the industry, comparing their operations to best practice standards, through Service Strategies’ Service Capability and Performance site certification program.

She has developed the course materials for several training seminars, including ones called “Using Best Practices to Design World-Class Workflows” and “Connecting with Customers: Serving with Emotional Intelligence”.  A gifted trainer, Kristin makes seminars fun and interactive. She is a frequent speaker at support industry conferences and events.

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[1] Ericka Chickowski, “To Outsource Or Not To Outsource: When Does It Make Sense To Outsource Your Help Desk?”, www.processor.com, March 2, 2007