Technology Insights
Why You Should Sell a Help-desk Solution: Your Strategic Opportunity
By Rebecca Muhlenkort / February 10, 2025
In this article:
In the era of remote and hybrid work, ensuring secure and predictable IT infrastructure is more critical than ever. However, managing IT and SaaS applications has become increasingly complex due to these distributed environments. The problem is compounded by a growing shortage of IT experts and a widening skills gap.
According to Gartner, it’s harder than ever for IT teams and organizations to keep skills current, increasing corporate risk and putting additional pressure on Infrastructure and Operations (I&O) functions over the next 12 months.
In this environment, many businesses are turning to external IT providers or managed service providers to keep SaaS applications, hardware, and devices running smoothly.
What are IT support or help-desk solutions?
Remote IT support or help-desk solutions provide businesses with timely, efficient technical assistance for software, hardware, and network issues, ensuring seamless operations and enhanced customer experiences.
What should businesses look for in the right IT support partner? And if you’re a technology provider or technology advisor, how can you best guide your customers in making decisions about these IT support options?
This blog explores criteria for selecting an IT support partner to manage cloud apps and infrastructure. It also highlights how technology advisors can empower their clients to maintain business-critical tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and security solutions, ensuring smooth, uninterrupted operations. Let’s get started!
The case for managed services
Managed IT support services help businesses maintain operational efficiency. Not only that, as an advisor offering managed services you can overcome margin compression in the market. Advisors can differentiate themselves, stay competitive, and deliver added value. With the managed services market projected to reach $557.1 billion by 2028, this presents a significant growth opportunity.
Why offer managed services?
Further expand your recurring revenue model: Build a predictable revenue stream
Focus on customer retention and expansion: Strengthen relationships and grow your customer base
Explore new markets and diversify revenue streams: Tap into new opportunities and reduce risk
Strategic partnerships and alliances: Leverage partnerships to enhance service offerings
Drive efficiency and impact
To select a partner that supports critical business needs, look for these must-have features that drive efficiency and impact:
24/7 technical support: Businesses that depend on mission-critical applications need round-the-clock support. Look for providers who offer real-time troubleshooting for SaaS applications, devices, and connectivity to the local network.
Setup and configuration expertise: Effective support for platforms like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 is essential. Providers should assist with setup to ensure applications are optimized for admins and end-users.
Advanced knowledge and fast resolution: Providers with deep expertise in cloud and productivity platforms can offer faster, more efficient problem resolution, saving businesses time and reducing downtime.
Remote diagnosis and repair: To minimize costly on-site interventions, remote diagnosis and repair capabilities are crucial, allowing issues to be resolved quickly via phone or chat.
"Margin compression is a mounting challenge for advisors as competition rises and services become increasingly commoditized. To combat this, advisors must differentiate and deliver greater value. Offering managed services allows you to stand out and address customers’ price sensitivities in today’s market." —Andrew Krawczyk, Senior Manager, Support Services, AppDirect
AppDirect SmartSupport: Solving the IT management challenge
For comprehensive SaaS and IT assistance without relying on an internal IT team, AppDirect SmartSupport offers a flexible solution. SmartSupport is a helpdesk solution and technical service management that covers hardware, software, with end-to-end support for Google, Microsoft, and cloud apps. Designed to streamline cloud app and device support, it helps businesses maintain productivity with expert technical guidance across various needs.
For business clients, SmartSupport provides a streamlined, expert solution to managing complex SaaS environments and tech issues—letting business customers focus on growth instead of IT challenges.
Top benefits:
Fast problem resolutions: Customers report that most issues are addressed by a technical engineer in one hour or less
Maximize productivity: With SmartSupport, customers can expect friendly assistance for end users and timely escalation for admins
Customers can embrace the cloud with experts to help: Move confidently and grow your cloud footprint with helpful guidance from experienced experts
Full IT lifecycle support: Receive comprehensive support for onboarding and end-user services to keep operations running smoothly. In addition to troubleshooting issues (break/fix), the SmartSupport team also answers how-to questions and provides best practices to ensure seamless IT operations.
Support for popular productivity apps like Google and Microsoft: Specifically tailored for businesses using Google Workspace and Microsoft applications, providing 24/7 technical support, setup assistance, and access to advanced product knowledge
Premium support options: SmartSupport Premium includes a full spectrum of IT support, covering everything from device troubleshooting to malware remediation, with remote problem resolution and flexible support options
A competitive edge
Offering AppDirect SmartSupport as part of your managed services can make you more competitive and empower you to deliver great customer value. Advisors can position themselves as essential partners, delivering reliable and cost-effective IT management solutions that build client loyalty and open new growth paths.
Unlock opportunities for technology providers, too
If you're a technology provider interested in offering support services, consider our white-label support solution AppHelp. With AppHelp, businesses can provide direct support for many digital services sold via their marketplace. Whether introducing new support services or optimizing existing solutions, AppHelp empowers technology providers to deliver exceptional customer support by outsourcing to our experts. Explore how a telecommunications provider reduced churn by nearly 25% by outsourcing IT support services.
Curious about other ways to fight margin compression with managed services? Learn more in our blog The Managed Services Opportunity: How You Can Capitalize for insights about AppDirect’s network management offerings. Also, check out the SmartSupport offerings available in our AppDirect catalog.
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