Technical Support & Help Desk Services Category Procurement Intelligence Report

The market for Support and its sub-segments such as Technical Support & Help Desk Services are at an interesting intersection. In a bid to differentiate themselves in an overcrowded technology space, suppliers are now focusing on creating industry-specific specialized products. Buyers see this trend as an opportunity to procure more targeted solutions and are developing internal capabilities to identify and leverage innovations in the supplier base.

Global market is facing a shortage of professionals with requisite skills and training. Minimum wages and stringent regulations are compelling suppliers to increase their employee expenses which are expected to have an inflationary impact on buyer's procurement cost.

Stringency in the regulatory norms pertaining to data protection and cybersecurity has increased compliance and security burden on suppliers. These additional costs have a potential to drive marginal increase in prices across the key geographies.

Trends like these and many others discussed in this report are necessitating a relook at the way Technical Support & Help Desk Services is procured and the procurement cost saving opportunities that exist.

Sometimes, procurement functions are unable to timely alter their practices while responding to market conditions. Industry experts acknowledge that periodically reviewing procurement best practices and adopting learnings from across procurement categories can help procurement teams respond to market needs in a more agile way. This report combines our experience of other categories with Technical Support & Help Desk Services procurement insights and hand picks best practices that can work for category managers delving in this market.

For example, Needs of buyers can vary depending on the industry where buyers operate. For instance, buyers from the financial services industry give high importance to regulatory compliance and data security, whereas buyers from the e-commerce industry prioritize high throughput, low response time, and high scalability. Hence, service providers with a strong knowledge of the security, compliance, and governance needs of buyers' industries and a proven track record of performance with respect to these aspects should be prioritized.

It is important for category managers to track and measure the performance of suppliers against a defined set of KPIs that are agreed upon by both parties. Buyers should engage with providers that offer mobile applications and online dashboards to monitor essential performance parameters of the products and services procured.

Prior to the commencement of contract-related discussions, buyers must ensure that they have clearly identified and listed down potential levers, such as duration of contract, resources required, space limits if relevant, terms of payment, expected resolution time, delivery point.

Technical Support & Help Desk Services procurement managers also need to proactively identify and mitigate potential risks that can arise in the supply chain or contracts for Technical Support & Help Desk Services procurement. Some examples include: