Outsourcing of 'on-site' user support - A case study of a European higher education centre

Abstract

Outsourcing has garnered significant attention regarding the perceived benefits or repercussions. Our research investigates the specific impact of outsourcing 'on-site' IT user support provision considered by many organizations to be an ideal candidate for outsourcing. We found that the cost implications of the outsourcing exercise provided no real benefit in comparison with in-house staff provision. Notably, moreover, the exclusion of end-users in the process had significant impact on the outsourced agent. We provide insight of real world practice to inform current and further practice and propose two considerations that should be addressed aimed at improving benefits to be realized. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.