We are investigating the use of our internal Help Desk to support external users of a new web-based service offering. I am familiar with staffing levels for internal Help Desks, as that’s what I’ve done for years.
I know the snswers will ultimately be “it depends”, but I really need a benchmark number to start from, then we can factor in all of the variables. My boss, the VP of IT, is simply doing some due diligence around the concept of offering this support model. Before we move forward with creating a business case, we want to get a general idea of how companies staff for this type of model.
I’m looking for some general numbers around Help Desk staffing ratios for a web-based service offering The service will have user authentication, multimedia content, and interaction back and forth with non-technical staff. For a web-based system like this, how are different companies staffing, say for every 100 users?
Any thoughts? Please don’t respond if all you have to offer is the “it depends” response with no detail. I know it depends on a LOT of factors, and I intend to account for as many of those factors as possible. I’m just looking for resources regarding a starting point.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
