Every Managed Service Provider (MSP) hits the same wall at some point: too many support tickets, not enough people to handle them, and nowhere near enough time to catch up. Whether it’s onboarding a new client, resolving an unexpected outage, or simply riding out seasonal peaks, your IT support team ends up stretched way too thin.

The good news? You don’t have to scramble to hire, pull your top techs off projects, or risk your business’ reputation. You just need a smarter way to scale; one that includes remote call answering and technical support that you can rely on.

Why Support Surges Are a Business Risk

Not all fluctuations in support volume are predictable. These are just a few of the scenarios that can catch even the most experienced MSPs off guard:

• Onboarding multiple new users or entire clients at once

• Running large-scale updates or hardware/software changes, like cloud migrations or device standardizations

• Responding to system-wide alerts or security events, like the Kaseya VSA incident

• Managing seasonal spikes in client activity, like tax season or year-end planning

• Reacting to cultural events that impact the workplace, like Covid-19 or Brexit

When internal teams can’t keep up, the consequences are real:

• Long response times and frustrated clients

• Project work delayed or dropped

• Senior technicians stuck handling basic issues

• Burnout, turnover, and missed SLAs

Surges don’t just impact your help desk–they slow your entire business. Many MSPs feel embarrassed to outsource live call answering and technical support, thinking it’s something they should be able to handle internally. But these surges in support tickets often show that getting the extra help is necessary to continue providing the level of service your clients expect and rely on.

Why Traditional Scaling Doesn’t Work

Most MSPs try to scale IT support the hard way:

• Hiring in a hurry? Time-consuming, costly, and may be unnecessary down the road.

• Reassigning top techs? Inefficient, demoralizing, and a waste of top-dollar talent.

• Working overtime? Costly, unsustainable, and unfair to your team.

These short-term fixes lead to long-term damage. What you need is a plan that works in real time–and that’s where remote technical support shines.

The Case for Remote Technical Support

Partnering with a provider of 24x7 technical support gives you the flexibility and responsiveness your clients expect, without overloading your in-house team. 

Here’s how outsourced help desk support teams can enable MSPs to scale seamlessly:

• Instant flexibility: Whether you’re onboarding 50 users or dealing with a major incident, a remote team can scale up or down with you.

• 24x7 computer tech support: Provide around-the-clock service without burning out your staff or adding overnight shifts.

• Tier 1 ticket handling: With a dedicated remote support team to handle routine support tasks, your senior engineers are freed up for critical work.

• Client-ready quality: Top-tier remote teams offer the same professionalism, communication, and friendliness your clients expect from you.

One Helpt partner recently avoided total ticket gridlock during a season of growth. While they were searching for, hiring, and training a technician, our team stepped in to handle Tier 1 duties. No missed calls. No delays in service. No pressure to rush onboarding.

What to Look For in a 24x7 Tech Support Partner

Not all remote providers are created equal. Look for:

• Fast Onboarding: You need support that understands your clients, tools, and workflows–fast. At Helpt? Onboarding can take between two days and two weeks depending on the service level offering.

• True 24x7 Coverage: Not just “available” after-hours, but proactive and fully staffed. With Helpt technicians covering every US timezone, your calls will always be answered within 20 seconds.

• Flexible Pricing Models: Scale up during peak times, scale back when things settle down. That’s exactly what the previously mentioned Helpt partner did once his technician was up and running!

• Tight Collaboration: Your outsourced help desk should align with your tools, follow your processes, and honor escalation paths—seamlessly extending your brand. One Helpt partner recently said their clients know Helpt technicians by name and often forget they aren’t the MSP’s employees!

In Conclusion, Scale Before You’re Stuck

If your internal IT support team is already stretched thin, it’s time to stop relying on patchwork solutions. Outsourcing doesn’t mean you’re failing. Sometimes, it’s the best way to continue delivering the level of service your clients expect. With the right remote technical support partner, you can absorb surges without panic, improve client satisfaction, and keep your engineers focused where they add value the most.