I'm planning for the future and need to determine how many IT support staff we should have when we eventually transition away from using a third-party support provider. Currently, we're thinking about how many staff we would need to adequately support our growing organization of 200 users, most of whom are non-technical salespeople. I suggested a ratio of 1 IT staff per 50 users, which gives us around 4 total staff — 2 L1, 1 L2, and 1 L3. Does this staffing plan seem reasonable? I want to ensure we won't be left understaffed and struggling later on. Also, I foresee that the in-house team might need to assist with some development-related tasks around Azure and AWS from time to time, but mostly we'd be replacing the current third-party support, which handles onboarding, offboarding, and basic operating system support. Am I on the right track here, or do you have any suggestions for a better plan?
5 Answers
It’s hard to pin down a specific number without knowing more about your workflows. For example, if you have any special software or systems, that could increase how much support you need. But with 4 staff, it sounds like you’re on a good path! Just keep tracking how support is used and adjust staffing as needed. Also, don’t forget the importance of having backup coverage for times when someone is unavailable.
Absolutely consider your users' expectations. Some roles are more demanding in terms of support. From what you've said, it sounds like you’ve got the right idea with the breakdown of support levels. Each role may require different skills, so having a few resources who can tackle multiple areas might help alleviate workloads.
The number of IT support staff you need really depends on your users' tech-savviness. If your team consists mostly of non-technical roles, then your estimate of 4 support staff is pretty reasonable. A common rule of thumb is 1 support person for every 50 users, but context matters. If users are frequently reaching out for help and your work environment involves a lot of manual processes, you might find that you need more support. Think about ticket volumes and user habits to gauge if your staffing aligns with their needs.
You're asking a great question! For 200 users, if most are non-technical, a mix of 3 to 4 IT support staff is usually solid. Consider having 2 generalists who can handle a variety of issues, and maybe 1 or 2 higher-level staff for more complex tasks. If you can automate more processes, you could potentially get away with fewer staff. Look at your current support ticket volume as well; that will give you a clearer picture of your needs.
When we made a similar transition, we started with more support staff and adjusted as we understood our needs better. It’s best to over-staff a bit at first, especially since the current third-party service has a lot of internal knowledge that your new team will need to gather. Evaluate your ticket rates and consider all the tasks they will handle beyond just basic support too.
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