Looking for an IT support company or any place at all is a daunting task, especially if you’re looking for one that will help you make the most bang for your IT buck.
Many businesses in Australia hire IT support companies to help them improve their operations with technology. Of course, these businesses have the option to create their own in-house IT team. But the downside of it is it takes more time and money on your part. Outsourcing your IT means you’ll have more time to focus on your business than deal with IT issues.
Finding the right IT support company is essential if your goal is to improve your business for the better. To do that, you need to do enough research and ask them the right questions to figure out if they’re a good fit for your business or not.
To help you, we’ve created a list of the eight things you should know when looking for an IT support company.
Response & Resolution Time
When you’re looking for an IT support company, you’ll want to know how fast they could get on with your IT problems.
If one or more of your employees are experiencing one IT problem and another, it will affect their productivity. And this ultimately affects your business output.
No IT support company is the same. Their response times vary, and sometimes it is because the way they deal with a problem is different. But occasionally, it depends on the gravity of the issue.
When you’re already in talks with a company, ask them various questions about their response times such as:
- the time it takes to respond to a support query
- the time it takes to do onsite support
- the time it takes to solve IT issues (especially if it involves a vendor)
Ask for proven metrics and reviews to ensure the authenticity of their claims.
Remember that response time is not synonymous with resolution time. Response time only entails when your IT support company will start working on your issue.
Tip: There's no 100% foolproof IT system. There are always going to be IT-related problems no matter who you're service provider is or how much you're paying them. The key is to look for an IT support company that can get to those problems straight away and have you up and running again in no time.
Cyber Security
Data security is one of the most vital elements in any business.
When you’re a business in the 21st century, your success depends on your data.
So that means your data is essentially a business asset. And keeping it safe should be your top priority.
Since cyber security threats are evolving by the day, you need someone who is up to date with them and has the necessary skills to keep your business protected. Sticking to old infrastructure and traditional security measures only does more harm than good. Because it not only offers an 'easy-in' for hackers to access your data, you also lose precious customer trust which ultimately impacts your business cash flow.
It's always best to look for an IT support company with a proven track record of keeping cyber threats and disasters at bay. But note that having the best IT support doesn’t mean you’re impenetrable against cyber-attacks.
No one is 100% safe against them.
Being with the right IT company is your best defence against cyber threats!
Because they should 'in theory' create tailor-fit cyber security strategies according to your operations and goals. And prepare your business in case of any unforeseen data breaches that may occur such as signing you up for a cyber insurance policy to cover any cyber-related damages that are usually not covered in a typical business insurance.
Reputation
You wouldn’t want your business to partner with someone with a bad reputation, right?
When you want to outsource to an IT company, it is only necessary to check their reputation with their current and old clients.
Check their online customer reviews to find out what other people think of their service quality.
If you want to take this up a notch, ask your prospect IT company if they can give any client referrals that will be willing to share their experiences with you.
Then give those client(s) a call and ask how their experiences with the company were and if it was worth the investment etc.
Budgeting
Your business should have an IT budget.
It would be unusual if you didn’t.
It is a good sign if your prospect IT support company is willing to help you find workarounds, so you can stay within your IT budget without compromising the service quality you’re getting.
Your expected IT spending would depend on the intricacies of your IT needs. That’s why some IT service providers, like Office Solutions IT, offer tailor-fit packages, so you only get to pay for the things you need. This option allows you to predict your monthly IT expenses and control your spending.
If you’re on the fence about your IT budget, good IT support companies will help you create one based on how much your business is earning and how much you’re willing to spend. With this, you can get the best IT service and equipment options within your current resources.
Team Expertise
IT support companies employ experts qualified in handling IT problems.
When you're in good hands, your IT issues get resolved quickly so you can go back to running your business in no time.
You can always ask about their teams' qualifications to ensure that you’ll be getting the best support in case of disasters. Scale their expertise through experience, certifications, and training. Ask how long their employees have been working in the IT industry. If they can show a track record, the better.
Vendors like Microsoft offer a variety of certification programs to partners and individuals who sell their products. It is critical that you ask your potential IT service provider what type of certifications the company and their employees hold.
On-going training is also essential in the IT field. Since technology is constantly evolving, it’s only natural for an IT support company to keep up with the latest technologies. Feel free to ask your prospect IT company these questions:
- Are people getting trained?
- How are people getting trained?
- What resources do they use?
Proactivity
A good IT support company focuses on fixing problems and reducing them. On-going support for system network and email-related issues are alright since they make up most of your needs. But they should ideally prevent problems from happening before they even show up. And one way to do that is through proactive IT management.
Proactive management is consistent monitoring and implementing permanent fixes to potential problems before you even experience any network problems like outages.
In short, it prevents bad things from occurring.
This process requires IT companies to be familiar with their client's IT system and industry to make the best decisions in achieving their business objectives, whether to improve team productivity or reduce IT spending.
But proactive management shouldn’t stop there.
An ideal IT support company shows proactive management by regularly setting meetings, revisiting business goals, looking for improvements and planning to achieve them more efficiently.
Availability
IT-related problems can come at any time. Sometimes, at the most unexpected and crucial times. If you’re choosing an IT support company, choose one that has a 24/7 IT support team. Availability is critical if your business heavily relies on technology to operate.
But even if your business only operates during the day and not at night, it’s still beneficial to have someone that can monitor your IT systems 24/7 to guarantee that everything is working well. And if something goes wrong during the night, someone can get to it right away instead of you finding it in the morning and waiting for it to get fixed.
Commitment
Your IT support company should be committed to your success.
They should prioritise your company and help you reach your goals over gaining profit.
Check success stories and case studies of their (past and current) clients to know how they could help you with your IT.
Beware of IT support companies who don't have references or wouldn’t share a client success story.
Moving forward
Looking for an IT support company doesn’t seem like an impossible task anymore now that you know what you should look out for.
Find the right company that your business can rely on. Not just in your IT support demands, but also in developing the succeeding steps to achieve your goals. They must possess the things mentioned above to get things done right and help you improve your business in more ways than one.
If you’re looking for a trusted IT service company to support your business, feel free to reach out to us.
