What to look for in IT Support

What to look for in IT Support Timewade

Making the decision to outsource your IT may not be the easiest decision for a business. But your business may be growing and your technology is an integral part and needs to support your goals. You therefore need an IT Support Company who can take care of all your IT requirements, so you can focus on what you do best – your core business.

Sourcing the right IT Support Company for your business can be a challenging task, with different providers all offering similar types of service, so where do you start?

Here are some key considerations to help you make your decision.

Experience and Accreditation’s

How long has the IT Support Company been in business?

Check out their experience and whether they have accreditation’ /certifications with the systems they recommend and provide support for on behalf of their clients. It is always good practice to ask about the skills and experience of their support team and the training the company provides.

Cyber Security is fundamental to all businesses, what experience do they have within this field?

Ask for testimonials and case studies, though nowadays you can generally find these on the company website. Take some time to read testimonials from other clients or even ask to speak directly to one of their current clients from a similar industry to hear first- hand of their experience.

Monthly fixed fee with no surprises

You don’t want to be in the situation whereby every month you end up paying more for your IT support than you had originally agreed.

Ensure you know what is included within your support agreement and what is charged as extra.

For example, if your issue cannot be resolved by your IT Support Company remotely and a site visit to your office for further investigations is required, is this included or an additional cost?  Be aware of ‘fuzzy edges’, ensure transparency and ask what is included and excluded before signing any agreement.

Are all IT related problems included within the support? Including third party applications and will they liaise with your third party providers on your behalf?

What are their business hours for support?  If they close before you, how will this impact on your business and will there be extra costs involved?

How do they deal with support issues?

When your business relies on technology, any downtime can be frustrating for users and costly to the business. Ask about their support processes, how issues should be raised with them. It is also important to choose an IT support Company that responds to your issues within an agreed service level that reflects the nature and priority of the actual issue.

Be careful of companies that guarantee a resolution within a specified time frame, this may mean that the problem may not be completely resolved and could subsequently re-occur. Technology is complex and it is important to ensure the issue is investigated adequately.

Customer service and communication is really important, ensuring that you are kept up to date whilst your issue is being looked into. Also being able to understand the problem, so non-technical and plain English explanations are key to a successful partnership.

Location

May not seem apparent, and especially whilst with today’s technology the majority of support issues can be resolved remotely.  However the need for an IT consultant/engineer to visit your office to perform physical checks and maintenance may sometimes be necessary to resolve your issue.

If your support company is more than an hour away from your office, not only will it take time for the IT consultant to reach you, but it may also mean longer downtime than anticipated, impacting your performance.

Proactive Management and Strategy

Will you be appointed a Technical Consultant or Account Manager and how often will they come and meet with you to discuss your IT strategy?

Don’t settle for an IT support Company that meets your needs once and only talks to you when you have an issue. Are they reactive or proactive?

When we talk about Proactive Management, we mean more than routine monitoring.  You’re IT Support Company should want to work with your business, be familiar with your environment, understand your infrastructure, ensure your technology is working for you and work to reduce re-active issues.

Understanding your business and goals means that they will be able to make the necessary recommendations for solutions to meet the demands and needs of your business.

Are you considering outsourcing your IT, or looking to change your IT Support Company?

Timewade provide a unique approach to IT Support, but what we do is more than just support, our pro-active approach will ensure we get to know and understand your business and future growth plans too, keeping an eye on your progress and are always in touch.  Please feel free to get in touch with us to discuss our IT Support and Services further and how we can help you.

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