Technology will always have a habit of going wrong. Hardware can fail without warning, hackers can strike when you least expect it, and overlooked vulnerabilities can leave your entire technology infrastructure open to failure or, worse still, a data breach.
The question is, who will you call when you run into a technology hiccup that brings workplace productivity to a grinding halt? Traditionally, companies relied on a break/fix support model whereby they would call in a technician to resolve the issue at their earliest convenience. However, while there will always be the occasional need to call in an expert, a far better approach is to focus on proactive support. Here are reasons why:
#1. Unexpected Expenses
IT service companies that offer break/fix support typically charge by the hour, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that costs can quickly spiral out of control when it comes to resolving more complex problems. That’s only the cost of the labor too — you may also have to pay for replacement parts, and things like workstations or servers don’t come cheap.
One option is to hire a full-time network administrator, or your go-to IT guy for all things tech-related. However, experts in the field typically command six-figure salaries, far beyond what average small businesses can afford. What’s more, it’s an unnecessary expense when there’s nothing wrong with your computers and your employee has nothing to do.
#2. Extended Downtime
If mission-critical systems go down, perhaps due to a hardware failure or software update gone horribly wrong, you’ll have to call in a technician to fix the issue. But the problem is you have to wait for the technician, which means you may experience prolonged periods of downtime.
Extended periods of unscheduled downtime can quickly end up costing much more than the actual repairs and the expertise needed to carry them out. It can result in lost customers, brand reputation damage, and productivity loss. To give an example, Avaya found that unscheduled downtime ended up costing companies an average of $140,000 per incident.
#3. Recurring problems
When shoddy break/fix technicians depend on your problems to earn a living, there’s no incentive to fix issues proactively. Rather, they fix only surface-level issues so you’ll have to keep calling them back whenever the same issue comes back to haunt you. This not only leads to increased costs and more downtime, but it’s also extremely harmful to your company’s productivity. If employees constantly see blue-screen error messages and are unable to access their files, they won’t be able to do any work or serve your customers.
Overcoming Today’s Technology Challenges with Proactive IT Support
What if you didn’t have to worry about the unforeseen expenses, extended downtime, and reduced productivity that come with relying on break/fix support? What if there was a way to proactively maintain your systems, guard against cybersecurity threats in real time, and keep productivity to a maximum? Managed IT services providers monitor your system 24/7 and fix any issue before you even notice them for an affordable fixed price. They’re essentially an outsourced IT department that guarantees your computers are always running in peak condition.
At SpectrumWise, we help companies in Charlotte, Rock Hill, and Gastonia by taking care of their IT so that they can get back to running their businesses. Call us today to get the technology support you need.
