One of the keys to running a successful company today is having a reliable IT system in place. However, for many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), managing their own IT can be challenging. Fortunately, they can outsource their IT support requirements to a managed IT services provider (MSP).
What is an MSP?
An MSP like Spectrumwise is a third party that provides organizations with IT support, management, and maintenance services for a fixed monthly fee. They also offer other IT services, including network security auditing, IT consulting, cloud migration, and server setup.
What are the advantages of outsourcing IT support to an MSP?
SMBs can reap the following benefits from partnering with an MSP:
1. Cost savings
Outsourcing is often more cost-effective than hiring an in-house IT team. For example, the average annual salary of a technical support specialist in Charlotte, North Carolina is $58,077. This amount doesn’t yet include their benefits and costs related to hiring, training, and provisioned equipment. And given how complex the IT field is, you’ll often need more than one IT staff to cover all your bases.
In contrast, when you partner with an MSP, you gain access to a complete team of IT experts for a flat monthly rate that’s a fraction of the cost of having an internal IT team.
2. Access to IT expertise and top-notch IT support technologies
An MSP is composed of technology professionals from various IT fields who can provide quick and effective tech support. Because of their expertise and wealth of experience, they can handle a huge volume of support tickets much faster than an in-house team. They can also accurately identify the root cause of various tech issues and ensure that these problems are properly addressed.
Moreover, MSPs use the following powerful tools that help them deliver exceptional IT support:
- Ticket management system – allows technicians to effectively manage and resolve tickets and provide excellent customer service
- Help desk knowledge management system – provides technicians easy access to the information they need to solve IT problems
- Remote monitoring and management software – enables technicians to detect and resolve IT issues in real time
3. 24/7 IT support
Just like the rest of your staff, your in-house IT team have the weekend off. This means they won’t be able to resolve any tech issues or support tickets submitted during the weekend. If this happens, your services will be inaccessible, frustrating customers and leaving them dissatisfied, and so they may take their business elsewhere.
With an MSP, you get 24/7 IT support, so tech issues are addressed right away. This means improved IT uptime, allowing you to serve your customers without interruption.
4. Guaranteed service levels
Most MSPs provide a service level agreement (SLA). This document contains details, such as:
- Duties and responsibilities of the MSP and the client
- IT services that the MSP will provide
- Guaranteed response and resolution times
- Escalation procedures
With an SLA, you can be sure that the MSP will respond to you and resolve IT issues within a specific timeframe. And if they cannot meet their guaranteed service levels, there are typically corresponding penalties. This means you know exactly what you can expect from them and that the MSP is held accountable for their actions.
4. Increased business efficiency
Outsourcing IT support allows you to shift your focus from resolving technical issues to growing your business. Since an MSP will take care of all your IT needs, you can spend more time making sure that your business is running smoothly and meeting customer expectations.
To enjoy all of the aforementioned benefits, you need to partner with a reliable MSP like Spectrumwise. For over 20 years, we have been providing SMBs in Charlotte with exceptional IT services. We are ready to do the same for you. Schedule a consultation with us today.