Historically, businesses that deploy IT in the right ways have benefitted in more ways than one. Incorporating IT into key business activities has helped supercharge productivity to unprecedented levels and hedge against the numerous challenges businesses face. This sentiment holds true to this date.
But despite these undeniable benefits, business managers have a natural tendency to procure solutions and services that don’t always align with their goals, solve problems to satisfaction, or even take into account their financial viability. Some clear signs of inadequate IT support include recurrent issues, heightened user data security and privacy risks, low solution adoption rates, and fierce user resistance across user departments.
IT support providers come in all shapes and sizes, but they all serve one purpose – helping organizations maintain a healthy and fully operational IT ecosystem. With that said, our attention now shifts to how businesses can find the right Charlotte IT support provider when faced with a sea of worthwhile options.
1. First, Take Inventory of Your Existing IT Needs and Challenges
With every revolution comes a wave of opportunities and challenges that can be remedied with IT. We’re at the onset of the fourth industrial revolution; one that’s wrought with security and compliance concerns for businesses that leverage IT.
Take an e-commerce store, for example. Reaching customers around the world calls for seamless collaboration between its CRM software, sales and marketing tools, payment systems, transportation, and logistics.
Data flow between these systems, while essential, is exposed to risk. The last thing our hypothetical e-commerce store would want is to have its users’ data exposed to an unauthorized third party. Similarly, institutions that are strictly regulated face compliance risk management issues and this could spell great financial turmoil if left to chance.
When defining your organization’s needs, shift your attention to identifying:
- Pain points – List down the things that keep your IT staff up at night and make them less productive.
- Existing equipment, assets, and other resources. These highlight your current strengths and capabilities.
- Opportunities or areas of improvement that would be addressed by the outsourced IT support team.
- Processes that would benefit from IT support.
- Users of your IT infrastructure in their numbers
With clearly defined priorities, business managers are able to gauge their prospective IT support provider’s abilities in reinforcing the overall IT strategy.
2. Evaluate Your Would-Be Vendor’s Capability, Expertise, and Experience
Third-party IT support providers hone in on diverse capabilities. Relevant certifications and specialty knowledge serve as proof that your prospective IT support provider has what it takes to keep your infrastructure secure and operational. Professional vendors in particular will likely have a proven track record of delivering services and solutions that address complex challenges across your industry.
In a CompTIA survey, nearly two-thirds of respondents value certifications when looking for their next tech hire. Relevant industry qualifications peer into the provider’s individual members’ capabilities and put to rest any doubts you may have in their ability to deliver at scale and on time.
Experience and qualifications foreshadow a high level of trust, honesty, and reliability. This is important because, as it stands, 94% of potential customers will avoid services from businesses with a negative reputation. Past customers of your would-be vendor (both satisfied and unsatisfied) leave behind reviews about their experiences on popular platforms, such as Yelp, Google Maps, and Clutch.co. However, you want to look into the quality of these reviews, not quantity.
Positive testimonials can further reinforce the provider’s image. Clearly, IT support providers with a long chain of satisfied clients are ideal to work with. However, be sure to look for testimonials relevant to your industry.
3. Read Carefully Through Your Ideal IT Support Provider’s Service Level Agreement
Many business owners often get into business with the wrong IT support provider, simply for failure to read between the lines when asked to sign the service contract (or service level agreement) . This document validates the contractual agreement between a recipient of a service and the vendor; it outlines the IT support team’s obligations and spells out much of your expectations.
Some terms and conditions provided in the document may include:
- A detailed overview of services
- Level of service and support involvement
- Average response and issue resolution time
- Deployed security protocols
- Performance expectations of applications
Service level agreement terms also set a performance threshold. For context, 98% of organizations say that a mere hour of downtime can dever $100,000 in financial losses. Prompt response can intervene.
As such, your vendor’s average response time should be prompt. Otherwise, it may necessitate an alternative vendor or additional costs in setting up additional measures to help resolve the IT-related issues whenever they arise.
4. Evaluate the Provider’s Customer Support Quality
A positive relationship between clients and vendors hinges on quality support. Every day, users of the organization’s IT network and infrastructure run into issues ranging from easy-to-fix to overly technical. It lies in your best interests to find an IT support provider that can respond to support requests and find quick fixes.
At the very least, your ideal provider should be proactive in their communication. In the event of a crisis, proactive IT support providers have a diverse portfolio of support channels in their arsenal, including email, phone support, live chat, and instant messaging.
Certification standards for customer service, such as Help Desk Certification and Call Center Certification should be treated as a bonus and not a mandatory requirement. These demonstrate the provider’s commitment to offering high-quality customer support and adhere to the industry’s best practices.
5. Weigh the Overall Cost of Service Against the Value for Money Spent
Mounting IT costs may divert cost-assertive business managers away from dedicated IT support. On average, it costs a couple thousand dollars per month of support. Most third-party providers offer their services on a subscription-based or pay-per-incident model. Each model covers separate aspects of service delivery and as the key decision maker, your ideal provider should suit both your business’s needs and budget.
Value of money can be measured by the return on investment. Consider all possible costs in relation to the acquisition, integration, upgrades, and maintenance of your IT infrastructure. If the service leads to reduced downtime, increased employee productivity, better security, and greater customer satisfaction, then, it is worth considering. Weighing direct and indirect costs against the service benefits provides a better view of the value for money spent.
While not all providers engage in subtle malpractice, business managers should beware of some managed IT companies that may offer their services with hidden costs. Steer clear of opaque or misleading pricing information; these are clear warning signs that the provider has an incentive other than your infrastructure’s health, security, and performance.
Conclusion
Choosing a reliable and experienced IT provider can significantly enhance your business’s operations and performance. The selection process, however, can be a strenuous and tedious task if not done systematically.
At SpectrumWise, we make it our priority to study your business’s special needs. It is through the insights gathered from this comprehensive needs assessment that we’re able to design and implement a custom IT strategy tailored to your business needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you handle data security breaches?
The first step in our response strategy begins with containing the breach. Infected programs and processes are quarantined to prevent further spread across the organization. Next, our security specialists diagnose the cause and source of the breach through extensive analysis. And being a proactive IT support provider, we’ll set up measures to ensure that no breach goes undetected.
Can SpectrumWise customize your IT services based on our specific needs?
At SpectrumWise, we understand more than anyone that your business has unique needs and that one-size-fits-all solutions just won’t cut it. Our expertise in the field spreads far beyond the confines of basic support; we understand the complex needs of businesses in various industries, from manufacturing, accounting, and healthcare, to architecture and engineering.
What measures do you have in place for disaster recovery and business continuity?
Our proactive IT management strategy is your first line of defense against total data loss in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. Beyond this, we offer a diverse collection of cloud services and resources, geo-redundant data centers, and top-notch expertise. Combined, these measures help shield your vital data from untimely disaster.
Is SpectrumWise compliant with industry regulations and standards?
Absolutely! Our compliance-driven approach for regulated industries is constantly reviewed. Our IT services and solutions adhere to industry-specific regulations to avoid legal repercussions and hefty fines from regulatory bodies.
