In the previous article we took a look at what a good IT support provider should do in order to create a good working relationship with you, and provide quality of service.
We also highlighted that support needs to be proactive, consisting of a team of tech minded individuals that are not only on hand in the event of a problem but are also looking to the future whilst preparing your IT landscape for what lies ahead. By merely fixing problems your IT provider will not be aligning your IT landscape to the way you wish to run your business, and therefore you will not be getting the most from your technology.
It is imperative that you understand what makes a good IT provider, so that you can then be certain to choose the right one that will provide you with whatever is best for the continued success of your business.
A good IT support provider will approach your IT landscape from a business perspective first, and then a technical one. Let’s explain, a good provider will investigate your IT landscape in the best interests of your organization from a business sense, looking for tools that will boost production and overall output. (There is no use implementing brand new expensive tools if they don’t actually help your business individually.) Going slightly further, they will look for solutions that are catered to assist you with your individual challenges and ensure the most efficient solutions possible. We will now explore how a good understanding of your business alongside a good relationship with technology can help to propel your business to a more prosperous future.
A good IT support provider will …
Be experts in their field
A good IT provider will have a team of dedicated experts that will, whenever possible, forward their expertise on to the right individuals in your organization. This will give them the freedom to take control of your IT landscape – in turn lowering your reliance on your provider. Whether or not you trust them to take full control of your technical landscape, your educated team will ensure that they are using the tools provided as effectively as possible.
Find a cost-effective way of achieving your goals
A good provider won’t just recommend the most expensive or most popular tools on the market but will find the most cost-effective method of achieving your goals, regardless of their popularity. As long as the tools are the most up-to-date supported models and are capable of doing the job, why pay for the most expensive model when it isn’t the right one for your organization?
Look to the future
The best providers always have one eye on the future. Of course, it is impossible to see things before they happen, and the reality is that some problems are impossible to anticipate by anyone – be it you or the team of experts from your provider – until it is too late. The right provider will invest time into getting to know different team members from various departments to be sure that they uncover all of the little problems that aren’t often remedied due to their perceived inadequacy. This is also the best way to get to know what a system is really like, because who knows it better than the people that are using it every day? This will also boost your relationship with your team – there is nothing better than an employer that is taking your bug bares into consideration.
Take some of the load for you
As a business owner you carry a heavy load on your shoulders every day, and there is always something to think and worry about – unfortunately these are the realities of owning your own organization. A good IT support provider will help you bare the weight of that heavy load. Don’t worry, you will still have the final word on what is implemented or put into action, but the technical side of things can be completely in their control, enabling you to concentrate on what you are good at – managing people and running a business, not checking if the latest anti-virus software is downloaded.
Have a strategy led approach
Once having discussed all aspects of your business with you, your IT provider should then work out an approach toward your IT based around a strategy that will be best for your organization. A lot of IT providers claim to do this anyway alongside a proactive approach, but in reality most of them will sit with their fingers crossed hoping you don’t call them for help at all; this is why it is imperative to pick the right provider that wants the best for your organization going forward – with the right strategy to match.
Roadmap your technological strategy
A Roadmap is simply a plan for the future of your IT. For modern business a Roadmap is highly recommended – creating a plan of action when it comes to the onboarding of new technological tools can effectively align the different sectors of your business to ensure that they are all complimenting each other to achieve their goals.
Improve your teams experience with IT
As we have touched on previously, a good provider will communicate with your team and find out what problems – if any – they are having with their current IT solutions. Traditionally, IT support didn’t include your team as a consideration, but modern work demands it. There are so many different technological solutions with so many varying functions that there is no guarantee that what works for the business down the road will be right for your team. The right IT support will make your team feel part of the IT decisions that take place in the business, therefore allowing them to work efficiently with tools that they have had a part in selecting.
IT support – the right way
Business owners aren’t getting what they pay for when it comes to IT support – this simply isn’t acceptable. Our team offers a wide range of managed IT service plans specifically catered to fit your organisation’s needs whatever your budget. We utilise cutting edge technology to improve the efficiency of your business whilst simultaneously ensuring we adhere to your company ethos and the way that you like to do things. Get in contact and find out how we can work together to achieve your goals with IT as a powerful weapon in your arsenal.
