Benefits Up Front
- You need good IT support for your business. All businesses need that—today more than ever. But how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? How can you tell whether your support team will really deliver what you need?
- The main objectives of IT support are (1) to help your technology run smoothly and efficiently, and (2) to keep your data and sensitive information secure. Most IT managed support providers (MSPs) offer services that aim to do both. But there’s a secret ingredient to truly excellent IT support.
It’s All About Process
Remember when we discussed what should happen when you encounter turnover in your technology team? We said that turnover is inevitable, but it can be managed by having documented procedures in place.
Despite turnover, less disruption will occur when things are done in the same way each time. That principle applies here as well. Regardless of whom you call or when you call, the secret to good support lies in how the process kicks in and is followed up.
For example, suppose a mission-critical component for your business goes wrong. You receive a ransomware note. Or your employees cannot log in to vital applications or sites. Or you encounter significant loss of data. Whatever the problem, your MSP should respond with the same procedure every time.
Whether you call, send an email, or engage in online chat, your MSP’s representative should ask you what the general problem is, create an electronic ticket to summarize the problem, and put you in touch with a team member who is able to address the issue. You should also be given the contact information of the team member who is chiefly responsible for handling your concern. Most important, you should be able to expect exactly this process every time.
Support Procedure Should Focus on Communication
Subsequent follow-up should focus on communication. Your MSP’s contact person should keep you informed about important developments as they work to resolve your problem. This is especially true if the matter is complicated.
When addressing complex problems, your MSP should employ procedures for documenting important milestones along the way. If there is no documentation, it is difficult to keep the IT team up to speed and things will take longer.
As progress in achieving the milestones occurs, your MSP should notify you about what is happening and give you an idea of how much longer it might take to resolve your problem. You should not need to contact your MSP for such information: they should contact you.
In addition, progress on your ticket should be documented so that any representative of your MSP can provide you with up-to-date information even if your project’s manager is unavailable.
Overall, even if your particular problem requires extra time to resolve, you will have more peace of mind and will be able to cope more appropriately if your MSP has procedures in place to keep you informed.
Now IT Works employs similar procedures internally. That’s why we have retained satisfied customers for over 20 years. Our customers always know what’s going on. Contact our support team.
Arrange a FREE Consultation to learn more about our IT support for small businesses.