Information Technology (IT) support for your small businessIf you thought that outsourced information technology (IT) support services were something only big companies could afford, think again. External IT support is available for small companies at an affordable price. And outsourcing IT support has many benefits for the smaller organization.
If you have been burning the midnight oil trying to fix an IT problem yourself, read on. Here are nine ways small businesses will benefit from outsourcing their IT support.
1. Improve Your Customer Service
Whatever the size of your business, it is likely that your IT systems are crucial to the operation of your business. If your store’s electronic point of sales system (EPOS) fails, customers cannot buy from you. If your sales order processing system goes down, you cannot process new orders. And if your email stops working, you cannot communicate with your customers. Having an Information Technology (IT) support contract in place will ensure that all your critical systems stay online. That makes your life much more comfortable, and your customers will be impressed by your continuous 24/7 service.
2. Save You Time
If you have some technical knowledge, you could probably fix some IT issues yourself in time. Or you might have an employee who knows their way around computer systems. However, every hour you or a member of your staff spends trying to fix an IT issue is an hour when other jobs are not completed. The best IT support companies can solve your computer issues with only one phone call. If you outsource your IT support, you and your team will spend more time making your business a success.
3. Save You Money
Paying a regular IT support fee is almost always cheaper than hiring in expertise when you need it. Your Information Technology (IT) Support company will know which systems your company uses, and it will understand how your business operates. The support company will solve your IT issues faster than an external contractor would. If you hire an external IT consultant to fix only one case, the problem will take longer to resolve, and the contractor will likely charge for a full day of their time. Outsourcing IT support will almost always be cheaper for small businesses than hiring a full-time employee.
4. Maximize the Benefit of Your Investment in Information Technology (IT) Support
Having a tech support company managing your computer systems will help ensure the maximum return on your investment in IT. Your computer systems will be up and running when you need them. And your support consultants will help you get the most out of your software and hardware.
5. Access to a Broad Range of Experts
The best IT support companies will have consultants that can help you with every aspect of your IT systems. Specialist help will always be on hand when you need it. Your tech support company will help you resolve issues with your network, your applications, and your hardware, and all that expertise will only be a phone call away.
6. Keep You Up to Date with Technology
Technology moves on rapidly. It is unlikely that you have the time to keep up with all the latest developments. However, a professional IT support company will know what new versions of software might benefit your business and what upgrades and patches you need to install. Keeping your software up to date is essential for security, and it could improve your productivity. Your Information Technology (IT) support company will also help you find new solutions when you need them.
7. Continuation of Service
If you use internal resources to support your IT systems, you will have limited IT resources. When your IT manager goes on leave or leaves the company, you will have no support, or you will need to hire another employee. Your phone calls will always get answered when you use an IT support outsourcing company. If a tech company’s team member has left or is on leave, that problem does not become your problem.
8. Fast Resolution
Whether a system is business-critical or not, IT issues can waste a lot of time and cause a lot of frustration. The best Information Technology (IT) support company, though, will be able to resolve all your IT problems fast. There will be no hanging around waiting to get the problem fixed and no time wasted searching for a company that can solve the issue for you.
9. Expand Your Team’s IT Knowledge
Having an IT support team on hand will also help expand your employees’ IT knowledge. Whenever a team member hits a problem with an application, a support consultant will guide your team member through the solution. Often a call to your IT support company will uncover more efficient ways of using the software you have at your disposal. Or a support call might highlight the need for additional software or an application upgrade.
Conclusion
As you can see from the above, there are many more benefits of outsourcing your Information Technology (IT) support than you had probably realized. And an IT support contract can be scalable to suit your needs, so it is affordable for small companies. Indeed, the cost of an annual IT support fee will usually be less than the total cost to the business of only one significant IT failure.