Small Business Guide For IT Support – Part 1
A lot of small business owners have to juggle many facets of the organization. Everything from generating revenue for the business, providing customer service to all the clients to managing the day to day operations and addressing any technical issues that arise. We will be composing a three part blog series to provide valuable insight into how a small business can utilize a managed service provider (MSP) and the benefits of partnering with an experienced IT company. The first part of the three part series will discuss how a small business can utilize a managed service provider and how much time and money can be saved.
Professional Technical Support
Issues arise when a business least expects. Whether the in-house server crashed, a desktop computer has malicious software installed, or a printer decides to take a break from printing, computer equipment have been temperamental since the beginning of IT time. What is a small business to do? First, do not panic. There are many reasons computer equipment become faulty. For example, the hardware is nearing the end of life or something more severe is going on with the machine. Let’s discuss two different situations with the scenario described above. The first scenario will consist of a company who does not have a readily available IT team and the second scenario is partnered with a managed service provider.
Now if a computer were to have malicious software installed on the machine and the business did not have a IT team monitoring the computer’s health, what could the business do to resolve the issue? One resolution is to have the individual, who’s computer is infected, unplug all of the wires inputted into the machine. Take the machine over to Best Buy’s Geek Squad, leave the machine there for an unspecified amount of time and wait for the machine to be repaired. The employee loses time, falls behind with daily tasks, and most importantly, the business loses out on generating revenue for the company. This resolution could take days if not weeks depending on the Geek Squad’s work load and costs $199 to perform a diagnostic test. Let’s discuss this same scenario with a managed service provider monitoring the company’s network.
For starters, once the computer becomes infected the appropriate technician is contacted with an alert about the malicious software. The technician will then contact the employee who’s machine has gone rogue and will collaborate with the individual to get this issue resolved quickly and efficiently. The technician can then either remote into the machine and perform a routine diagnostic check and determine the issue or come onsite and repair the computer in person. Once the issue has been determined the dedicated anti-virus software installed on the machine will scan the entire computer and will be able to remove the virus from the machine within minutes. No lost productivity, employee is down temporarily, and the computer remains within the business and the employee can continue to work once the malware software is completely removed.
The two different stories above have happened to numerous organizations we have encountered. The tragedy of having an employee lose valuable time in troubleshooting the computer is something no worker should encounter. As a small business all employees are counted on to perform numerous duties outside of their job description and having one worker out of commission is lost time and opportunity for the business to focus on acquiring revenue.
How Did The Business Save Money?
The two different scenarios provided are examples of how the business can save and lose money. We’ll explain. In the first scenario the employee had to take apart the computer, drive over to Best Buy’s Geek Squad, and drop off the computer with little to no recourse. If the company the employee works for does not have a spare machine configured to his work environment, which chances are this is not the case, the employee is done for the time being. The worker leaves the machine with Geek Squad and has to wait until the fix is made. The organization loses money on the cost of repairing the device which can cost more than the computer is worth and the employee loses out on finishing tasks and projects thereby losing out on accumulating revenue for the company. If you have not heard, Geek Squad does not have the best reputation when it comes to resolving customer’s computer issues.
The second scenario have many more perks in terms of time, stress, and cost. The time to resolve infected computer issue would be complete in minutes instead of days or weeks. The machine would not have to leave the office, it would be worked on in real time, and the worker would not have to perform any task other than assisting technician with how the issue arose. The stress level of knowing the machine is in good hands provides a peace of mind and working with a technician who has helped in the past created a rapport with the worker. The trust factor is super important. Leaving a machine with a member of Geek Squad who has no idea of your work habits or preferences can really increase stress. The cost savings occur with the employee remaining at the office and the allocated hours the business has with the managed services provider’s monthly support plan. The cost of repairing the machine with Geek Squad could cost hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars which can run the bill up. When partnering with a managed service provider hours are allocated for reactive situations like these and are charged toward the monthly allocated time.
Conclusion
The first part of the three part IT guide series really jumped in head first to give you a transparent picture of how the IT world works. Being proactive is an excellent start, but having plans in place when a reactive situation occurs allows for efficient IT support and customer service. Join us on our adventure as we discuss more stories about preventing disasters from occurring and preventive methods to combat unforeseen issues.
Thanks for sharing this advice on getting a professional IT support company for your small business. I can definitely see the benefits of a computer IT company, especially with your example. When your computer is broken and you can’t access records for your job, it can be very frustrating. Being prepared and using an IT support service could mitigate that frustration from the very beginning!
Thank you Delores for the awesome comment! Knowing you have a professional technical team constantly working behind the scenes provides a peace of mind. What sort of issues do you run into on a regular basis over at CCS?