Your business IT is not something you want to take chances with. Technical problems can lead to costly downtime and data breaches, disrupting your operations and threatening your reputation and compliance.
That’s why it pays to work with an IT support company. With expert support around the clock, you can ensure your IT infrastructure supports maximum productivity and cost-efficiency. You’ll have experts on hand to help you create the best IT systems and solve any technical problems.
But before you can take advantage of the extensive benefits of outsourcing your IT support, you need to know what to look for in an IT support company.
What Does An IT Support Company Do?
Choosing the right company to take care of your systems and solve any issues is vital. It can be the difference between your operations running smoothly and your IT infrastructure letting you down.
An IT support company can manage your systems and provide customised services depending on your needs. They’ll have a team of experts who can improve the performance of your IT infrastructure by reducing downtime, improving efficiency, increasing storage capacity and solving vulnerabilities. They’ll also ensure that you follow IT security governance best practices by analysing and improving your information security with health checks and penetration tests.
Beyond day-to-day management of your IT, they’ll be on hand to respond to any issues or disruptions.
Some IT support companies will operate 100% remotely, while others can provide on-site services if needed.
Does Your Business Need To Work With An IT Support Company?
Before you start looking for external IT support, is it something your business needs? The short answer is yes.
Businesses of all sizes, across all industries, rely on IT infrastructure for everyday activities. From managing employees to organising and storing data and communicating with customers or colleagues, a vast range of business activities requires a strong foundation of reliable IT infrastructure.
When you leave the management of your IT to an external company, you can focus on the areas of your business that matter most to you. You can leave the technical complexities to experts who know what they’re doing and gain peace of mind that your IT system will run reliably and efficiently.
What To Look For In An IT Support Company?
When you invest in IT support, you gain a competitive advantage and minimise the risk of disruptions, security breaches and costly downtime. But choosing the right company is essential if you want to achieve the maximum return on your IT investment.
Here’s what to look for in an IT support company. Make sure your chosen IT service provider ticks all of these boxes.
24/7 Availability
Technical problems can happen at any time — day or night — and the sooner they’re solved, the less of an issue they’ll be. You need an IT support company that can monitor your systems and respond to problems around the clock. This way, whether your business operations run 24/7 or not, issues can be solved as soon as possible, minimising the risk of downtime disrupting your operations and costing you money.
Differing Levels of Support
Whether you need fully managed IT support or specific services to improve performance or solve an issue, it’s best to choose a company that can offer differing levels of support.
While some companies will offer set “one-size-fits-all” packages, choosing a company with bespoke options and pricing is the best way to get the support you need. You’ll only pay for the services you need, and you’ll have the freedom to adjust your services if your IT requirements change.
Scalable Services
You need an IT support company to meet your current requirements and adapt its services as your business grows. IT experts should know how to deliver services that empower your business to achieve its goals and gain a competitive advantage. Then, when your business grows, they should grow with you, adapting their support to meet your changing needs.
Rapid Response Times
This is one of the most important things to look for when choosing an IT support company. If you experience technical difficulties or your system goes down, the last thing you want is to spend hours on the phone trying to get hold of an unresponsive IT team.
Downtime, reduced performance and even minor disruptions can cost you time and money. You need to sort any issues as quickly as possible.
So check that your IT company guarantees rapid response times and an easy way to get in touch. For example, businesses often choose Optimising IT because we promise rapid responses and 78% of the time, we’ll resolve issues over the phone when you first get in touch.
The Ability to Solve Complex Issues and Explain Them in Simple Language
IT experts should have no problem tackling technical issues, no matter how complex. They’ll have the training and experience to resolve problems quickly. But beyond just solving issues, they should explain what happened, why and how you can avoid it in the future.
Your IT company should empower your business, not confuse you with jargon. They should be able to explain issues and solutions in simple language so that you know what went wrong and how they solved the issues.
A Highly Trained and Certified Team
Behind every IT support company is a team of individual experts. Before agreeing to any services, check that your team is highly trained, experienced and certified.
Teams with certifications like ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus have demonstrated their commitment to cyber security best practices. They have the skills, knowledge and experience needed to help you design the best possible IT infrastructure and security approach.
Your IT team should also commit to regular and ongoing training. Technology is constantly changing, so you need to ensure your support team is up to date and following the latest best practices.
Proactive Management and Rapid Responses
A full-service IT company should focus just as much on proactive management as they do on reactive services. While it’s essential to have support when something goes wrong, your IT team should be managing your systems to improve performance and minimise the risk of issues occurring in the first place.
At Optimising IT, we tick all of these boxes. We offer a full suite of award-winning managed services for all of your needs, and we take the headache out of IT support.
Take a look at our services or claim your free systems review to understand how we can help you.
5 Questions You Need To Ask Before Choosing A Managed IT Service Provider
As well as knowing what to look out for when choosing an IT support company, there are a few questions you should ask to make sure companies can provide the level of service you’re looking for.
1: How Quickly Can You Respond To Issues?
Companies should be able to provide an average or guaranteed response time. With this information, you can choose the most efficient and reactive team for your technical support.
2: Are You Able To Provide On-Site Support If Needed?
If you want the option of getting on-site support from a technical engineer, make sure companies offer this. Some IT teams will operate completely remotely, while others like Optimising IT can provide both deskside and on-site support.
3: Do You Have Any Client Testimonials Or Case Studies?
One of the best ways to research IT companies and get an idea of the service you can expect to receive is to check out their testimonials. See what other businesses like yours say about their service and find out what to expect once you sign up.
You can see some of our testimonials and case studies here.
4: What Happens If I Need More Support Or My IT Requirements Change?
Find out what services are available and whether you can seek more support if you need it. Companies that offer a wide range of services should adapt to your needs and grow with your business.
5: What Sets You Apart From Other IT Service Providers?
Rather than trying to figure this out for yourself, let the IT company answer it for you. They should be able to tell you exactly what they can offer that other companies can’t.
At Optimising IT, we’re always happy to answer this question. Just take a look at our “Why Choose Us?” page or get in touch to chat with our team.
Want the best IT support for your business? To get first-class and award-winning support you can rely on, contact our team.
