Almost all businesses these days depend on information technology (IT) in some way, whether it is simple email and internet access or a full integrated network across different sites. It is more than an inconvenience when part or all of that IT fails – it costs time and money.

That’s why having good IT, network and computer support is vital. A business could employ an in-house IT support team to provide instant access to troubleshooting and ongoing IT maintenance but that can prove very costly.

IT outsourcing – employing an external IT consultancy to set up and maintain a computer network, email and internet services – is becoming more and more popular and can provide significant cost savings and increases in productivity.

By outsourcing network support services businesses are freeing up time and staff to concentrate on their core roles, thus benefiting the overall the business as a whole. For those businesses that have multiple sites especially, it will save money as they would no longer have to employ an IT specialist in every site – their IT consultant will ensure that the same level of service is provided across all of them, often at less cost than the salaries of several specialists.

But no IT and network support is valuable unless it fulfils certain criteria. Firstly, they need to be available when they are needed. That means twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, whether the requirement is by telephone, remote access or an on site, personal visit. After all, if servers go down at 3am a business could be missing emails, enquiries and sales.

Secondly, an IT support company needs to provide a bespoke, personal service. Constant contact with their clients with a single point of contact not only builds confidence but will lead to a greater understanding of requirements and less downtime and faster resolutions to unavoidable issues.

Thirdly, a business needs to know that their IT company and its staff have the skills and accreditations to carry out the job they have promised to do. A business should always check an IT support company’s credentials, ask what skills their engineers and telephone support staff have and look for and request testimonials from existing customers.

Nothing will speak more clearly about a company then the opinion of its customers – if they’re happy with their IT support then that’s a big tick against the IT consultancy.

It’s not all about support either. A good IT company will also be able to provide IT solutions to a business’ network and computer problems. They will be able to listen to what you want to achieve and provide the answers as to how to achieve it.

That means consultation on new IT, voice and data systems, applications and software to make sure the right choices are made, procurement of the hardware and software, network and cable installation and even software training and support.

Finally, the same level of support, consultancy and procurement should be provided by the IT support company to small businesses and large businesses alike. No customer should be treated any different to another and the levels of support should be consistently high. If at any point a business feels the level of support is falling they need to speak up or source another provider.

IT is an area businesses cannot afford to fail in. It will harm their reputation, their service and ultimately their profits.

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of eFuse, providing IT Support Manchester.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: it support, network support, it services, network services