Do you have any problems with your current IT support services?
Do they take too long to respond when you need support?
Or maybe they manage to be appropriately responsive, but they’re just not skilled enough to keep your network reliable and secure (we’re looking at you, businesses who hire high school kids with a couple of CISCO certs for IT support because they’re cheaper than truly qualified candidates).
You have options. There’s no reason to settle for a solution that you’re not completely satisfied with. If your IT company is unresponsive or ineffective, it’s time to find a new IT company.
Here are 8 things you should look for when selecting a new IT company for your Vancouver business.
- Responsive Support
Sometimes a tech issue doesn’t need to be resolved right way. For example, maybe one of your more tech-challenged employees is having some trouble adjusting to new software and could use a little guidance, but just for general use, nothing time-sensitive.
Other issues are more pressing: if you find a computer infected with ransomware and some cybercriminal is threatening to delete sensitive data unless you send over a couple thousand dollars, you need support immediately.
You shouldn’t have to wait too long for a response when you’re desperate. Ideally, the solution you select will have a 24/7 live help desk where someone is always ready to assist you when you need it.
- Guaranteed Response Time
IT companies that don’t have a help desk manned 24/7 should at the very least offer a guaranteed response time. A lot of providers will generalize and use vague terms like “quick” and “speedy” when describing their responsiveness.
Companies unwilling to commit to a concrete figure reveal that they’re not very confident in their abilities, so why should you be?
- Proactive Maintenance
Good IT companies are able to come in when disaster strikes and fix the problem right way so that you experience minimal downtime. The best IT companies will do that too, but they focus more on maintaining your network so that disaster doesn’t strike in the first place.
For example, Compunet InfoTech will regularly assess your systems and probe for weakness, finding and fixing vulnerabilities before hardware fails or cybercriminals take advantage.
- Longevity
Over 50% of IT companies close within 5 years of opening. An IT company that has been open for 5+ years has seen many of their competitors close shop. They must be doing something right, whether it’s better service or lower prices, if they’ve managed to avoid the same fate as their (former) competitors.
- Experience in Your Industry
Experience is important, but not all experience is equal. Some providers have been around for years and they now have well over a hundred clients and a staff of dozens, but that doesn’t mean they’re the best choice for you.
Before you’re seduced by a long client list, remember that there is no substitute for experience specific to your industry. If an IT company has a lot of clients, but all those clients are small non-profits and you’re a large manufacturer, then all their experience isn’t actually that useful. Look for companies that have actually worked with companies in your industry before.
- Both on-site and off-site support
You’ll want a local solution, because some services require on-site support. But you’ll also want a company that can provide the majority of their service remotely: it’s faster and more cost-effective to complete a task off-site rather than on-site whenever possible.
- Cloud expertise
The cloud is more than just fad: it’s the future of computing.
Scratch that, cloud computing isn’t the future: it’s already the present. You’d be hard-pressed to find a single Fortune 500 company that doesn’t incorporate the cloud into some of their operations, and most rely on the cloud for their collaboration, data storage, and business continuity/disaster recovery needs.
The benefits are clear: renting out someone else’s server space saves money by cutting the upfront, electricity, and maintenance costs associated with on-site equipment. Also, your workforce will get projects done faster because they’ll be able to contribute remotely from home or in the field instead of being limited to the office.
- Clear Communication and Friendly Service
There’s more to providing support than just technical expertise.
You need an IT company that knows how to communicate instructions clearly without over-explaining and confusing your staff with a bunch of technical terms they don’t need to know.
Compunet InfoTech meets all this criteria and more.
Contact us at (604) 986-8170 or info@compunet.ca for more information.
