Like it or not, your businesses is married to technology and often that marriage is not a happy one. Tech support is like a counsellor to your IT relationship; a good one will save you a lot of drama, stress and tears.
When a friend asked about changing IT support for her organisation last week I had to give the question some thought as switching service companies isn’t something you do rashly.
The first problem she presented was price. She was worried the quotes she’d received and the hourly rates were more than her own charge out rate.
On that front the advice is simple – get over it. Your doctor and plumber charge more than most peoples’ hourly rates and a good tech will save you a fortune in therapist and data recovery charges. So we’ll leave price to last and look at the other factors;
Confidence
Do their staff inspire confidence? The truth is support is as about trust mort than it is about competence. You have to trust the tech with your valuable data and systems.
The first step in establishing confidence is how they answer the phone. Are they polite, informed and prompt to return calls?
If they don’t care about you when you make a sales enquiry, you can be pretty sure they aren’t going to be helpful when you have a computer disaster.
So if you don’t like their phone manner, look elsewhere.
Presentation
They say looks don’t count for much. They are wrong when it comes to support.
Tidy, well dressed techs and a well presented web site indicate a business that takes itself seriously and is more likely to treat your needs as important.
Curiosity
Every business is unique in its own way and a good support company will ask lots of questions when arriving at a new site. Confidence inspiring questions include your business objectives, how you use technology and where it is currently frustrating you.
Questioning along those lines indicate people who want to know where technology fits in your business and how you can get the best return on your investment. Techs that ask those questions are worth a lot to you.
A good tech isn’t a “yes” man or woman. If your brother in law who knows something about computers has suggested something truly stupid then a trustworthy advisor will point you in the right direction rather than just agree with you. So take polite disagreement as a very good sign.
Training
It never ceases to amaze me how the tech support industry doesn’t train people. The vast majority of techs don’t get formal training and most support companies, particularly at the SME level, give their staff little preparation for new systems.
This means lower charges for you, but lousy service. Which is another reason why price should be the last of your concerns. Ask your prospective support provider what training they give their staff.
Outrageous claims
Be careful of silly claims. One of my favourites was a dodgy business a few years ago that claimed “all our technicians are qualified computer programmers” which is the same as an electrician advertising “all our staff are licensed forklift drivers”.
A similar thing applies to “no fix, no fee” claims. Avoid any company advertising they won’t charge you if they can’t figure out the problem as you’re paying a new operator to learn on your system.
Claiming to support big corporations is often the mark of a new, naïve business. Usually that indicates the owner once worked as a contractor for a company that setup that BigCorp’s desktops. Treat those claims with disdain unless it is a big support outfit with accordingly high charges.
24/7 service and two hour callouts are fair enough if you are prepared to pay for them. Be careful though when dealing with smaller support outfits as they can struggle to meet these promises.
Charging structure
Unethical support companies love the large billing unit. So avoid companies that charge in 30 or 60 minute blocks as these encourage techs to pad out basic jobs. A fair unit is ten or fifteen minute periods
The best plan for a business is a regular support contract which includes a basic level of services per month. These often include a base number of technician’s hours, either onsite or remotely. Review the hours regularly as you can overpay for time you don’t need.
Price
Finally we get to where most clients fall down. Good support companies that train, support and reward good staff have high overheads and the corner cutters will always be substantially cheaper.
You should be prepared for rates in excess of $150 an hour, with discounts for bulk purchase and fixed fee support contracts, the longer you are prepared to enter into a contract for the better the discount.
By all means shop around but don’t fixate on price, the company that charges $180 an hour to provide a qualified, experienced tech is far better value than outfit charging $60 an hour to provide a part time student working for beer money.
Don’t be surprised or offended if the really good support companies tell you they can’t help. Many choose businesses they can help and decline those who they don’t believe are a right fit for their skills. If that happens, ask them if they know of someone who is a better fit for you.
The relationship between technology and business is often complex, but its not one most businesses can neglect. Make sure you’re investing the right people and expertise in your systems.
