Successful business owners are good at what they are good at, and unless they are in the industry, that’s not usually computer networks, back-ups, configuring and installing, defragging, tweaking and patching. Computer technology is highly skilled work.
Unfortunately, good, highly-trained technology professionals with wide experience are hard to find and a smaller company doesn’t really have enough work to employ a dedicated, fulltime IT manager. To compound the problem, technology changes fast and keeping abreast of the times is not easy for the ‘man in the street’; it’s easy to get ‘taken for a ride’ and it’s hard to avoid buying ‘a pig in a poke’.
Because of this, the smaller and medium-sized company can get left behind in terms of technology and the larger companies with a dedicated IT team has a distinct and clear advantage over the smaller companies trying to keep up with the competition unless they know how to choose their IT support person wisely.
So how do you choose your IT support company? Here’s a few questions to ask your prospective Information and Communications Technology provider:
- What qualifications does your IT provider have?
Check that your IT provider has a degree or equivalent in computer software technology. - How many years’ experience does your IT provider have?
The more years of experience in the industry that your IT provider has, the better. Knowing what will work and what won’t, knowing how to relate to older machines and software, and understanding the history of some of the technology around today means that your IT provider is more likely to provide a workable and effective solution in the minimum time possible. - How many industries does your IT provider have experience of?
The wider the experience of your IT provider, the better. - Does your IT provider have experience of accounting and accounts?
Everyone has to keep accounts, no matter what type of business they run. And if your IT provider understands accounting they will be able to help you organise your accounting software so that you are able to use it efficiently and spend the minimum amount of time on accounts. - Does your IT provider offer a guarantee on response time?
Every moment of down time is money lost to you and no business can afford to wait around until the IT guy can get to you. Look for an IT provider with a guaranteed response time. - Can your IT provider cover your type of computer, e.g. PCs; Macs?
Some IT providers have a strong preference for a particular type or brand of computer, regardless of whether that is the best solution for that client. Check that your IT provider can give you unbiased, professional advice. - How will your IT provider help you to calculate & budget for IT expenditure?
You need to have an IT provider who understands your business and your budget. He needs to have access to special rates from a wide variety of suppliers. He needs to be willing to work with you to give you optimum IT equipment in your business. - Is your IT provider an organisation that has the efficiency of your network as its priority?
One of the advantages of having a guaranteed service level is that your IT provider wants your business network to keep working even more than you do. With a break-fix model the IT provider gets paid when he fixes a fault, so the more faults the more work. With an SLA the IT provider gets paid to keep your systems working efficiently at all times. - Is your IT provider a service organisation that contacts you and keeps you informed?
It’s important that you are kept up to date and informed with how your network is working and that your IT provider can explain things in a manner that you can relate to and so make informed decisions. - Is your IT provider a member of the New Zealand Computer Society?
The New Zealand Computer Society has a code of conduct for members to adhere to, so when you deal with a member of the NZCS you know you are dealing with a qualified professional. - Does your IT provider understand how crucial continuity of service is to the success of your organisation?
No business can be guaranteed to be up and running and on line every minute of the day, every day of the year, but your IT provider needs to treat your business with the same care that he would treat his own and be willing to do its utmost to keep you up and running 99.9% of the time.
Softpro provides a comprehensive IT service for small and medium sized businesses. Contact us today.
