Category Archives: Manage Service

The 10 Best Benefits of Virtualization Using VMWare

Manage Service, , ,
20170427

Increase the agility of your IT team

With most servers using only around 10% of their processing capabilities, turning to virtualization through VMWare–that is, using a single server or computer to provide the computing power for multiple virtual machines–is an obvious solution. If you’ve been considering virtualization with VMWare for your system, now is the time to make the choice for your organization. These ten key benefits of virtualization will help you make the choice.

1. Decrease your hardware expenses. It’s considerably cheaper to maintain a single machine that holds multiple virtual environments than it is to maintain all the machines your employees need in order to complete their daily tasks. There’s less hardware to deal with, which means lower upfront cost and lower replacement expenses over time.

2. Decrease power and cooling costs. Servers aren’t just expensive to set up. They’re also expensive to maintain. The more physical machines you have running, the greater your power and cooling costs will be. When you opt for virtualization with VMWare, your power and cooling costs will decrease substantially.

3. Decrease the space needed to keep your servers operational. Servers take up a huge amount of physical space. Many offices have entire rooms dedicated to them–and that means space that can’t be used for other purposes. With VMWare, you’ll discover that you can regain much of that physical space, repurposing it for other tasks in your office.

4. Decrease the amount of time spent on software upgrades. The more machines you’re running, the more software updates you have to deal with. By opting for virtualization, you decrease the amount of time your tech team has to spend dealing with those upgrades.

5. Decrease your downtime. With virtualization through VMWare, you can keep the most important components of your business up and running when you need them most. Decreased downtime means happier customers, happier workers, and greater workplace efficiency.

6. Increase the agility of your IT team. When you opt for virtualization with VMWare, your IT team can react more quickly to a variety of problems, solving them quickly and getting your system up and running again fast. This also means less employee downtime waiting on issues to be resolved.

7. Improve your ability to recover from a disaster. Virtualization helps reduce the odds that you’ll store critical data in a single location. When you opt for virtualization, you improve the business’s ability to recover from a data disaster–or even prevent potential problems from being a disaster at all.

8. Increase the lifespan of old applications. Many businesses have at least one application that they rely on that simply can’t be updated anymore. It’s even possible that the company that created it no longer exists! By choosing virtualization with VMWare, you can use that application more easily, extending its lifespan without having to run an ancient machine that no longer meets modern standards.

9. Move running virtual machines with no downtime. There’s no need to undertake a complicated shutdown process. Virtual machines are simple to move, which keeps your business running more smoothly.

10. Make a move to the cloud easier. At some point, you may decide that a move to the cloud is the most efficient decision for your data and servers. By opting for virtualization now, you’ll discover that this move is far easier in the future.

Virtualization is one of the best options for increasing your business’s efficiency, decreasing costs, and keeping your machines up and running when you need them most, rather than having to deal with expensive downtime. If you’re ready to opt for virtualization using VMWare for your company, contact us today to learn more about how this tactic can benefit your company, give you the tools you need, and reduce your operating costs.

Ways to make your IT help desk more efficient

Manage Service, Uncategorized, , , ,
20170420

Your first stop to ensuring better service

While all departments in an organization work together towards a designated goal, the IT help desk is a crucial part of any organization. Depending on an organization line of work, the help desk and the Tech support form one unit or you can separate the two as well. However, in this case, we look at the help desk, and IT support as a single unit.

Help desk, is the first place a customer will stop to report any issue with a product from the company that is faulty. The response of the help desk personnel is fundamental in fostering good relationship between the customer and the organization for future business.

Ability to solve problems is essential for IT help desk personnel, since it is the first line of defense, when it comes to handling customer issues. The approach that help desk takes in resolving customer issues determines the growth of your organization or its fall. So, what are the tips to incorporate into such a platform to achieve customer satisfaction?

Assess and evaluate the problem level

Customer issues vary in urgency and complexity. The ability to assess and determine complexity of the issue presented by a customer, allows you to give correct guideline on resolving it. For complex and technical matters, you can refer the client to the most competent person in that area.

One wrong move on the help desk like trying to fix technical issues that you are not capable of handling, can backfire and make the issue worse. Hence, compromising help desk’s reputation and the organization as a whole.

Knowing the magnitude of the problem not only makes you an effective IT help desk professional, but it also allows you to give accurate guidelines to customers. Some issues do not need tech support to resolve. Knowledge of such solutions as video tutorials to refer to, is a bonus.

Gauge the customer’s technical know-how level

When it comes to tech savvy abilities, not everyone has the gift. You should first gauge and assess the expertise of the client before delving on the steps to resolving an issue. You should realize that what looks like a simple fix to you, becomes a tough aspect to understand for those without any knowledge on tech issue.

For a customer who is tech savvy, conversation becomes easy, and they will figure out things more quickly than those who don’t have the knowledge. Gauging the level of the know-how of the client determines the directions to give to resolve the issue.

Check for previous support tickets  

It’s common for customers to encounter similar technical problems when handling various gadgets.  Checking for previous support tickets from the customer gives you an upper hand on the issue.

With previous records, it will make it easy to resolve each client’s issues fast and more efficiently, since notes available, provide details on problems addressed. That means that you do not have to do full screening, since you already know the areas that need maintenance and checking.

Use of previous support tickets gives useful clues on the issue at hand and helps you fast-track the stages of resolution, to refer the customer to the right personnel. Quick response not only increases efficiency, but it also leads to enhanced customer satisfaction.

Being the first stop a customer makes, help desk means a lot to the organization. The implication is that a lot of time and resources are instrumental in making IT help desk the best department in the company for a greater good. That will ensure better service to customers and an increase in productivity at all levels of your business. Call us now for more information.

The Do’s Of An IT Help Desk

Manage Service, , , ,
20170330

Professional help desk team ready to deliver outstanding customer service

Can you think of a recent time when you needed the help of a customer service representative and the service you received was horrible? We are sure you can because it is very easy to remember a bad customer service experience.

Many people probably talk more about their bad customer service experience than they do their good experiences. When someone has a bad customer experience, that moment will do a significant amount of damage. The bad moments certainly stand out more when people talk about customer service experiences.

It is important to go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to customer service. When a customer service agent goes the extra mile to help a customer, you will be pleased with the number of satisfied customers who leave you good reviews and send other customers your way.

We all know that people do not have a good day every single day of the week. Customer service agents cannot please every single person that calls for help. It is very important that you do everything it takes to deliver outstanding customer service when people call your IT help desk.

Be Professional

We know that it can be difficult talking to people when they are upset and frustrated. It does not matter how rude and unprofessional customers may be, you should never let those things get the best of you. The person on the other end is speaking on behalf of himself or herself, but as an IT help desk agent, you will be representing your entire business. How do you want to represent your business?

Make It Easy

When people call a customer service number, they do not like to be on hold for a long period of time. People do not like to follow complex rules, they do not like being transferred to multiple departments, and they do not like to deal with an IT help desk that employees untrained people. If customers are constantly dealing with issues from an IT help desk, they will eventually switch their services to another company.

Say What You Mean And Mean What You Say

No one likes dealing with companies that like to use tricks and loopholes to avoid honoring their company policies. Customer service agents should not just simply choose to honor the policies and guidelines that have been established by their company. This can be very damaging to a company’s reputation, and it can result in the loss of major sales in the future.

It is important that every company builds a great culture of customer service experiences. It is important now, probably more than ever, that customers feel as if they are valued and appreciated for their services. It does not matter what department employees are in, great customer service experiences are important. From the front desk to the back of the IT department, everyone should know how to get every customer the help they need.

For any company, it is important to understand the impact that your business has on people. When you interact with people, it is important that you always know that those interactions can have a positive or negative on your business. When your company has the passion for helping a customer in need, your company will have a great reputation that will be extended across the world.

When you think about your business, do you believe you are giving everyone the positive IT help desk experience they deserve? If you do not think so, you should know that there are other options available for you. Contact us today for more information on how an effective IT help desk can positively impact your business.

Do You Know What You Are Looking For In A Managed Service Provider (MSP)?

Manage Service, , , ,
20170316

A professional MSP with a clear and effective strategy for you customers

As you look for more ways to add value to your business, you have probably started to look deep into the services provided by Managed Service Providers (MSP). Since MSPs can define what they do in different ways, their services will not all be the same. Some MSPs will provide a few services and other MSPs will provide a long list of services that can be very beneficial to your business.

When you are looking for a Managed Service Provider, there are some important things you should look for, including the following:

Managing Your Devices

You will need to make sure the provider you are considering will have a proactive strategy when it comes to monitoring all of your servers and devices that are connected to your network.

Live Help Desk Support

The Managed Service Provider(MSP) you choose will need to have outstanding help desk support for users who need to log in their accounts after forgetting their passwords, standard troubleshooting tips, resetting passwords, etc.

There are certain qualities that a potential Managed Service Provider(MSP) should have:

New Technology

The Managed Service Provider you select should be able to offer you a full selection of various technologies. You will need support for your users, storage, network capabilities, etc.

How Fast Will You Be Assisted? 

You want an MSP that will be available to you at all hours of the day, and 7 days a week. Your business will greatly depend on your MSP. Your MSP will need to be available whenever you need them to assist you. You will need an MSP that will be available to respond to every need you have. You want to ask questions about their escalation process for support calls. Before you settle on a Managed Service Provider, make sure you learn about each MSPs response time.

Pricing Strategies

The pricing agreements should not be unpredictable. You should know what you are getting into from the very beginning. You should be looking for service provider that can provide fixed pricing based on the number of devices and not based on some type of hourly support.  The service provider’s contract needs to be adjustable to scale up or down, providing flexibility in the contract for growth or downturns in the business.

Can You Customize?

You do not want to partner with an MSP who will give your business the exact same services as another business. Your business is different from the next business, and it should be treated as such. You will want to avoid an MSP that takes a one-size-fits-all approach. It is important to make sure the service provider you are considering will be able to modify their plans and strategies for your business based on the goals you have set.

Safety And Security

It is important that  your MSP has an effective and productive security plan. Will your business have anything to worry about when it comes to security? Will your business be able to design security and disaster recovery components?

The MSP you choose should have a clear and effective strategy for its customers. You should know from the very beginning the type of support the MSP will give you.   When support is needed by your or your staff, it should be handled by a live answer help desk, and not leaving a message on a voicemail system.  Your MSP should ultimately help you improve your productivity and efficiency, while reducing your costs.

Do you know what you are looking for in an MSP? Are you looking for an MSP that will offer an affordable and enticing plan that will help turn your business around? Contact us today for more information.