Tag Archives: managed services

IT Help Desk Advice: Do Not Let The Holidays Bring You Frustrations and Headaches

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smiling woman help desk during the holiday season

Holiday Help Desk

Today, customers have expectations that many businesses may see as unreasonable. These expectations are seen as even more unreasonable during a holiday break. One of the things you want to avoid doing as a business is letting your customer service fall by the wayside.

The holidays are one of the most important times of the year for any business, and this means your customer service should be at the highest level. If you want to be a bright star in the middle of frustration, confusion, and headaches, you need to have the right support team in order to provide outstanding customer experiences.

Make Plans Early

We recommend that you make plans for the holidays months ahead, preferably two or three months ahead. When you make plans ahead of time, you will be able to set goals that you should be able to obtain. If your business has seen an incredible amount of growth this year, you should certainly plan ahead of time. You can review customer feedback and surveys from previous years in order to get a better idea of what needs to be improved and what can remain the same.

Instill Confidence In Your Customer Service Agents

If you want your customer service agents to deliver outstanding customer service to your customers, you should do your best to instill confidence in all your agents. Remind your agents that you trust them and believe in them. When you have an entire team of customer service agents that can deliver outstanding customer service, you will give your business a competitive advantage over the other businesses in your industry.

Make Sure Customers Are Being Heard

You will receive a variety of messages in your email inbox and social media inboxes. When you receive so many messages at once, your customer service agents may be slowed down. One of the best things you can do is to make sure the customer messages are being assigned to the right it customer service agent. You want the right customer service agent to be assigned to address a particular problem the customer may have.

Allow Customers To Find Answers

Many customers do not always want to call or email a company in order to get an answer. Sometimes customers ask the same questions, and one of the best ways to resolve this issue is to provide an area where the frequently asked questions will be answered. If you provide an area on your social media page or your website that answers the common questions, many of your customers will be able to resolve their own issues with the support page you are providing.

Resolve The Issues In A Reasonable Amount Of Time

When customers have an issue that needs to be resolved, you will want your customer service agents to resolve those issues as soon as possible. You should set goals to deliver quick response times. When you can resolve issues in a quick timeframe, your customers will appreciate the efforts your customer service agents are taking. Your customers will also be assured that you will always deliver support when it is needed.

The holidays will always feel stressful, regardless if you are at home or at work. Thankfully, there are outlets for you to use. When you outsource help desk support, you will not have to worry about any issues regarding the internet, routers, etc. You do not want to be caught off guard with an IT crisis in the middle of the holiday season.

Are you worried about your help desk during the holidays? Please do not hesitate to contact us today for more information on what you can do to avoid a frustrating holiday season.

Do You Know How To Ask The Right Questions During Your IT Help Desk Partner Search?

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Managed Services

Questions to ask during your interview process for a new Managed Service provider.

Sometimes, the needs of a company will outgrow their current IT support that they have in-house. When your company outgrows your current IT support solution, you may want to think about investing in a reliable IT help desk. When you make the decision to outsource your IT support needs, you will get the opportunity to enjoy a variety of benefits, including those that you can touch and cannot touch.

Before you agree to the terms of a contract with an IT company, it is important that you do your research thoroughly. You have to fully assess the services of the IT help desk provider so you can make sure it is the perfect fit for your business. If the IT help desk company you are considering has slow service, slow response time, or if you do not have a clear understanding of the service agreement, you will quickly find yourself in a web of problems.

In order for you to avoid any future problems with your IT help desk service, we want you to ask the help desk provider you are considering some of the following questions:

Ask About Their Business

It is important that you start off with the basics before you get into the technical aspects of the business. We want to give you an idea of the type of questions you should ask if you want to find out some basic questions about the IT help desk provider you are considering:

Experience

When a company has been around for a significant amount of time, they will generally have accumulated plenty of skills and experience. Businesses that have been around for years will also have had their share of mistakes that they have eventually corrected, and they will have customers who can provide positive feedback on the company. We want you to find a help desk company that has a great reputation and positive reviews.

Clients

If you want to find out how reputable a company is, they will generally give you a list of their clients so you can contact them and ask questions for yourself. If you are given a list of clients who use this IT help desk company, you should take full advantage of this opportunity. We definitely suggest that you find companies that are similar to yours so you can make a better decision on if the IT help desk partner will be right for your company.

Services

Once you have narrowed down your search, you will need to find the IT help desk company that will deliver you the better service. You will need to work with an IT help desk partner that has the service and features you need for your business.

Scalability

As your company grows, you will probably discover that you need to make changes to your IT infrastructure. When you find a help desk provider that offers the services and features you need, you will find that the help desk provider will be able to meet all of your needs, regardless of what they are and how often they change.

The IT industry is constantly changing, and you are going to need services and hardware that will allow you to successfully keep up with the changes. When your potential IT help desk provider is able to keep up with the technological changes, this gives you the indication that they are willing and able to fully embrace technology and stay current with the trends.

When you can clearly identify the needs of your company, you will be able to get the IT help desk assistance you need. When you ask the right questions during your IT help desk partner search, you will find it easier to narrow down your search to the perfect partner.

Contact us today for more information on IT help desk and how you can find the right partner for your IT needs.

3 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Managed Service Provider

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20160916

A managed service provider should be able to provide you the high-quality services you need now and as your business grows and changes.

There are many different options to consider when choosing the systems to run a business and how to manage them. Making the best decisions comes from being informed on all the options, or at least the ones that fit each business’s situation. In this regard, let’s look at 3 factors to consider when choosing a managed service provider (MSP).

 

 

      1. Provides the Services Need
      2. Room for Growth/ Services and Products
      3. Customer Service and Values

Provides the Services Need

Not all MSPs are the same, and some may not be suited for your business. Examine their services and the products they partner with; are these services and products what your business needs? Maybe an IT Help Desk service is what’s needed, or existing system management and support?

A business needing hardware repair and/or installation on-site, will want an MSP within their region. For instance, SystemsNet is located in Horsham, PA, and has a service area stretching across the tri-state area. If on-site IT services are needed from a MSP, this is a large factor in deciding which one to choose.

Businesses should consider if the MSP provides fitting solutions when it comes to: cybersecurity, software support, installation, and integration. The main benefits of outsourcing IT services are: robust cybersecurity, data backup recovery, system monitoring, risk and compliance, minimal downtime with quick repairs (remote or on-site), software upgrade and support, and having a 24/7 IT help desk. How does the MSP address the services your business needs?

 

Room for Growth/ Services and Products

Now look at who they’re partnered with, and what software they support. Does the MSP support and partner with the solutions your business needs now or in the future? Basically, this factor involves thinking ahead and forecasting business needs. For instance, does Microsoft Office 365 and Act! CRM software leave room for growth? Or, is a completely cloud-based system in the future for your business?

Choosing a MSP is an important decision, because changing MSPs later is an unwanted hassle. At a certain point in business growth, outsourcing IT services is a wise choice for most SMBs; the complexity of technology needs expertise and experience to navigate profitably. Avoid unwanted hassles by choosing a MSP that fits your business’s needs and values.

Customer Service and Values

This is the subjective factor to consider, when choosing an MSP for long-term IT services. Finding a MSP that understands your business’s values and goals is important for a meaningful business relationship. What characteristics and values does the MSP have? Do these match your business’s values and objectives?

Outsourcing part, or all, of your IT department to a MSP, requires trust – fostered by a unified understanding through solid communication channels. A trusting and respectful business relationship is the best combination, because a close working relationship is needed to solve IT issues, either emergency or with proactive strategies. Talk to multiple people who make up the MSP, to see if their personalities and values match your business.

Summary

Outsourcing IT services should be a profitable move, one that creates efficiency in a business’s systems. If a business chooses the right MSP for their business’s needs, productivity is sure to increase with a decrease in effort and risk. The investment, at a certain point in a business’s growth, becomes worth the cost of outsourcing the IT dept.

These three factors to consider are meant to help businesses choose the correct MSP for their specific needs. Not all MSPs are the same, therefor, choosing the right one is an impactful decision on a business’s profit and sustainability. All the effort involved in choosing and working with a MSP, will be worth it when streamlined processes and upgraded solutions drastically reduce workflow inefficiencies. Please contact us to learn more.

How a Managed Service Provider (MSP) Can Help Businesses Grow

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20160101

A managed service provider can help you grow your small business and streamline your IT processes.

As businesses grow, they naturally grow the number of technologies that they employ to manage their day-to-day operations as well. With this comes a host of IT issues that can be difficult to solve without having an IT team present, or working with an outside third-party IT provider. There are many benefits to using a managed service provider (MSP) that can help small businesses to grow without greatly increasing their monthly costs. Some of the different ways an MSP can help your business to grow include:

Reduce Salary Obligations

Hiring IT talent is difficult and expensive if you have never done so before. IT salaries are high and command a lot because of the sharp increase in overall demand for IT talent over the course of the last decade. If you would like to reduce salary obligations while still receiving the help that you need, it might be in your best interests to choose a third-party managed service provider who can help you with your issues as they arise, but at a fraction of the cost. Reducing your salary overhead allows you to have leeway to make other decisions that will benefit your business in the long-term without sacrificing your IT needs.

Focus on Your Strengths

Not everyone is great at hiring IT talent, particularly if you have no experience in that sector. Managed service providers focus on hiring IT talent and have a great deal of experience doing so. This should give you confidence that a managed service provider can provide a higher level of talent at a fraction of the cost. This allows you to focus on your strengths and put your energy into where your business needs you the most. Let the IT teams focus on that aspect, while you focus on making your business the best that is can possibly be.

Provide Peace of Mind

Many business owners stay awake at night worrying about the next IT disaster that will befall their business. With the help of an outsourced IT team, you can have peace of mind that you are able to handle whatever disaster comes your way without having to scramble to find someone to help you. There are many things that can go wrong when it comes to technology, but the only way to fix these issues is with IT experience and talent, which is exactly what managed service providers bring to the table.

Protect Against Data Loss and Theft

Data loss and data theft are absolutely huge issues for businesses of any size. Managed service providers can help you to take the initial steps that must be taken to protect your business against data loss. They can install proper backup procedures that ensure that even in the event of a hard-drive failure or accidental deletion of data, your data remains accessible and safe.

Quickly Fix Issues as They Arise

One of the biggest reasons why many businesses choose to go with managed services providers is the fact that they are there for you whenever you need help. If your network or other systems go down, you call the company and they will begin working on your problem right away. This is a much more ideal situation than having to seek out a service provider every time something goes wrong and losing hours or days in the process.

If you are interested in receiving all of the IT help that you need without having to hire your own team, please reach out and contact us today to schedule your initial consultation. We’ll walk you through the process of setting up a system that helps your business maintain its current technological processes while protecting your business against potential disasters.