IT Support Companies – Good and Bad Practices

Easy and transparent communication

Communication is the key to building any professional relationship, which is why it’s so important to communicate openly and effectively.

Having a list of relevant contacts (and their department), will ensure that you know who to speak to for what.  This should include a designated helpdesk for logging tickets, both over the phone and via email. We also provide our clients with a dedicated account manager for any sales or customer service queries.

It’s also good practice to have designated engineers, so you can build a positive working relationship. Here at Agile, we have a team of engineers which allows us to allocate multiple engineers per client.  This helps to ensure continuity for holidays / sickness etc.

Options for onsite support

The world is now much more capable of operating remotely, but sometimes it’s nice (or necessary) to visit in person, so it’s important to ensure that’s an option.  This is why all of our IT Support clients are easily commutable from our offices or for our engineers to commute from home.  So, if your business is in Bournemouth but your IT Support is in Bradford, this might not make for a beautiful working relationship.

Defined SLAs

When signing up to a new IT Support Provider, you will no doubt have an expectation of the service level.  So, ensure that there are clearly defined SLA’s so that both you (and your staff) along with your IT company understand what is expected from both parties. These may include response times, resolution times and how tickets are logged. If these are not agreed prior to the commencement of your contract, then you will have no recourse if your expectations are not being met.

Customer Service

The contract is signed and away you go, but it shouldn’t end there. In order to maintain a good level of service, regular Customer Service feedback is essential.  This will ensure the best level of service for ALL customers.

Consultative Approach

In order to understand the needs of your business, your IT provide should listen.  This will allow them to provide a consultative approach to your IT support, making recommendations for improvements and changing the support package accordingly.  IT support is not a one size fits all deal, it should be bespoke and tailored to the individual client needs, and that doesn’t mean it should cost the earth, think of it more like a pick and mix, where you just pick and pay for the bits you want.

Innovative

The world of IT is fast moving, so you want to work with an IT provider who embraces innovation and is always looking at new solutions and software.  If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards.

Training and certification

It might seem obvious, but make sure all of the technical staff are trained and qualified.  Find out more about ongoing training too, as the world of IT is fast paced, and regular training updates ensure that technical staff are up to date with all the latest software.

Security and Background Checks

Have you thought about security? IT support specialists will have access to your systems and therefore sensitive data, they may also be onsite so you will want to make sure they are background checked. Make sure your IT provider has security checks in place for their technical staff.  Here at Agile ALL staff (including our admin and sales team) are DBS checked to ensure the safety of our clients and their data.

Aggressive / unreasonable contracts

One thing we have seen more and more of is aggressive contracts that trap you in before you even start.  Be sure to check the terms of the contract. If it looks like it will be easier to get blood from a stone than to change provider, then this is a definite red flag.

Most contracts will automatically roll over unless notice is given, so make sure you check what that notice period is so you can be ready to give notice if you’re not getting the service you need.

Manipulated SLA Data

If an SLA is in place and the contract is dependent on meeting KPI’s then it is quite common practice now a days to manipulate the data, one way this is done is by closing tickets before they are complete and then logging a new one.  This skews the data in terms of response / resolution times as well as making it seem that you are getting more value for money as more tickets are logged.

Fobbing off / poor communication

We talked about the importance of communication, but at the other end of the scale, poor communication is equally as important.  If your IT provider is not responding to calls/emails and is making excuses or fobbing you off, it might be time to look at switching.

Not owning mistakes

We are all human and as such, we all make mistakes, but it’s how we deal with them that matters. If your IT company keeps passing the buck and blaming someone or something else for mistakes, then you may want to consider other options. If they are too busy blaming everyone else, are they actually fixing the problem?

Lack of Customer Service         

Some companies think that once they’ve got the business and the (watertight) contract is signed that’s it, but it shouldn’t be. You’ve signed up for a service and you have every right to expect that service to meet your expectations, don’t settle for less than you were promised.

Stagnant Service

It’s all very well asking for feedback, but are things actually being done to improve services? If nothing changes and you are still faced with the same problems, time and time again, then it’s probably time to move on.

Be sure to check that contract to see what the notice terms are though. . .