IT support is such a vague term these days. Used interchangeably with words like consultancy, service provider and managed services. Essentially IT support is all the same, the types of support or service provided are what differ mostly.
But our main focus in this blog is to share with you core things to look out for when searching for an outstanding IT support provider for your business. IT support is a type of customer service, after all. The customer's or client's needs met categorically.
Remote IT support
Remote troubleshooting or support is a must-have. It is also a very beneficial aspect of IT support; many of the issues you face solved remotely. An excellent service provider insists on solving the problem remotely but never demands to do so. After all, a customer sometimes needs a physical presence; it is not for the IT support to decide how the customer wants to receive service.
People are sophisticated, and every person wishes to deal with their problems in a very different manner. Great remote support always respects this aspect of dealing with clients. IT support providers that are nonchalant, dis-attached and cold are awful for business. Staff with IT issues would much rather solve the issues themselves than deal with a technical and cold person, even if it is remotely.
On-site IT support
We, humans, are social creatures. Communication is mostly emotional for us and yes, of course, logical. You as a client, you must understand that some of your team members need to speak to a person in person. Maybe you have the same issue. We here at IT BLOCK are IT, service providers, ourselves and many of our clients insist on us coming down personally to serve them. Which we happily do. And so should your service provider.
They must provide the option for on-site service and support. Not everyone is IT savvy, and we would even say most staff appreciate having an IT person in person helping them with their issues. We even find it surprising how some individuals who may appear rude or aggravated over email or a call are lovely to deal with in person. They are happy to see another human being there patiently helping them with a smile on their face.
Customer service standard
Customer service should never be taken for granted. Especially in the service industry, they understand how customer service can make or break a business.
Restaurants admit how some customers come back regularly, not for the food, but for the way their staff treat them. Sometimes, people want to receive personal customer service experience. We have experienced this ourselves. Whereby a client faced an issue, we were not able to resolve, and the only solution was to procure new equipment. And we began to realise that adequately explaining the problem to the client and, to be honest with the problem is all they want. People are sick and tired of dealing with salespeople or people who are never honest. It is a form of mutual respect.
Customer service is just not as simple as it seemed. We are beginning to realise that honesty, integrity, and patience are fundamental values to have. If a problem cannot be solved, your IT support needs to be honest with you, and exceptional IT support explains to you precisely the problem. When a client is sharing the same thought space as their IT provider, both sides can empathise with one another and together find a way to move forward from the problem at hand.
Staff
Finally, the most important thing to look at is the staff your IT support provider employs. After all, the one you end up dealing with is not the boss or that smooth-talking salesperson. It is the IT personnel themselves. Are they disgruntled, abusive, dismissive, rude, or are they friendly, professional, enthusiastic and passionate? You tend to get an idea of how the organisation they are working for treats them from their behaviour. An underpaid and unappreciated IT personnel is not motivated not provided with an incentive to serve their customers or clients well.
A well-trained, well-paid and empowered employee would do anything for their customers and protect the reputation of the company they are working. Of course, if you are looking to pay peanuts, expect to get what you pay. Excellent customer service is expensive, and there is a good reason as to why that is. A company with a great team is almost always much more expensive. Unless of course, you are lucky enough to encounter a new company that is trying to break into the market. But even with such companies, prices stay low for only so long. In any case, we were here to discuss the best. And we hope we have provided you with some essential things to remember. You deserve excellent service and nothing less. Respect yourself and your team enough to go out and find a provider that delivers on that promise. Thank you for reading.
