IT Support Services Guide
Ok, so you are searching for IT support services. You are tired of trying figure out why your computer runs slow or when you print it locks up. You may have a small business and want to set up a network to help improve productivity in the office.
There are thousands of IT support companies across North America. Some are small with only one location a few support techs and others are global companies with hundreds of locations and support techs. When negotiating with a company you need to clearly define you needs and make sure they can be served. When looking for a prospective IT support company there are a few questions you as a client should ask.
1. What does their web site look like? The fist thing a client should do it take a minute or two to look over the their potential support company’s web site. Now a days a web site servers a business’ business card, and first impression. If you are thinking about having a support company provide you with IT support and find bad spelling and out dated information on their web site, chances are that is the kind of service you can expect to receive.
2. What type of IT support you need? Let’s face it, IT support is a broad term. Before contacting an IT support firm, take the time to define your needs. Do you need help with software issues or possibly have software developed for your specific needs? Are you looking for help maintaining licensing compliance? The point is try to have a clear goal in mind so you are not sold support services which you do not need
3. What is their response time or response policy? An IT support company may define there response as the length of time it takes them to contact you regarding your service call. They may feel that calling you to get more information about an issue is considered a response. Another company may consider response time to be the amount of time between you reporting and issue and their support tech showing up at your location. Also be aware that response time does not have anything to do with how long it may take to resolve any issue. If you decide contract with a support company and negotiate a four hour response time. When you report an issues, that may not mean your problem will be resolved in four hours. Response time is important because time is money. If you depend on your workstation(s) and server(s) for your lively hood, you are sure to loose money if they are down too long.
5. Do they offer prepaid IT Support? This is also know as block time. Many companies will allow you to purchase support in time blocks. Usually this means the more you buy the less the hourly cost. Buying support in time blocks is good because it, at a glance, will tell you how much time and money you are spending on IT support. You have to be careful though. Some companies will expire you block time after a given amount of time. Other companies though will allow you to purchase block time does not expire.
6. Do they offer training? If you are like me you like to know how things work. You you have a piece of computer hardware or software installed it is always good to know how to use it. When considering a particular IT Support company, ask if they will train your staff when an installation is complete. They may charge extra, bundle it in with services or have a separate contract for training services.
7. Can the company you are considering, have the ability to provide remote support? Remote network diagnostics and support have grown by leaps and bounds over the years. Believe it or not you be able to have support provide by a company and never really see a support technician. Someone would simply install a device on you network or give you a URL to visit in the event you need support. They will then be able to access you network, servers, and workstation remotely to troubleshoot and fix any problems
8. Does the company have an IT Support ticketing system? A support ticketing system is could provide you with a wealth. Information such as how frequent a print needs server or how often workstations are replaced can be used when planning an information technology budget. You could also use the information to see users or employers are having difficulties with technology
9. Will they agree to sign your companies security policy? What you don’t have a security policy in place for dealing with vendors? Ok that will covered in another post. For now, if you are considering a IT support company, you should make sure they agree to sign your security policy. Basically a security policy between you an a vendor states that they will not disclose any information stored on you server, HDDs or may see on a monitor. This is not limited to just your information but information that may be you customers. Thinks like SSN, addresses, salaries….I think you get the idea. This is not just limited to your information system but physical documents as well.
10. Can they provide references? This is perhaps the most imprortnant question. When you decide to hire a company to help with you IT support needs, you need to know you will be getting a quality service. What better way than to ask for references.
I would ask for three references. The references should, if possible, meet the following criteria. They should be in your industry. If you are the red widgets business, then the IT company should give you references from their client pool which are also in the business of red widgets. The references should be an old customer, a new customer and one somewhere in the middle.
I hope you have found this guide to IT Support helpful. I will soon have a vendor security policy post which will tell in detail the areas you should be concerned with when creating a vendor security policy.
