IT Companies In Wyoming: Benefits Of Strategic IT Services

Strategy is an important part of IT support – it’s the difference between fixing a problem temporarily and solving it for good. Do you think that your current IT Company approaches your support strategically? Or just on a case by case basis?

What are the 3 ways to tell if your IT Support lacks strategy?

Do you have to “start over” every time your IT Company in Wyoming answers a service call? Does it take too long for them to even get there in the first place? Do you feel like you’re calling about the same problems over and over? Maybe your IT support could be more strategic – but what does that mean, and what difference would it make?

No one likes waiting.

Whether it’s over the phone technical support or waiting at your office for a technician to show up, the longer it takes the more frustrating it gets. It’s even worse when the technician finally arrives, and they’re someone you’ve never worked with before that doesn’t know anything about the last service call their company answered.

It’s common, too.

In the last month alone, we’ve had two different companies get in touch with us about their Wyoming IT Company that keeps sending different technicians, with no clear plan of action.

Is this the reality of IT support in Wyoming? Or is there a better way to approach IT service calls?

To start, let’s see if you’re already experiencing these sorts of problems…

What are 3 signs that your IT support isn’t worth it?

1. You can’t work. Whether it’s a slow server that won’t let you access shared company files or a buggy email client that leaves you unsure whether your messages are actually being sent, when your computers aren’t working, you’re not working.
2. You’re paying for short-term fixes.  Poorly maintained computers will often need quick fixes, handled by local repair shops for one-time fees. The problem is that while the hardware may work when you get it back from them, there’s no guarantee it’ll last for long. That means there’s no way of knowing how quickly you’ll have to go back to that same shop and pay for it to get fixed again.
   
3. Your customers are unhappy. If you can’t work as quickly or as effectively as you should be, it’s only a matter of time before that affects your customers’ experience. And there’s nothing worse than having to face an angry customer and tell them that it’s because your computers aren’t working right.
   

Why does your Wyoming IT Company send a different technician every time?

This doesn’t really make sense when you think about it, right?

Surely, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume they would send the same person every time so that they could develop an ongoing understanding of your business, your IT environment, and your common pain points.

And yet, you can often still get a new face every time you request a technician to come out. Why does this keep happening?

There are a few potential reasons:

• Outsourced support. If you’re working with a smaller Wyoming IT Company, it’s possible that they outsource their support calls to a third party. For support providers that lack the resources to invest in the people and resources needed to make service calls, it’s more economical to pay for a technician from a larger company to come to take care of it. While this is more cost-effective for the Wyoming IT Company, the downside is that once the service call is passed from department to department and company to company, it’s much harder to make sure the same person is going to be available to address the service ticket.
• Service priorities. Would you rather have the same person every time if it meant waiting longer for them to get there? That’s often the give and take at the heart of IT service calls. When you file a service request, the person you had last time may have a full day of calls already booked, and be working on the other side of the service area. If your Wyoming IT Company were to prioritize sending that technician to you, you’d have to wait much longer than in the alternative situation, in which they simply send whoever is available the soonest.
• Lack of strategy. At its simplest, it’s entirely possible your Wyoming IT Company isn’t worried about sending the same person every time. As far as they’re concerned from their perspective, all services calls are equal, and likely only based on one of a few common problems. As such, any given technician can handle it, right?  As you well know, that’s not the case. Inconsistency in technicians makes service calls less effective and more time-consuming.

How long should you expect to wait for a technician?

This can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, including:

• Where is your Wyoming IT Company located? Are they nearby your business, in the same city? Do their technicians operate out of their office, or are they outsourced from another company?
• When did you open the service ticket? It’s one thing to call for a technician at the beginning of a business day. It’s another to expect one to come in on a Saturday evening.  Not that you shouldn’t be entitled to 24/7 support, but it’s important to remember that availability (and rates for support calls) can vary drastically depending on the time of day and the Wyoming IT Company you’re working with.
• What did your IT Company in Wyoming tell you? To an extent, this puts the onus on you, but it’s the reality of the situation.  When you hired your Wyoming IT Company, did they make any service guarantees? Did they explain their service windows and rates? Did you make sure to ask these sorts of questions?

All of this is to say that when you evaluate a given Wyoming IT Company, there’s a lot to consider. Many of these key aspects (service consistency, service level agreements, support call wait times and windows, etc.) all fall under something called IT Strategy.

What is IT Strategy?

A Strategic IT Plan is a guide for your business that encompasses all aspects of technology management. It should cover all costs of IT, including service calls, hardware, software, vendor management and more.

A strategy-focused Wyoming IT Company will leverage the right tools and solutions for your needs in order to help you address the following pain points of IT:

• Budget / ROI
• Security concerns
• Industry requirements
• Any other unique needs or challenges

IT resolution doesn’t have to be a frustrating process either. Your IT Company in Wyoming should be able to develop a strategic plan specifically for you to make sure you’re investing in the right solutions to truly help you meet your overall objectives and exceed your goals.

Keep in mind, IT strategy isn’t a one-time thing.

Your IT Company in Wyoming should work alongside your team to provide ongoing guidance, support, and services.

How does IT Strategy solve the “new technician” problem?

One of the key benefits of a properly developed IT strategy is that it eliminates the need to have the same technician answer the service call every time.

By keeping detailed documentation on your IT, what your service calls are about, and how they are being addressed, then it doesn’t matter which technician comes to visit.

They could be a new hire on their first service call or a two-decade veteran of the industry. In either case, they’ll know everything they need to know about your business and your IT, and you won’t have to “start over” with them each time you need someone to visit.

How can you find a reliable Wyoming IT company?

By asking these 5 questions…

In modern business, regardless of your industry, you need the responsive, effective and strategic IT services to thrive.

From productivity to security, to communication, to innovative new ways to get work done – information technology is at the heart of it all.

All that depends on finding the right IT support in Wyoming – so what questions should you be asking?

#1: What model of support do you offer?

The big question is whether they are “break/fix” or “managed”?

Break/Fix service is the traditional style of outsourced IT services, which works by fixing your computers once they’re broken. In a nutshell, when something goes wrong — data loss, hardware failure, virus, etc. — you then get in touch with your Break/Fix support provider and have them fix it. The break-fix strategy no longer works for businesses today. If you still use this method of IT service, you risk downtime that can slow you down.

Managed Services is the modern model for IT support, offering a range of vital solutions to your business all for one monthly rate. With fully managed support, you know that you are supported and protected 24/7. From active monitoring and patch management to responsive on-site and Help Desk support services, fully managed support takes care of everything you need.

#2: Do you provide strategic consulting and support?

Business is demanding, and you need to be able to provide your full attention to the work you’re doing. IT consulting services should give you expert guidance and make sure you’re always making the best investments and decisions to guarantee a long and successful future for your operations.

Furthermore, the support that this Wyoming IT Company delivers to you should be done strategically. That is, when you have a problem, it shouldn’t just get fixed in the short term. Support should be applied holistically, in such a way that makes sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

#3: What are your service guarantees if any?

Too many business owners get locked into long-term contracts that they can’t afford. Make sure you understand exactly what your contract includes.

Do they offer 24/7 service with a live person on the other end of your call, chat or email? Is their help desk staff qualified to address your issues immediately? If they can’t resolve your problems over the phone or online, how long will it take for a tech to get to your location?

The right IT Company in Wyoming will put what they offer in writing.

They should offer managed services with service-level guarantees. What is their “on-time” guarantee? Their SLA should include this as well as information about how you’ll be compensated if they continually show up late, or if they don’t meet the standards detailed in the SLA.

In addition to what they do provide, find out what they don’t. Do they provide fixed-fee services? Are there extra costs, and if so, what are they?

#4: Will you prevent problems?

The whole point of Managed IT Services is that you have someone else to handle network and computer problems.

As with all service providers, some are just better at their jobs than others. Make sure your IT Company in Wyoming believes in staying proactive. You need a company that will stay on top of all the latest threats so that you don’t have to worry about them.

Often, you can find out about things like this by reading online reviews of the company. Have they had any complaints filed against them? How long have they been in business?

Find someone that has a great reputation and has been in business for years. You want to work with providers who will stand behind their services and won’t stop until you’re satisfied.

Like this article? Check out these blogs to learn more:

What Is The Difference Between Computer Repair and Computer Support Companies?

What Is the Difference Between Managed Services and Break/Fix IT Services?

Is Your 2019 Business Technology Plan Completed?