Enhancing Your Relationship with Your IT Support Provider

Unable to afford the cost of full-time IT staff, many small businesses rely on outside IT companies for assistance. San Diego IT support companies offer an attractive alternative to full-time, salaried staff. The downside is, since they’re not “your employees,” there can be less accountability in this sort of arrangement. It’s important to manage this relationship to ensure your company receives the most reliable, consistent IT support.

Great expectations: It’s vital to set and manage expectations during an engagement with an outsourced IT company. If, for example, you need to be able to email your support person at 3am and have them troubleshooting the issue within 20 minutes, then you must establish this up front. It it’s important that they know exactly what you expect from their service. It’s also important for you to know, right up front, what they can and cannot deliver.

Points of contact: Who to call in what scenario is another important factor to consider. It may sound like a no-brainer at first, but consider how frustrating it can be to call someone for help during an emergency and realize, after a 20-minute phone call, that they’re not the one to help you. You should work with your provider to know exactly who to call in an emergency, who to call if that person is no help, who to call for business matters like billing and more. Likewise, they need to understand the lines of communication on your end as well. Also, the best IT support companies will have 24 hour, live support and assistance.

Accountability: This is the final piece of keeping a healthy relationship with an IT support vendor. Who is ultimately in charge on their end? What are the consequences if your expectations are not met? All parties involved, on both sides of the relationship, need a thorough understanding of accountability to keep your company’s IT needs met.

Clarity is vital to keeping an effective relationship with an IT services provider. Clearly-defined expectations, points of contact and accountability will ensure the very best service. For the highest level of customer service and responsive IT support, contact Syndeo Communications. We offer 24×7 emergency IT support, over the phone IT support, remote desktop support and onsite support in San Diego.