What distinguishes outstanding IT support from the rest? Is it merely about lower costs or flat-fee services? At Alexaur Technology Services, we believe several crucial factors set apart good IT providers from great ones. Often, our clients switch to us and realize they had been enduring subpar support without even knowing it.
Today, we're revealing the top eight practices that excellent IT providers consistently follow. It's time to upgrade from tech headaches and mediocre service that might be putting your business at risk. Top-tier IT providers:
1. Answer the phone during emergencies.
In an emergency, waiting on hold or leaving a message is not an option. You need prompt assistance. Reliable IT providers know that time matters and will either answer the phones LIVE or respond promptly.
2. Are consistently easy to reach and highly responsive when you need them for non-emergencies.
Reliable IT support isn't just for emergencies. They are readily accessible for minor tech issues, as well. Ask around your office. If your staff constantly faces repeated issues, long waits, or unhelpful support, it's a sign to reconsider your provider. Top IT companies ensure quick and friendly service at all times.
3. Offer after-hours support.
Any good IT company will answer their phones LIVE (not voicemail or phone trees) and respond from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every weekday. But many small businesses work outside normal “9 to 5” hours and need IT support both nights and weekends. Is it easy to reach them after hours? Can you reach them via the same methods as during business hours? Do they have technicians on-call and ready to assist you when you need them most?
4. Proactively monitor your network.
You should not be alerting your IT company to an issue! Their team of technicians should be monitoring your systems for downtime, breaches, inefficiencies and more and coming to YOU with proposed solutions and updates.
5. Have a user-friendly system in place to manage your requests.
Submitting requests should be straightforward. A top-notch IT provider offers multiple, uncomplicated ways for you to report issues, and utilizes a ticketing system that ensures your service requests are properly tracked, prioritized, and resolved without getting overlooked. If this is not the case, it’s time to question whether their customers are their true focus.
6. Propose a cybersecurity plan for your organization?
Cybersecurity is a huge issue! If your IT team hasn’t proposed a detailed plan to protect against ransomware and data loss, they might not be equipped to safeguard your business. Great providers regularly update you with the latest security measures to keep your data safe.
You want to work with an IT provider that takes cybersecurity seriously and is regularly offering new solutions to keep you secure from hackers’ latest advances.
7. Provide transparent and detailed invoices.
You should always know what you are paying for. Clear, itemized invoices prevent confusion over services included and ensure you’re not overpaying for mediocre support. Transparency in billing is a hallmark of a trustworthy IT provider.
8. Get projects done on time and on budget.
Consistently meeting deadlines and staying within budget are critical. Great IT providers deliver projects on time and communicate promptly about any issues, offering solutions to keep everything on track. Frequent delays or unexpected fees are red flags.
Your business deserves reliable, stress-free support. At Alexaur Technology Services, we offer a FREE, no-obligation Network Assessment to show you how our expert team can optimize your network, enhance security, and improve your technology infrastructure. Contact us today to discover the difference top-quality IT support can make. To get started, click here to book your FREE Network Assessment now or call our office at (281) 646-1200.
