Considering current market dynamics and consumer behaviour, businesses have no other option but to shift towards more tech-heavy solutions to stay competitive. In fact, many London-based SME business owners opt for hiring an IT support partner in London to take care of all their digital needs, as basic business requirements such as online shopping for customers, international deliveries, and digital payment solutions require multiple operations running in the background for these services to work properly 24/7.

The Current IT Support Scenario

As small to medium scale companies invest more time and energy into creating infrastructure that can support their digital businesses, they naturally end up spending more money on their IT needs.

According to a 2019 Deloitte Tech Trends report, businesses employing an in-house IT expert spend 70% or more of their IT budget on this one role alone. Unfortunately, this doesn’t ensure all of their digital requirements will be met, as it’s unlikely their in-house IT person is an expert in ‘all things IT’.

For this reason and others, sooner or later businesses are forced to look towards strategies that will cut IT-related costs, but this could be at the price of functionality.

This is why it makes sense to spend your IT budget on more efficient solutions, such as an outsourced IT support team, rather than an in-house employee.

What Should You Do?

If you’ve been using your digital infrastructure for a while now, you probably know the main problem areas and what you need assistance with most of the time. If it’s a new setup, your best option is to get advice from a seasoned IT consultant who has experience in your field of work and the kind of system you’re using.

With this information on hand, you can look for an IT support team that has the specific skills and expertise necessary to handle with your digital infrastructure effectively.

4 Key Service Areas You Need from Your IT Support Team

The IT support industry is a massive marketplace, with vendors from all over the world providing different kinds of unique services and features. It can be intimidating and confusing as a new entrant to the market when you’re exposed to technical terms and a list of services you know nothing about.

Let’s break down the four main services you’ll want from your IT support team, regardless of how small or large your requirements are.

Support Centre

Nearly every IT support team has a support centre you can use when facing technical issues. However, what differs is the kind of assistance they’ll provide and their availability.

In some cases, a support centre is only available during a certain time frame on certain days of the week. In others, your IT company gives you 24-hour access to the support centre 7 days a week.

Moreover, for some IT companies, a support centre is simply a portal through which you can lodge your complaint, and later a member of their team will get in touch to resolve your problem. In others still, the support centre is where the solutions are provided – as soon as you get in touch, you’re immediately assigned a professional who starts addressing your concern.

It’s a good idea to ask your potential IT support team how exactly you can get in touch with the support centre.

Pre-emptive Support

Unlike a support centre, which is a reactive form of support, pre-emptive support aims to manage a problem before it occurs.

This is usually the case with seasoned support professionals who have experience with various systems. They know what the most common problems are, what’s most likely to cause a problem, and what the solution is.

Given this, they can provide their clients with resources that serve as a self-service solution for the user.

Some support providers provide clients with written hard copies of solutions, some have an online portal that they can use to troubleshoot errors, while others go a step further and have a full video library that clients can use.

Data Management

In the modern world, the most valuable asset for any company is its data. This could be sensitive company information, suppliers’ and vendors’ transaction data, or it could be confidential client information.

Most digital attacks today target data more than anything else. You want to make sure your IT support company has solid data safety protocols to help you protect your information.

This could be done through high-quality data encryption tools, multi-factor authentication protocols, and file sharing SOPs.

Backup and Recovery

It’s not only a cyber-attack that could put your data at risk, but even common things such as a system break down, a hard-disk going corrupt or theft of a storage device could result in you losing valuable data. With so many things being digital, the strain on digital technologies is huge, and just like anything else, they are prone to breakdowns and errors.

You need an IT support team that will have a backup and recovery protocol in place in which they make periodic local and online backups of system data. Your staff should also be trained in the right techniques of safely managing and storing data as they work. Lastly, if something does go wrong, your IT support team should have a solid recovery plan.

Conclusion

If a potential IT support provider can cover these important areas and manage all your other IT requirements, they’re certainly a good option to consider. Don’t be too focused on saving money when it comes to your IT support – the extra money spent will be well worth it when it saves you from significant downtime, a major operational setback, or irate clients and customers that affect your bottom line.