Bay Area IT Services Company: Choosing A Great Team To Support Your Information Systems
Better the devil you know than the one you don’t, right?
At least, that’s what they say. Often, when it comes to IT support, the assumption is that if you’ve worked with one company, you’ve worked with them all.
If you’re not satisfied with the one you currently have, it’s probably not worth you’re the time and effort it’ll take to find a new one. You’ll just encounter the same problems.
But really, this is a rather baffling assumption – as with any market, how could you expect the many, many options available to you to be the same?
The fact is that they’re not – and not all IT companies are created equal. That’s why it’s crucial that you weigh your options – ask for client testimonials, case studies, service level guarantees and more so that you can be sure of what you’re getting in to. If this is to be your next IT company, you don’t want to rush into any arrangement without being sure you’ll get what you need.
In this eBook, we’ll show you 10 clear signs that your current IT support isn’t cutting it, and that it’s time to find a new one.
Trust – The Foundation Of A Good Relationship With Your Bay Area IT Services Company
The fact is that, no matter what SLAs you get, what you hear from other clients, how well rated they are on Google and GlassDoor, you will never really know what you’re getting into with an IT company until you give them a shot.
Certainly, fixed qualities like price, the scope of services, and technical certifications are important considerations in how you determine who you’ll work with, they’re not what really matters…
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Do They Understand Your Business?
Nearly any Bay Area IT services company can fix your technology temporarily. What sets the truly worthwhile options apart from the rest is their attention to detail, and to you. If they take the time to find out what your business does, and how technology plays a role in that, then they can make sure it’s repaired and configured to best suit your needs, as well as make suggestions for how to improve.
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Will They Answer When You Call?
It doesn’t matter if they have Live Chat, a dedicated phone line or a 1-hour response guarantee. When you have an issue, you want someone there to answer you. In their marketing, they could make any huge claims about how quickly they respond, but what matters is whether they’re there in the moment.
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Do They Go The Extra Mile?
This is the real “x-factor” in support services. Does the IT company in question do that little extra to make sure you’re taken care of? This can be difficult to describe without specific examples, but you know it when you see it.
In the end, this all has to do with trust. If you don’t trust your IT company, then you need to do something about it.
However, if that’s not reason enough to start making a change, then consider the following
10 signs that you need a new IT company…
- 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.
- You’re Waiting Days For Fixes. Every minute you or your staff can’t work because of an IT problem is a direct waste of your time and money. If your IT support isn’t responsive and prompt, then it’s not effective, simple as that. Don’t wait for any more than a couple of hours for a response, and more than a day at most for a fix.
- You’re Paying For Short-Term Fixes. Even if you don’t have to wait long to get a technician on-site, it’s not worth much to you if they just have to come back in a few days. Ineffective IT support often means applying a “band-aid” solution that doesn’t really get to the root of the problem. 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 call them again to come back and do the same thing.
- 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.
- Your Employees Are Unhappy. IT user experience is a big part of business culture these days. If your staff feels that they’re fighting against their computers in order to get their work done, morale will plummet. Staff members will get the impression that you don’t really care about them getting their work done. After all, if you did, wouldn’t you invest more in the tools they rely on every day?
- No “Big Picture”. Your Bay Area IT services company shouldn’t be 100% focused on maintenance. Their role should expand further, to help you strategically plan your IT for the future, whether that means planning a new business location’s IT infrastructure, helping you price out cloud services or ERP options, or whatever else you have on the horizon that intersects with technology.
- You’re Doing Their Work. Think about the last time you or an employee called up your IT company – what was the conversation like? Did they provide support via a remote access tool? Did they come to visit on-site and fix the problem for you? Or did they just lead you through a list of steps to try to get a fix? Sure, sometimes when it’s a simple fix and you need it quick, having the person on the other end of the phone line tell you what to unplug and what to click can be an effective way to go about it. But if it’s like this every time? That’s another story. You need an IT company that actively manages the support process – not one that tells you what to do.
- You Don’t Believe What They Say. Again, as a matter of trust, this is a major issue. Have you gotten to a point with your IT company where you think (or, know for a fact) that they’re lying to you? Maybe it’s that they say they’ll be in that afternoon to fix something, but they actually show up the next morning. Maybe they say they’ve updated your systems, but you’re still getting prompts. No matter what the lies are, if you think your support provider is being untruthful, then you need to make a change.
- Lack Of Expertise. Do you get the impression that your support technician knows about as much about technology as you do? After all, you’re hiring this company for their technical capabilities. They should have years of experience and a range of technical certifications that make them fit for the job. Whether you think you’re getting their most novice technician most of the time, or even worse, that their team as a whole is just Googling answers to your questions, then it’s time to move on.
- They Don’t Know Compliance. This is another matter of expertise. Regardless of how capable they are with technology, if you operate in an industry that requires you to maintain compliance (healthcare, financial, etc.) then your IT company needs to support that. If you feel that you’re just getting a range of generic Bay Area IT services that don’t actually consider compliance needs, then you need to find an IT company that can deliver.
Consider Working With BC Networks As Your Bay Area IT Services Company
If any of these signs is familiar to you, then you need to think about making a change. You deserve an IT company that has the skills, resources, and commitment to effectively handle your IT needs – an IT company like BC Networks.
BC Networks is the leader in providing San Jose, Silicon Valley and South Bay with fast, reliable and affordable business IT services consulting. We provide a comprehensive suite of services and support for small-to-midsized businesses and nonprofits. Our services help you protect and grow the organization you and your team have worked so hard to build.
Experience and strategy are what set us apart from other San Jose, Silicon Valley & South Bay IT companies. We deliver consistently optimal results following our carefully developed and mature set of IT practices and procedures.
