When it comes to running a business, no one can do it alone. It takes a team of highly skilled people working together to maximize the efficiency and productivity of any company (LLC or otherwise), regardless of what industry you’re entrenched in. In fact, some facets of your business are so specialized that you’re likely better off opting out of developing your own in-house team.
Take, for instance, technical support. Sure, you could develop your own tech support team — but hiring IT staff can become costly. The individuals you’ll need to fill these roles often have an extensive background and specialized certifications. Bringing on someone you can train into a tech support role usually isn’t feasible, and those who do have the experience you need to know what their skills are worth in the job market.
So let’s explore some alternative ways you can go about finding the tech support your business needs to maximize your operations and maintain consistency for your customers.
Let’s Talk Tech Support
Whether you realize it or not, tech support is a vital part of your day-to-day operations. But, even if you feel like you’re ready to introduce professional tech support into your business, you probably have no clue how to even get started. So let’s break that down a bit, shall we?
- Outsourcing is key: When your personal MacBook begins to act up, you don’t spend your entire weekend trying to disassemble it — you take it to the nearest Apple store or launch a chat session online. So why would you treat your business tech any less seriously? If anything, you want to take extra steps to protect your business interests. Perhaps you can get by without help at the start, but once your company becomes substantially larger, outsourcing to a professional tech support team is the easy solution to streamline your operations.
- Getting started: But where do you find the right tech support company for your needs? We recommend you begin by asking colleagues, peers and other industry professionals for their feedback. From there, you can conduct an online search. Naturally, the internet offers a ton of leads for IT teams, and organizations like Angie’s List can help you gauge the track records of the various candidates you may encounter. You might even place an ad online to attract the right tech support guru(s) or track down any corporate-aligned tech support partners that may be tailor-made for your needs.
- Assessing your options: Once you have some contenders, it’s time to whittle them down to the best. Reach out to the most promising ones, and make a note of their investment in your project. How many questions they ask regarding your company and technical specifications says a lot about their professionalism and attention to detail. The ability to translate high-level jargon into layman’s terms you can understand shows a willingness to communicate openly and build a lasting partnership. The right IT professional will present a number of price points and options based on your needs.
- Expertise matters: In addition to getting a feel for your top contenders’ professionalism and overall demeanor, you should find out whether they have any certifications that bode well for their knowledge, experience and technical wizardry. Depending on your needs, you may wind up working with a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) or a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP). If you use Apple products, then an Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) would naturally be better equipped to handle any technical issues you encounter in the future.
- Exercise caution: Just as you should be on the lookout for key indicators that a tech support team is on the up and up, keep an eye out for red flags that perhaps someone isn’t a good fit. For example, personality goes a long way — and if you aren’t getting a positive first impression, you might want to consider other options. Don’t let them hide behind technical terminology either: challenge your candidates to explain their process. If it feels like they’re pushing one solution, brand or price point above all, you’ll be better off finding a tech support team that is willing to work with you to handle your needs in a manner that makes you comfortable.
Make IT Staff a Worthwhile Investment
Still not convinced that you’re ready to commit to tech support as a viable part of your operation? Well, let’s run down some of the key benefits you’ll enjoy when you have an outsourced IT team on your side.
- Manage your costs: When you don’t have a team earmarked to meet your tech support needs, you’re left scrambling to solve any issues that might arise. However, if you consider these expenses just another part of your budget, then you won’t have to contend with the resulting financial unpredictability. So much of your business’s long-term success depends on how you balance your books and having your tech support covered makes it that much easier to do so.
- Sharpen your focus: With vital (but non-revenue-generating) facets like tech support delegated outside of your central team, you’ll find yourself with more time to focus on innovation and executing your company’s growth strategy. Part of what makes outsourcing so attractive is that it allows you to keep your eye on the bigger picture. Unless you run an IT company, there’s little reason why you should concern yourself with the particulars of your tech support in lieu of developing your company’s mission.
- Improve your security: It’s a cliche, but when it comes to tech support, you truly do get what you pay for. That being said, it’s worth the investment in outsourcing this part of your business, especially since it has such wide-reaching effects on the integrity of your business. Sure, you could entrust this task to someone within your team, but you’ll either be spreading your own resources too thin (more on that in a bit) or assigning it to someone who lacks the right expertise.
- Protect your business: Truthfully, human error is the least of your concerns with regards to tech support. You’ve probably noticed that cyber-attacks have become more and more common these days. Whether it’s a global corporation or a small business, hackers are very adept at exploiting any vulnerabilities in your infrastructure. Professional tech support can safeguard your internal data and institute a disaster recovery plan to minimize damage and downtime if a breach ever does occur.
- Save your resources: In order to stay not only up-to-date with your industry but ahead of your competition, you need to ensure that you’re making the most of the resources at your disposal. Money and manpower are obviously finite, but your most limited resource will always be time. An outside tech support team allows you to divert your team members to tend to more pressing matters, such as marketing, development and customer satisfaction.
Protect Your Business
If you’re thinking that your business doesn’t need tech support, you may be right (to a point). Tech support, after all, provides a service that you don’t need all the time. But when something goes wrong, it’s a relief to have a place to turn for fast solutions. The alternative means that your business may experience technical difficulties that could interrupt the flow of your service, slow down your team’s productivity and thereby do possibly irrevocable harm to your customers’ goodwill. Is that really a risk you’re willing to take, after devoting so much time and money into your business?
Here at Incfile, we’re committed to guiding your business to make the very best decisions it can amid the current landscape. We empower business owners just like you with tools and resources that allow you to pursue your goals with confidence, ensuring that your company is built to last. If you have any questions about how we can help your business, feel free to reach out so that we can ensure that you have every opportunity to fine-tune your strategy. If you’re ready to learn more, check out our website and get started today!
Robert Yaniz Jr.
