Author: Graham Barnes
A really good IT support provider should understand what their client’s business is all about and what is important to them. It’s not enough to know the ins and outs of the IT system, although that is of course vital.
To be able to provide a professional IT support service, it’s also important to understand what the client needs, what their priorities are and what they really value. That way the IT service will reflect the priorities and values of the client’s business.
Too many poor providers try to offer services they think the client wants, rather than services which they are actually good at. It doesn’t pay to try to offer things unless you can do them really well. A good provider will be honest about which support services they can and can’t offer, and won’t try to add on extras just because they are trendy or in demand.
IT is such a broad area that it is literally impossible for one IT Support provider to be able to support every single system. A good IT support company will be a specialist – either for a particular industry or for a particular set of services. It might be that your business will require several support companies for different systems but you will always get a better service quality from a specialist as they will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with them.
Really good IT support will see the provider listen carefully to understand what the client needs. They won’t claim to have all the answers or start offering solutions before having fully understood what the issues actually are. They will listen to the client and to other service support teams if necessary, so they can then work out the best solution all round.
A really good provider will understand and respect the need to be flexible. If a client needs emergency IT support on the weekend, to ensure the business is not affected on Monday morning, then they need to be able to rely on the support team to sort out the problems.
It’s important that the support offered fits in with the needs of the business so routine maintenance which takes an IT system down, might have to be carried out remotely in the evenings and a good support team will understand why this is, and make it happen.
It’s really important to have good communication between the client and the support teams, and to understand communication preferences. Should it be all email-based or does the client prefer a direct phone call. A good support team also needs to be able to explain clearly, in non-jargon terms, if there are issues which arise and what the solutions might be.
An IT support package which works fantastically well for a small 9-5 business won’t necessarily work for a retail business with shops around the country, so a good support provider needs to be able to adapt services and ways of working to put the client first. It’s important to understand that one approach won’t suit all types of client.
One of the most important aspects of providing a good service is making sure all services are delivered and delivered on time to the client. IT projects need to be completed by the client deadlines, and to the standard required. No client wants a provider who can’t meet standards and deadlines in a professional way.
While communication is key, being professional and courteous at all times goes hand in hand with that. IT support need to be able to hold a long-term relationship with the client. So keeping cool in a crisis and understanding that a client may not grasp the IT problem straight away, is important to maintain good customer relations.
All of these elements combined will ensure a good, reliable and trustworthy IT support service for clients so if you are not receiving all of this currently, and are looking for a new IT support team, why not get in touch with us today to see how we can help you.
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