How do you feel about your computer support?
Hmm…. some people don’t say much. Some businesses don’t have any support, some say they have random success. Others aren’t sure who does their support.
I was part of a conversation this week between a pair of co-workers. One guy has an issue with his laptop at home and thinks it’s something related to his wireless. He’s been searching for solutions in forums but is still at a dead end.
His co-worker said she used an independent guy to troubleshoot her old laptop. For her new laptop she used the in-house service (geeky) at one of the big stores. I asked how that went. She said there was a big difference using the independent computer guy. The laptop repair went better, she was more satisfied, and felt he did a better job. The geeky guys fixed the problem, but she was more confident with the independent computer guy.
Some businesses use an inside employee to do their computer troubleshooting on the side. I’ve met a few people who use a large local company with all services bundled.
It’s hard to find the right computer help for a business or even with your computers at home. There are new players in the computer support business who buy into a franchise which provides a customer support desk. The support desk may be in the United States, but might be offshore. A computer support franchise also provides their tech tools, marketing materials, and a knowledge base for the technicians.
One of the benefits in using a local, independent consultant is having a personal connection (like Big Dog IT). Even though we talk terms of business to business, B to B, B2B, it’s about working with people. People in a business need to have someone they can trust, ask questions, rely on in emergencies, get good feedback, and most of all help with planning and using their technology.
The old break-fix model doesn’t help with a business’s long term growth. Fixed-costs for computer support saves a lot of money over the old way – both in terms of dollars spent and by reducing related computer downtime.
For a business computers are tools, sure they are entertaining, they offer a cool way to stay in touch, but they can only be useful at work when people understand they are tools. The right computer tech can help a business create usage policies, manage the equipment investment, and train users. A business can’t get that when their computer support is random.
Waiting for your business computer network to break and then calling for assistance is a little like waiting for your auto engine to seize up and then going to the shop to replace your engine rather than scheduling regular maintenance and oil changes. Just a thought.