Good IT support is hugely valuable to a business, having a powerful influence on user experience. It builds trust and brand awareness which can ultimately lead to increased sales. The kind of interpersonal relations provided by a business can mean the difference between adequate and outstanding IT support, which will affect the reputation of a brand. With the ever-changing landscape of customer service due to advancing technology, it is critical to keep human interaction as resourceful as possible. IT support is one of the most important facets of business relationships and therefore should not be seen as a nuisance or interruption. There are several things which play a role in forming the best IT support, especially communication and time management skills.
When considering IT support, organisations have two options to consider; either hire an in-house team to manage the IT side of the business or outsource to an established managed It support provider. Whilst an internal IT team can seem the more attractive option of the two, can be extremely expensive to integrate into your business. Unless you have the time, money and resources to set-up a full-scale in-house IT support team, you may be better to consider outsourcing your IT support. By doing so, what you end up with are experienced and qualified IT support experts for just a fraction of the cost. You can call on this expertise as and when your IT infrastructure is hit by a problem.
Of course, it can be difficult to choose the right IT support if you’ve little experience in the industry. Also, you may not know whether you actually need to outsource your IT support. One thing’s for sure though, with business IT support you’ll be able to work closely with a knowledgeable company who will get an understanding of your IT infrastructure and provide tailor-made assistance. Our previous blog In-house vs Outsourced IT Support: What is best for your business? Provides information on what to consider when making the decision.
If you are looking to get IT support, we have pulled together some important factors to consider so that you end up with the best team to help your business.
Mutual understanding about customer expectations
Communicating expectations clearly is important for both the support team and user to have a shared understanding of the services offered. If the end user is aware of how the relationship works, such as the kind of response time they can expect, or whether it is email or telephone support they will receive, there is likely to be less misunderstanding and frustration for both parties.
Patience and empathy
It is important to always give the most attentive responses to all users, especially when they call at inconvenient times. Having empathy distinguishes support calls as human interactions rather than technical challenges, making your IT users feel more significant.
Clear communication
A good support team will recognise the business needs of a user and provide them with a solution in simple, common-use terms, rather than technical jargon. It is useful to keep things concise and if required, to take the end user through a solution step-by-step. This will gain the user’s trust and enable a quick and efficient resolution. Trying to identify the user’s technical level using intuition and signs from the conversation can also help to determine the best form of help. If a user is less technically inclined, there will be a greater need to keep things clear and easy to understand.
Responsiveness
The prompter response times a support team offers, the more valuable they will be to an end user to whom delays can cost their business money. Offering reliable response times to queries will also increase the trust they have in your IT support.
Business managers
Having a business manager who is allocated to individual users guarantees continuity of service. Rather than having to repeatedly explain the same issue to a support team member which can be very frustrating, you can have a specific manager who has an in-depth and unique understanding of your business and its needs.
Personal and positive responses
Responding to support requests personally makes it easier for users to contact you directly, shows that you are taking responsibility and makes your team more approachable. Having confidence in support interaction and using positive lexis reassures users that you are in control of their issue and will solve it as quick as possible.
At Qlic, our managed IT support helpdesk and IT consultancy services are the most important part of our relationship with your organisation. If you want to find out more about our approach, which involves having personable staff, dedicated account managers and an 8 second average telephone response time, please contact us on [email protected] or call 02039043464.
