Following on from our last blog, we’re talking about those awkward as hell questions you should probably (definitely) be asking your IT support company before signing up to work with them
Here at AGT, we’re as upfront and honest as you can get. So, what next?
- What’s your customer retention rate?
In the world of IT support, customer retention should be high. If an IT support company delivers what it promises to deliver, is easy to communicate with, and charges a fair price for this, a customer is unlikely to leave them for someone else. It’s simply too much hassle if they’re happy with the service. So what’s the deal if their retention rate is low? This is definitely something to ask and take into consideration when making your decision
Here at AGT: We pride ourselves on our high customer retention rate, in fact, our current retention rate stands at 100% for the month of May 2020 and you can see our live stats at the bottom of our homepage here
We also have a number of video testimonials from our clients – so you can be happy you’re hearing exactly what you need straight from the horse’s mouth.
- How much of your revenue comes from fixing problems rather than anticipating them?
This is a good one! As we all know, prevention is better than cure.
So where possible, things SHOULD be put in place to reduce the risk of a disaster happening within your network. Of course, you can never protect your business 100% when it comes to the failing of technology. But you can make sure you’re taking every possible step to try. So if your IT support company is making more money from fixing problems, it probably means that they’re not spending enough of their time on preventative measures. In turn, that means you’ll be spending more money than you need to on keeping your business safe.
Here at AGT: We plan ahead for every eventuality. Updates are made on time; regular back-ups are taken; and we run 24 hour monitoring so that we can act immediately should we need to. Often, problems are fixed before you even know you have a problem, we’re like the IT stealth version of ninjas.
- What’s the worst IT disaster you’ve ever dealt with and how did you solve it?
Anyone who has worked in IT for any amount of time will usually have dealt with a disaster of some scale. Knowing why it happened and the steps that were taken to resolve it will tell you more about a company than them listing all of their good points.
Here at AGT: We’re cool, calm and collected. We have disaster recovery programmes in place and we know EXACTLY what we need to do to solve things quickly and efficiently. Any issues we’ve dealt with in the past have been a learning experience and something we always use as a way to fine tune our services going forward.
So, now the awkward bit is out the way! We’d be delighted to have a chat and answer these questions in more detail for you! Get in touch here and let’s talk
Lockdown tested the strengths of many IT support companies; how they reacted to the work from home rules and how quickly and seamlessly they moved their clients to remote working showed many that they were not quite up to the task.
So, this meant that some companies have been looking for new IT support! BUT, there’s a few awkward questions you may need to ask them to establish whether they have just what you’re looking for. This month, our blogs will be focusing on the answers you want to know and how to find them out…
- Who will be responsible for looking after us day to day? Will we speak to a different person every time?
If the IT support company does assign an account manager to each client, how do they assign them? Will they match their skills with your needs? Do they judge which personalities will get on the best? Or is it just a random decision based on who has the highest or lowest workload? It’s really important that you have consistency from your IT service provider. Ideally, you’ll usually speak to the same person or small group of people who know your history and set up in detail. It’s hugely frustrating when you have a problem, to have to go over background information before you can begin a resolution.
Here at AGT: We get to know YOU and you get to know us! Our team work closely together (Obviously keeping a nice 2m social distance), so that means you always know who you’re speaking to and can trust we know everything there is to know about your accounts.
- Are you a specialised 1 sector band or do you work across the board?
For example, if they typically work with call centres, how will the service they provide translate to your estate agency? The set up is very different. How well will they understand your needs? If they’re used to working with large organisations, how does what they do adapt to a smaller business? Do their solutions differ depending on need or will they recommend the same devices and software to everyone? Should you expect the costs to be similar to those a large corporation would pay, or will they be tailored to your requirements?
You should also ask if one client makes up more than 50% of their business. It might sound quite intrusive, but what would happen to your support should that one client go away? Would the IT support company go under? And what would happen if that one client had an issue at the same time as you? Would they become a priority, leaving your business to come grinding to a halt while their problem is solved first?
Awkward questions- maybe! But, any IT company worth their salt will provide this information for you to ensure you are happy to proceed.
Here at AGT: We are honest and upfront with all of our clients. We work with a wide variety from small to large businesses and we work on a priority system. You will never be left unsure as to how and when your IT issues will be resolved. That’s a promise
Our next blog will follow next week with more of the questions you should be asking and what answers you should be hearing!
In the meantime, we’d be delighted to have a chat and answer these questions in more detail for you! Get in touch here and let’s talk
As of this week, lockdown restrictions are beginning to ease slightly and with life after Covid-19 becoming an ever increasing topic of conversation, it’s time to look at what steps you’ll need to take when your business does eventually return to the office.
Plan ahead
The process of working from home proved difficult for some, but by putting plans in place NOW for returning, you’re getting a head start on what could be another stressful process.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as everyone rocking back up to the office at 9am on a Monday, there’s actually quite a lot to consider…
It’s looking like there will be a gradual phased end to the lockdown period, in which case the team won’t be returning to the office all at once. You may have people working for you that are at higher risk (or live with someone who is high risk), so they may have to stay home for longer.
There’s also the remote working element – you may have found that allowing your team to work remotely has proved successful and this may be something you want to consider as a long term prospect for some members of the company. It could aid productivity and flexibility across the board!
There are a few aspects to be considered here:
- What changes would you need to make to allow home working for any of your team on a regular basis?
- Do you need to purchase extra devices or licenses for apps?
- How will you manage the safekeeping and return of any company equipment during this process?
- Did you or your IT service provider keep a list of what was handed out?
- Will your IT service provider need to spend a lot of time with you setting everything back up in the workplace?
Ok, we do like to talk A LOT about data security BUT this bit is crucial.
Access to your data has been moved across devices from your workplace to homes, and now needs to come back to the workplace again. Has your data security been compromised in any way during this process?
Of course, if you have a tip top IT service provider (like us!), then this transition will be as straightforward as ABC. If you made the switch to working from home in a rush, then there may be some elements of your data security which have been compromised in the process.
Whatever the case, when people and devices start coming back to your workplace, it’s a great opportunity to update everything, check the strength of passwords, and ensure all data is constantly backed up.
So, if you need a plan in place ready for when we’re given the go ahead, then we’re on standby and ready to get going. Get in touch and we can look at everything you currently have and how to ensure the move back into office life goes without a hitch.
