IT support services involve the service and maintenance of a company’s technological infrastructure, making them essential services for small business owners as it ensures that tools needed to run their operations will work as intended when necessary.
Tech support technicians possess an array of abilities that they can apply toward helping both customers and employees overcome problems, including providing hardware/software support, making sure systems remain operational, managing digital asset security and more.
In-House Tech Support
In-house tech support refers to having an IT specialist or team work within your business to meet network demands, procurement hurdles and installation issues. Since they know your business intimately, these IT specialists can easily find solutions for complex problems that would escape a remote customer support agent.
An in-house team can use its intimate knowledge of your systems to quickly address software issues that might baffle remote tech support agents unfamiliar with its intricacies, ultimately contributing to an excellent first call resolution rate metric for any company.
However, in-house tech support does have its drawbacks. When employing in-house tech support employees, they’ll require resources such as IT equipment and software as well as training courses as well as an ideal working environment and likely expect higher pay and other workplace perks in return for their efforts.
Third-Party Tech Support
Many companies opt to outsource IT support to third-party providers, freeing IT staff up to focus on projects with greater impact for the business’ bottom line. Third-party tech support providers tend to offer more cost-effective options compared to software vendors’ annual maintenance fees and can include upgrades, integrations and customization services that add significant value.
Rimini Street can offer software support services that replace vendor support for applications and databases such as Oracle and SAP, enabling clients to avoid unnecessary upgrades while receiving variable levels of assistance at lower costs.
Rimini Street may offer superior first call/contact resolution rates than traditional software vendors due to their experienced tech support teams’ knowledge in implementing, supporting, upgrading and customizing solutions – this sets them apart from vendor support services and can save businesses billions annually on software maintenance costs.
Design Assistance
One of the best ways to provide IT support is through creating an IT infrastructure that can adapt with your company’s growth. Design assistance provides this service, whereby experts assess your existing IT and recommend improvements or additions that could accommodate expansion.
Intel has taken another approach to IT support through creating an intuitive help center. Their page features neatly organized categories with clearly marked labels to make finding what you’re searching for simple.
Design-Assist delivery method is ideal for projects involving complex systems. By clearly outlining responsibilities and risks at the outset of each project, communication improves dramatically leading to less RFIs (request for information), which results in decreased overall costs and schedule for completion of your work. This delivery method has proven especially successful when used for specialty components such as chilled water plants, hospitals or warehouses with cold storage facilities.
Managed Services
Managed services allow you to outsource many of your IT needs and gain access to enterprise-level expertise and capabilities. Some managed service providers even provide on-site field services where a team of engineers visit your location and complete various IT tasks such as equipment installation/maintenance/upgrades/network design/cabling installations/wireless installations/site assessments etc.
Through remote monitoring technology, these companies can address IT problems as soon as they arise, increasing productivity and helping you avoid downtime caused by IT issues. Furthermore, many managed service providers also provide help desk support as well as backup and disaster recovery solutions, protecting businesses against cyber attacks.
IT teams may have limited time or capacity to oversee all aspects of your IT infrastructure, which makes working with an external provider essential for business continuity. A trusted provider provides access to a team of engineers who ensure your business stays protected 24/7.