Looking for the right Windows Support Company is not as simple as you might think. Here are some simple questions to ask them when you call.
1) Are they Microsoft GOLD Certified Partners? – Microsoft have invested heavily in their partner program giving support companies a series of challenges to help them differentiate themselves from other IT support firms. However this has all been a bit lost in translation.
I’ve put a link at the bottom of this article to the official Microsoft explanation of the various partner levels but basically Gold Certified Partners is the highest award Microsoft bestow on a partner so look out for them.
2) Do they have a help desk with permanent qualified staff at the end of the phone? – There is nothing worse than trying to explain your problem more than once.
3) Communication (lack of) is the Number 1 failing of IT Support companies. Do they offer you a tracking system that keeps you informed of support issue progress?
4) How long does it take them to resolve Windows support issues? – This is the number 2 failing of IT support firms. They will often give you a steam of excuses as to why things are taking so long.
To be fare, some issues cannot be fixed quickly and that is fine but they should identify roughly how long a problem is likely to fix and the associated costs early on. Again if they employ highly skilled staff then this should reduce fix times.
5) Are they cheap? – Cheap is never good. What appears to be cheap at the off set usually ends up costing far more. If they know their stuff then they have a large salary bill which means the expertise has to be paid for.
Again, if they know what they are doing you’ll pay a higher hourly rate but issues are fixed quickly (time is money) and they are more likely to stay fixed.
6) Do they offer Windows Support out side office hours? – Things break at the most inconvenient times and you need to know help is available when you need it, but be careful as it will always cost more outside normal business hours. This makes sure you only disturb the support team when it is vital to do so. IT support people have lives too.
We do all of the above when offering Windows Support. Companies are run differently, and IT is a complicated subject but hopefully your outsourced IT help desk will offer advices along the way. If you find the right IT company, then you should be free to run your business and not waste time fixing computer problems.