The Hidden Cost of Poor IT Support
DC the Computer guy
Poor IT support has a hidden cost whether you’re at work or home, and it’s a lot steeper than you might think.
Whether you’re a business owner like me who built your company from the ground up, work from home, or simply like playing games, you’ve probably had computer problems. Now, this could be software trouble, hardware failures, network problems, slowness, viruses – the list goes on. When this happens, there are two choices, try to figure out the problem yourself or call someone to help.
This is where things get tricky.
For just about everyone, cost is a consideration. Money matters, and we all want to make sure we get good value for our hard-earned dollar. Whether you’re paying for break-fix work by the hour or have a contract with an IT Support company, a price tag is associated with it. But that’s only part of the cost I discuss in this article.
PRICE IS IMPORTANT
When considering IT support, business owners and home users tend to focus on one thing – how much does it cost? The problem with this is that it leads to bad decisions.
When people need computer help, many first call a friend or relative who “knows computers.” This help is often free but rarely fixes the overall problem and typically makes it worse, especially in small businesses. Sadly, this is the case with almost all inexpensive solutions. Whether it’s a friend or family member that’s a computer guru or the cheapest IT person in town, you’re probably not getting the quality service you think. Addressing issues this way is the equivalent of throwing a bucket of water on a burning building. It’s basically useless.
QUALITY COUNTS
Getting quality computer support is about more than fixing one issue. Addressing a single computer problem after it occurs is called reactive support. This type of support is okay for hardware failures, but software problems, network issues, slowness, and viruses often result from other underlying problems. Owning an IT company for more than two decades, I can confidently tell you that when you’re having these types of computer problems, it’s rarely one thing that needs fixing.
And unless the underlying issues get fixed, that problem almost always returns.
To continue with the burning building metaphor – contacting an IT support company, and better yet, contracting with an IT support company, doesn’t mean just bringing a hose to fight that fire. It’s about protecting the structure from ever catching fire in the first place. That’s how we approach IT support here at CLARK.
POOR IT SUPPORT
In the IT field, when someone fixes problems one at a time without looking at the big picture, we call it a patchwork solution. These solutions work great until they don’t, at which point IT costs begin to skyrocket.
Patchwork solutions happen when you ask friends to help or randomly jump around to different support companies searching for the lowest possible price. Because getting to know a network takes time, one-off service calls rarely discover the source of the problem. With patchwork solutions come suggestions to wipe the data on the computer and start over, buy all-new equipment, or continually uninstall and reinstall a program. We call this putting on a bandaid.
When the problem returns, another quick fix is added, which typically includes an inconvenience – such as a scan at startup that slows things significantly or doing things in a pattern. And then another quick fix is added, making things even more complex. Before you know it, you have a Frankenstein-like mess full of inconveniences.
This hidden cost is a bottleneck to productivity. It kills employee motivation and often leads to high costs for ongoing fixes and replacements. A professional IT support organization like CLARK will never let this happen.
GRUMPY TECHNICIANS
No one likes to deal with grumpy, condescending, or unresponsive techs. Customer service is essential because no one enjoys playing the blame game – but that’s what you often get from the most inexpensive IT support in town. Too many organizations who offer poor services rely on having incredibly low prices for their business, which usually means getting to you when THEY have time and blaming users for problems.
Not only is this frustrating, but it makes you less likely to call for help. Putting up with problems that affect productivity or can lead to data loss and security breaches because of poor customer service is, unfortunately, a widespread problem in the IT field. And worse, these problems go underreported or ignored and can go on for years. When you or your employees try to resolve issues instead of calling for help, that is time lost.
HIDDEN COSTS
In the IT industry, anyone can claim to provide support. We’ve all heard the term – you get what you pay for – and because we’re talking about services that most people don’t understand, it’s vital to be wary of the hidden costs of patchwork solutions and grumpy technicians.
But that’s not all.
Most IT support companies provide three types of services – contract, hourly, or by project. What differentiates poor services from quality services is not what they charge but how that time is used and what it includes. A quality IT support company will tell you precisely what you get regardless of the type of services, without nickel-and-diming other services on top of these. This is especially true of hourly and project work.
No one wants to pay high fees for services, but then again, no one goes for cheap fast food when they want a nice dinner. That’s why we think it’s important to provide fair prices while having the capability to hire the highest quality technicians.
A FINAL WORD ABOUT CONTRACTS
For almost all services, including IT support, the concept of contracts gives owners pause, especially with small businesses. Part of this is due to making commitments in a fluctuating economy, but with cloud services, more aggressive threats from cybercriminals, and more employees wanting to work from home, the technical aspects are getting too complex to go it alone. With a contract, you typically get professional antivirus monitoring, increased cybersecurity, computer maintenance, and remote management options, which are services that every business needs.
That’s how you know what you get for your money.
As always, if you have any questions or want to discuss IT service options, please get in touch with us here at CLARK by emailing [email protected] or giving us a call at 301-456-6931 for a free quote.
President And Owner
I left big business to start Clark Computer Services in 2003; not because I had a grand vision, but because I had three young children who needed their Dad around. Knowing I had to replace my salary, I went door-to-door visiting small businesses to introduce myself and ask if they needed IT support. I heard story after story from business owners and office managers about IT companies not returning calls and emails, grumpy technicians showing up late or not at all, and systems being down for days, weeks, and in some cases…months. I realized quickly that there was a clear and pressing need for reliable, honest, and professional IT support completed pleasantly and on time.
