Has your business outgrown your one-man IT service provider?

Having IT support for your company is a necessity – and if it is supported by a single person then this is certainly better than nothing. There are many benefits to a one-man-band IT support provider:

You and your staff really get to know them. The relationship can grow; they get tounderstand you and your business, and the IT solutions it needs. You know you can call them and always get the same person But what happens when your business has grown over the years and your one-man IT Service Provider, can no longer support your business needs?

You started your own company as a solo entrepreneur and after a few years you’ve expanded to having fifteen employees – yay! But your IT support is still just one person. They’ve been with you since the beginning, setting up all of your technology. You have an attachment to them and a wonderful working relationship with them but they’re not keeping up like they used to.

Focus Technology Solutions work with several businesses who were previously supported by a one-man IT Service Provider, and nearly all had good experiences – especially in the early days. However, there are limitations – and there are areas of weakness – all of which our customers eventually came to realise:

What happens when the one-man IT Service Provider gets too many customers for them tobe able to provide your required level of support? It can’t be easy trying to provide therequired level of attention when there are so many plates to spin. It’s extremely frustratingwhen staff have to wait several days for something very simple.

What happens when they are ill? It can’t be easy for them knowing their customers needhelp when they are lying in bed with a horrible cold. Again, very frustrating when you can’tget the support when you need it.

What happens when they need to take a holiday? Surely, they can’t relax knowing customersare going unsupported. IT has become business critical for many businesses in today’s world– and to have periods of no support is simply too risky for many.

What happens when your business needs extra resources for projects? One pair of hands isjust one pair of hands…

What happens when their customers need solutions that the one-man IT Service Providerhas never experienced? Unfortunately, we have seen solutions implemented by previousone-man IT Service Providers that are simply not the right ones. Inappropriate solutionsaffect the effectiveness of your staff – and your business.

All this said, many stick with their one-man-band because they fear switching to an alternateprovider may jeopardise what they currently have. For many, there is some obvious trepidation on how to move to a better solution. But switching IT support provider couldn’t be easier – especially when the new provider will handle everything for you. Read our insight piece on switching: Do you know how easy switching IT service providers can be? 

The other fear for businesses looking to move away from a one-man IT service provider is they could lose the personal touch with a new company. This is certainly a risk – especially with the larger IT support companies who have 100s customers – there is a very definite risk of you becoming just a number – that’s why it’s important to speak to a few IT support companies and choose the one that can meet all your requirements.

Perhaps surprisingly, we have found that sometimes the One-Man IT Service Provider is relieved when their customers move to a larger, more capable provider – probably due to the anxiety of not always being available – not being able to provide quick enough support – and the concern about not providing the right solutions.

It’s vital that businesses can grow and empower their staff with high quality IT infrastructure.

So, whilst we may be biased on this matter (and not without good reason) we believe the idealpartner for many SMBs is to have an IT support partner big enough to have the multiple people to support your business, but small enough to maintain a strong relationship, and to help your business develop and constantly improve its IT provision. 

Solving the one-man IT Service Provider problem with Focus Technology Solutions

Focus Technology Solutions are designed to provide the right levels of support for smaller and growing business needs. Our team is built to overcome the problems of one-man IT support:

Right-sized resource Focus Technology Solutions have a depth of resource to provide complete continuity ofservice to cover holidays and sickness Centralised helpdeskFocus Technology Solutions offer multiple ways to ensure our support team are always contactable Sufficient staffFocus Technology Solutions have people resources to meet client numbers, needs, projects and known commitments Vendor accreditedFocus Technology Solutions have nurtured and built great relationships with key vendors and suppliers Wide experienceFocus Technology Solutions have depth of knowledge across the team with vendor certification in many diverse areas

To find out more about our outstanding IT support solutions that deliver the level of support youexpect, get in touch with Focus Technology Solutions.