4 Signs It's Time to Fire Your Tech Support

by Stephanie Faris on Monday, May 16 6:00

Most businesses rely on educated professionals to maintain their software, hardware, and infrastructure. Whether your business has an on-site technical support staff or you outsource to a cloud provider or local service, you likely at least have someone you can call if you have problems.

However, from time to time you may need to rethink your support solutions. With so many options now available, you don t have to settle for lackluster service. Here are a few signs it may be time to make changes to your tech support.

They re Rude

We ve all requested support, only to deal with unhelpful technicians. It s important to listen to any complaints from your employees, as well as pay attention to the service you receive when you call for help. If the person who assists you has an unfriendly or condescending demeanor, know that you can find a service that will treat you better. It isn t too much to ask that your service providers and employees treat coworkers with politeness and respect, especially if they re on salary.

They re Slow

When you place a help desk ticket, how long does it take to get a call or in-person visit? Have your IT team or service provider run a monthly report on all of the tickets that are placed and check response times. Ask that turnaround times be improved and if they aren t, search for an alternative service that provides Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that promise and deliver response times that are in line with what you need. Make sure your support provider knows which incidents qualify as high priority and which can be resolved on a less urgent basis.

They re Inefficient

Knowledge is the one thing your tech support team should have. If you re dealing with an in-house team whose knowledge has gone stale, you may find it necessary to invest in training. However, an off-site provider should offer workers who can resolve your issues without delaying for days at a time. Either way, your team will grow increasingly frustrated if IT help shows up, only to conclude they don t know how to fix your current problem and need to come back.

They re Expensive

An annual salary for a help desk worker can take a large cut out of your budget, especially at the higher end of the income spectrum. If you choose to dismiss even one technician or, better yet, decline to replace someone who is already leaving, you can instead pay an hourly wage for a service that promises to be on call during the hours you might need help. If you re already outsourcing your tech support, be sure to occasionally shop around for a better-priced provider, especially if you re unhappy with the service you re receiving.

Help desk technicians perform an important role in every organization, whether they re on site or outsourced. However, it s important to recognize when you can get better service for more affordable rates from a different provider. You ll then be able to rely on your issues being fixed quickly so that you can get back to your own work.