Are you struggling to deal with all your internal technology issues and still run your business? Whether you’re a small online business or a mom-and-pop service location, if you’re not up with the latest technology, you could find yourself in a non-stop avalanche of headaches.
After the last year, more small and medium business owners are realizing that having Managed IT is a way to remove unnecessary headaches, sleepless nights, and lost weekends. Savvy small business owners know that they need to use technology to grow.
Switching to a managed service comes down to three core benefits: reduce complexity, boost efficiency, and trim costs. Let’s explore each one and see how this may help you.
Reduce Complexity
Don’t you have enough to do with managing your business, creating innovative strategies, building strong teams, and delivering exceptional customer service? Do you need to spend your spare hours reading a tech manual or learning about network monitoring?
If you’re in a service business and relying on a physical location, you already have your hands full and your hours accounted for. You know that every minute you’re spending on technical services is time away from the people-centric activities that make your business succeed.
But it doesn’t change the fact that you need to be up to date and at optimal functioning to keep your business state of the art. Reducing complexity is a daily mantra for every small business owner. Especially during the holidays, reducing complexity is the key to coping with stress, pressure, and longer hours.
Here are four essentials that are likely to elicit a sigh of relief:
- A 24/7 Help Desk so that every request for help gets a rapid response.
- Remote Network monitoring so you know everything is functioning perfectly around the clock.
- Remote and on-site support to solve issues quickly and efficiently.
- Routine maintenance to make sure technology is up-to-date, secure, and backed up.
If you’ve been struggling to do these basics on your own, with the help of your family and friends, or leaning on a small internal team of tech wizards—you are in for a treat.
Boost Efficiency
The benefits of managed IT services can go way beyond these critical essentials. It can provide you with peace of mind, improved efficiency, and increased customer satisfaction. If you’re growing into new lines of business or new geographic areas, managed services are the key to unlocking unrestricted expansion.
You can reduce stress and improve employee morale when you let an outside IT managed services team take the load off of your internal team. You’ll provide your staff with access to expert support, and remove the burden of preventative maintenance. Ask your staff for their input…you’ll find that they are more than happy to let experts do the heavy lifting.
Trim Costs
If you’re a small business owner, you may have been holding back for one big reason: the cost. This reason seems valid until you examine it more closely. It turns out it can be much more expensive to train and support an in-house IT team. You could be looking at thousands of dollars, depending on the size and scope of your operations.
Alternatively, managed IT services tend to run from $100 to $150 per person per month. This could average out to much less money than you have been spending. Money and time are the ultimate levers of success in a small business, but you still need to factor in the unknowable elements.
For instance, what is the cost of a technology glitch? What will it cost you in sales, service, or customer loyalty? Ultimately, you’ll save a lot more money by preventing costly downtime or recovery time.
Finding The Best Fit for Your Business
How can you find the best-managed service provider for your business? Start with a core list of your values and needs. Four essentials for selecting a provider you can work with over the long-term include:
- Communication skills. You want to know that your needs, wants, and issues are being heard and given top priority.
- Expert skills. Technical expertise and insights into industry trends will keep your company positioned for success.
- Collaboration skills. Partnering together will help you innovate for current needs and anticipate future developments to stay ahead of your competition.
- Agile skills. Adapting and staying flexible will help you and your IT partner start, learn, and grow without limiting you to a fixed obligation or operation.
As you explore the next steps in managed IT, keep an open mind and discuss options. You may find that a dedicated team helps you to reduce stress and grow your business.
