Tag: IT Support

Are you getting enough IT support for what you’re paying?

Often we get calls from people who already have an individual or company providing IT support, but are looking for a second opinion on their IT infrastructure.
Here is a list of the top 5 problems that we hear about other IT providers:

  1. Slow Response
    You have a number to call but you can’t get in touch with your IT provider. You leave a message but don’t hear back in a timely manner. We see this happen often with independent IT consultants. They’ll run around just fixing computers, putting out fires. The problem is that you need help now and you have better things to do than wait. At Compuville Systems, we address this by having a team of engineers standing by, plus a dedicated Service Manager to route calls and ensure that your issue is dealt with in a timely manner.
  2. The Same Problems Keep Cropping Up Over and Over.
    There’s a difference between a band-aid fix and a solution that will eliminate the problem from happening over and over. Our job is to make your life easier, so we create solutions that resolve problems for good. Our Managed Services clients also benefit from 24×7 Monitoring systems that keep an eye on  your workstations, laptops, servers, network devices, and printers. This means that often we can fix the problem before you have to call us.
  3. Technicians That Don’t Speak Your Language
    We  firmly believe that just because we understand technology does not mean we have to speak over your head with techno-babble. We train our staff to speak to you in terms that you’ll understand and don’t over-explain details that you don’t need/want to hear about.
  4. Poor Customer Service
    We have all experienced calling a large company and being transferred from technician to technician like they don’t care about your business. Don’t they know that their customers should come first? Our Help Desk technicians are trained to handle your technical issues and put customer service first. We treat you like a person, not a number. It is our company culture to put the client you are working with at the moment as your top priority. We see issues through to resolution, no matter what it takes. We aim to resolve quickly and efficiently, but we’ll never rush you.
  5. Invoices are higher than expected
    Nickel-and-dimeing over services wastes everybody’s time. We offer monthly flat-rate pricing so that there are no surprises month to month. Regardless of the amount of service and support you use in a given month, you’re still paying the same monthly fee. This makes it easy for you to predict your budgets.

Here are some other benefits in taking advantage of our fixed-fee monthly Managed Services.

  • We manage multi-vendor, multi-technology environments effectively
  • We can hit the ground running in the deployment of new networks and systems
  • We help you reduce spending and focus your budget on the most strategic technology for your organization
  • We remain agile and meet strategic business priorities
  • We minimize risks by keeping track of your systems through 24×7 Monitoring & Maintenance on all of your systems in order to fix issues before they become big problems.

If you’d like a second opinion about the management of your IT, contact us today to find out if you’re eligible for a free IT Assessment worth $1000.

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How to Choose an IT Support Provider

Choosing Outsourced Tech Support is No Small Task

Making the decision to use a third-party IT provider is a major step, with just as many risks as rewards. Outsourced IT providers can potentially save companies time and money with their services, but a poor provider will do nothing but slow down your communications and impede your technical efficiency. It’s essential to do plenty of research—and answer some important questions—before settling on any one service provider.

What is Your Growth Capacity?

When searching for a third-party IT provider, it’s important to know how much volume, storage, and growth your company needs, and then compare it to how much the provider can handle. Don’t just settle for a provider that can handle your current volume. If outsourcing works the way it is supposed to, your company will experience growth. Make sure your IT provider will be able to make that transition with you.

Will There Be More Service Options in the Future?

It is important to consider how technologically forward-thinking your third-party IT provider is. With technology advancing about every six months, your chosen partner should be able to talk to you about their most recent service advancements, which IT trends they’ve been following, and what services they are looking to add to their repertoire as they become available.

How Available Are They When Issues Arise?

The most important factor to assess before signing any contracts is whether a prospective provider offers a personal representative for your business, available by phone or email anytime, and/or a 24/7 customer service line that is able to handle all major issues.

At Compuville Systems, we offer all of these advantages and more. With our help, you can expect efficient solutions to hardware issues, constant performance monitoring for your servers, and remote desktop assistance and repair. To learn more, contact us today at [email protected]

Compuville Systems provides managed IT & IT support, cloud computing and IT resourcing services to businesses throughout Toronto, as well as across Canada.

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Do you need an Managed Service for your Business?

Technology, while integral to every business, is one of the most challenging aspects of business operations to manage. This is especially true for small to medium businesses, where margins are thin and people are often employed to do more than one job. One option owners and managers can employ in order to better manage their technology is partnering with a Managed Service Provider (MSP).

What is a Managed Service Provider?

In the IT industry, a Managed Service Provider is a company that offers small to medium businesses the ability to outsource the management of their day-to-day technology and IT needs.

In other words, an MSP is essentially your IT department. If something technology-related breaks, they help fix it. If you need an app devised or want to upgrade hardware and software, or take a look into virtualization, they can often help in these complex areas too. Many of these organizations act as your business partner to help increase the effectiveness of your business operations, and achieve your overall goals.

Do I need an MSP?

While there are a wide variety of IT partners out there, you might be unsure as to whether you actually want or need to work with one. To help make the decision easier, we have come up with a list of five signs that your business could benefit from outsourcing your IT management to an MSP.

1. You don’t have a dedicated IT department or staff

A commonality many small businesses have is that employees often wear more than one hat. The problem with this is that those who are not necessarily IT experts, but are perhaps more tech savvy than others, are tapped to look after the company’s IT needs. Businesses can suffer from gaps in knowledge of the latest IT developments. It is also a challenge to balance IT needs while also running a business and remaining productive.

While for some small businesses having a knowledgeable tech person look after the IT on top of their main job works, the chances are high that they aren’t planning for a future in IT and may not be able to carry out complicated upgrades or even ensure that your systems are secure beyond the current environment. This can undoubtedly lead to increased problems in the future, which are likely not going to be fixed.

Instead of hiring a full-time IT staff member, you could look into using an MSP who can offer the same services, but at a fraction of the cost. This allows your employees to focus on their main roles, while also allowing you to rest easy knowing that your IT demands are being adequately taken care of.

2. You have continuous tech problems

At first glance, many of the systems we use on a daily basis are relatively simple. That is, they are simple when they are working. But, when systems breakdown business owners quickly come to realize that the technology utilized in their businesses and the systems that support it are not only complex, but are becomingly increasingly so.

Complexity aside, all technology will eventually break. When it does, you need to factor into your budget resources to make replacements and repairs. If the technology incorporated into your business is constantly experiencing problems there is a good chance this is having a negative impact on profits and productivity.

By partnering with a quality MSP that looks after your technology, you can be assured that a team of experts are running your technology and systems efficiently and that you are able to meet IT demands and scale to meet future needs. Decreased maintenance and replacement costs can help improve your overall productivity and even profits.

3. The people looking after IT are overwhelmed

Any growing business needs technology to be able to scale to meet and support growth. This often overwhelms even the most seasoned IT professionals. Even if your business has a dedicated IT role or team there is a chance that they can become overwhelmed.

When the pressure is on important issues may not be addressed and corners may be cut in order to meet current demands. This can lead to increased costs and problem issues down the road, resulting in an even more overwhelmed Technology department.

The great thing about quality IT partners is that you often don’t have to outsource all of your IT needs to them. If, for example, you have an employee who is a whizz with building computers but does not have the time to oversee the whole of your technology needs, then outsourcing some functions can free up their skills or allow them to work more effectively in their main roles.

4. Your IT budget is unpredictable

The cost of technology is ever changing. Some months you may have to replace a computer while others may see a new server needed or a security issue that needs to be dealt with immediately. Because of this, actually budgeting for technology is incredibly hard, especially for small businesses.

Most IT partners offer their services on a flat-fee, monthly basis. This makes it easy for companies to budget for technology. The upside to this is that while your budget is predictable, overall costs and overheads are often reduced because your systems are kept in better working order and will last longer.

5. You have trouble prioritizing your IT needs

It can sometimes seem like a new system is needed on a near monthly basis. From servers to email systems; computers to mobile devices; your business will almost always require ongoing technology. The problem many businesses face is that they simply are not equipped with the skills and the knowhow to recognize what their IT priorities should be.

Do you update a server, or look for a new email solution first? And in what order do you need to implement updates? It is not always obvious what the answers to these questions are, especially when everything seems urgent. If you outsource the management of your technology, the companies you partner with can take the time to get to know your company’s needs and demands and prioritize. This will make your organization more efficient and better able to reach business goals.

If you are struggling with technology in your business, contact us today to see how as your IT partner, we can work with you to ensure that your technology is working for you.

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