How are your IT consultants stacking up?
As the world grows more tech-centric, its likely your business will too. Unfortunately, many business owners find themselves at a loss when it comes to being knowledgeable about current technology trends. This is traditionally where IT consultants enter the picture. The irony, of course, is that most business owners can’t tell if their IT consultants are doing a good job or not — after all, they’re the tech experts. So how can you be sure that your IT consultants are measuring up?
Phil Simon, an independent systems consultant and published tech author, outlined in a recent article what he feels are five warning signs that it may be time to say goodbye to your current IT consultant.
- The consultants are difficult to work with.
- The consultants are inexperienced.
- The IT management is not responsive.
- The IT firm churns your account.
- The IT firm’s travel expenses are unreasonably high.
Our team here feels that if you have any of these issues with your IT company, a reevaluation of your IT consulting company is definitely in order. Simon is right, however, that careful examination of the whole picture is best to ensure you don’t make a hasty and costly decision.
We at Ascensha try to live up to a few basic customer service guidelines:
Treat any client as an extension of your own company: In our experience, the best consultants are teachers at heart. If your IT consultants aren’t setting you or your business up for future success, they may be doing more harm than good.
Be Honest: Nobody’s perfect, but you should expect a certain level of competency from IT consulting firms, especially when dealing with areas like information security. If our staff is unsure about how to work through a specific issue, we try to be upfront about our uncertainty but also go do the research to get the answer.
Every Issue is Important: Responsiveness is crucial when it comes to IT support. If a client is not getting the service they need in a reasonable amount of time, then the value of IT help is diminished. We take every support call or new service seriously to ensure our client’s business does not falter.
Be Flexible: While some on-site assistance may be necessary, especially in the initial stages of a working relationship, we try to put in place all the capabilities to manage a client’s IT infrastructure, security and networking needs remotely to keep costs down and make timeliness possible.
- 5 Signs of a Good IT Help Desk
- IT Services: The Benefits to Small Business
- Businesses Cannot Settle for Mediocre IT Security Anymore
[photo: Flickr]
Tags: information security, it consultants, it consultants portland oregon, it consulting firms, IT support, Phil Simon