Our team at Apex Computing Services based in Salford Quays, Manchester are often approached by companies who are looking for help fixing one-off emergencies. It could be that the computers in their offices are not communicating with one another, or that the manager’s desktop computer has crashed, or even worse that the server is down. Their existing I.T. company doesn’t know the fix and they look to Apex Computing Services for the solution.
Something has gone wrong and they want a qualified technician to visit their premises and fix the problem immediately. They are not worried about the cost, because they see it as a one-off.
You may wonder why, often, we turn these kinds of customers away.
We Turn Them Away For Good Reasons
It is not because we are trying to be difficult or stubborn. It’s simply because we feel very strongly that if you are looking for good value for your money, one-off solutions are not the answer. We have the expertise to carry out what many businesses would consider to be miraculous repairs. However, this approach to your IT support costs you more in the long run and the same problem might arise in a couple of months’ time.
Furthermore, reactive support providers (the type of services that offer solutions for one-off problems) bill you for all the time they spend. This means that you will be charged even before they solve the problem, for the 2 to 3 hours they might be spending familiarising themselves with your particular computer/network.
Emergency One-Offs Are Very Expensive for Businesses
The truth about one-off solutions to IT problems is that the total cost is more than just the provider’s price. If your computer systems are offline your employees will still expect to be paid their salaries but may not be able to do the work they need to. This can mean you lose valuable time that could be better spent on that important project.
Think about your office for a moment and consider the impact that downtime of just one hour can make. Multiple the hour by the number of broadband users you have in your office. So, just one hour of downtime actually equates to numerous hours’ worth of production time lost.
There can be long-term consequences if you rely on one-off solutions. It means that employees must fix problems themselves when they can, which is okay if they have available time to stay up to date with technological developments. However, when they come across a problem beyond their own understanding they are stuck.
From your point of view as an employer it creates a problem with productivity. If you don’t have an IT expert on hand to offer guidance and support, your employees will never be able to make proper use of new tools and features when they are introduced.
Their IT skills will start to become dull as new developments in technology are introduced and they will continue to make inefficient use of their systems. This means that you are paying them for a job without ever getting their very best work.
If you are a Manchester based business, we are your team. When you have a fully dedicated IT support team available to your employees, it means they receive the help they need when they need it. They will also be shown how to prevent issues from occurring again and how to get the best out of the systems they are using. Therefore, investing in an agreement for IT support with a team like Apex Computing Services will provide your company with more benefits in the long term than just one-off fixes. We can offer weekly on-site visits or more cost-effective remote support. We are not only limited to the Greater Manchester area, we also have customers as far out in the UK as London and Glasgow.
The Truth Is – Ongoing IT Support Is Inexpensive
Companies are often put off from looking into more long-term agreements for IT support – normally because of bad experiences they have had with other contracts from service providers. Agreement normally equates with the word expensive in a lot of people’s minds. This means that many businesses think that the cost-to-value ratio is either tipped more in favour of the provider, or is at best negligible.
The truth is that a business consisting of around 20 IT users could pay just a couple of hundred pounds every month for a full IT support agreement. It is not hard to see this as being good value for money. Especially when you consider the fact that your computer and network systems will be able to function as normal and your staff will be able to work as efficiently as ever; with the assurance of knowing that if and when they need it, there is IT advice and support available.
Being in a service agreement with Apex Computing Services Ltd means you will get advice and support whenever you need it. You will also get regular updates on IT industry topics, and receive exclusive invites to any training days or breakfast workshops we organise. Back in November 2017, 6 months before the GDPR Regulation deadline came in force, we held a Cyber Secure & GDPR Breakfast Workshop for our customers.
We had guest speakers from Barclays, Irwin Mitchel Solicitors and ESET. Barclays talked about Cyber Security, phishing and social engineering. Irwin Mitchel gave us a comprehensive guide to the new General Data Protection Regulation law and how to mitigate risk as a Small/Medium business owner. ESET advised us on the Encryption products available and we also had our own Head of Backup and Security, Nathanial Gill, talk about the I.T. Security Audit Apex has to offer.
The IT Security Audit has evolved into the Cyber Essentials Accreditation which we now offer as a service to our customers. We have partnered with Xyone and APMG to offer our customers the industry recognised Cyber Essentials accreditation. Once you have gained this accreditation it shows your customers that you are dedicated to promoting a safe and secure cyber environment.
If you a Manchester based business looking for IT Support, please contact us today.