Business owners and decision makers are always wondering what they can do to increase profitability. Suggestions generally reflect customer service enhancements, new business opportunities, and potential product initiatives. Something to consider is the value of business technology as it improves operations which increases profitability. With the constant changes in technology it is easy to get left behind. You can increase profit margins simply by outsourcing IT and making sure that your business is benefiting from the right technologies.
Managed Services provide a new way for businesses to get the IT maintenance and management they deserve, without giving in to the hefty costs and downtime associated with either repairing failing technology or replacing it following a downtime event.
The Disadvantages of Traditional Break-Fix
When you get right down to the nitty-gritty details, traditional break-fix is an antiquated way to manage a business’s technology. Reacting to major problems is crucial, but the fact remains that there must be problems to react to. Most often, these take the form of hardware failures that could lead to expensive downtime and data loss, both of which could have been prevented if the technology was properly configured and maintained. These disasters are powerful enough to derail your business’s IT budget for months. We assure you that throwing out a traditional break-fix policy is the best way to ensure that the future of your business’s technology is as secure as possible.
The Benefits of Managed Services
Traditional break-fix focuses on replacing broken technology rather than proactively preventing issues. This is what managed IT aims to do; save you money by taking better care of your technology in the first place, and offering preventative care that helps you dodge catastrophic hardware failure or costly technology expenses. Some of managed IT’s benefits include:
- Increased Efficiency: Automation and time management are essential functions of your business that can help you make more money. A Managed Service Provider (MSP) will ensure that your systems and staff stay organised to increase efficiency by constantly monitoring and updating your technology. According to CompTIA’s annual Trends in Managed Services study, improving efficiency and reliability is the main driving factor for going with an MSP for 56% of companies with 100 or more employees and 47% of companies with fewer than 100 employees.
- Reduced Costs: You can reduce overall expenses by outsourcing IT operations. According to CompTIA’s study, ROI and cost reduction was a driving factor for using an MSP for approximately 30% of all companies. This money can be reallocated to marketing, sales, business development, and other departments within your company to increase profit. Outsourcing IT also allows you to budget for the year based on a fixed monthly fee rather than unpredictable technology expenses if you pay as you go.
- Better Customer Service: Don’t let technical issues affect interactions with your customers. Technical difficulties may be one of the most frustrating aspects of any job and those frustrations are often passed on to customers and clients. Some examples of these technological issues include unplanned downtime, cyber-attacks, and slow internet connectivity. Take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate these setbacks from your business. Having peace of mind knowing you can rely on your technology without worries is crucial for any business. Let IT professionals handle your technology so you can rest assured that technical issues won’t interfere with customer interactions and relationships.
- Increased Productivity: When computer loading time is slow and internet connection is poor, employee productivity levels are limited due to technology. Time is wasted on issues that can be prevented through proper IT support. Your business’ productivity should not be affected due to under-performing technology. This reduces revenue over time and can be prevented by partnering with a reliable provider to improve employee productivity.
How is your company’s keeping up with technology and trends? Are your systems being properly managed and maintained? Are you still stuck in the days of replacing your technology when it breaks down, rather than taking proactive care to ensure that it doesn’t happen prematurely? Rethinking your approach to technology can be a simple way to free up funds for other parts of your business, as well as improve operations substantially.
To learn more, give us a call at (604) 210-5448 or email sales@electrumnetworks.ca.