Technology spending is an issue that every business has to confront. There are a lot of options out there and a lot of promises made of which many won’t ever come to fruition, so it’s important to know exactly what it is that your business needs before committing to any technology investment. This month, we discuss six variables to consider when deciding on your next technology move.
Over the past year (and change) millions of businesses have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, it may not surprise you that you will have to adjust your budget to accommodate the massive amount of changes that we will see as everyday life begins to normalize. Today, we thought we’d take you through some of the financial challenges your business is sure to have to deal with when social distancing is a distant memory.
Budgeting anything can be difficult, but with many business’ organizational reliance on information systems, finding the money to get your IT initiatives off the ground can be a challenge. That hasn’t stopped the IT sector growing fast. In fact, IT spending in business is at its highest levels since 2007. Let’s take a look at how your IT budget actually helps keep your organizational technology initiatives moving forward.
Those in the business sector in charge of making decisions can often break down the choices they face as follows: benefit the short term vs the long term. If you’ve got experience with decision making, then you realize that planning for the long term works out better for all parties involved, including your bottom line. This is especially the case when it comes to big decisions involving technology.
A classic example of this is seen when procuring new technology. There’s a reason why some laptops cost $200 while other models run $2,000. When buying computer hardware, the more money you’re willing to invest will get you technology that’s more reliable, more powerful, and provides better functionality. Short term decision makers will experience sticker shock when encountering high-end equipment, causing them to gravitate toward inexpensive models. While a move like this may save some cash at the time of purchase, long-term thinkers know better.
Managers that choose to spend extra on hardware do so because they know it’s well worth the expense. When you go with technology that’s reliable, your company experiences significantly less downtime, which quickly adds up. When workers can’t do their jobs, that lost time equates to time that can’t be billed. When one considers such a discrepancy, it doesn’t take much in the way of downtime prevention to cover the financial gap between cheap hardware vs equipment that’s more reliable.
The same logic can be applied to how technology affects employee productivity and morale. By going with inexpensive hardware for the sake of saving a few bucks, you’ll end up equipping your staff with equipment that’s not as reliable, and as such, may even experience frequent breakdowns.
Now, a short-term thinker may not see this as a big deal and just expect their workers to suck it up and appreciate the tools they’re provided for doing the job they’re being paid for. Whereas a long-term thinker understands how equipping staff with reliable technology can dramatically benefit the bigger picture. InformationWeek explains, “better devices lead to higher productivity and morale. According to a UK survey, more than two-thirds of workers felt negatively about their workplace, in part due to outdated technology and practices, with the average worker being frustrated with office tech around three times per day.” Considering just how much more productive an employee is that feels positive about their job, as well as the absurd cost of employee turnover, it’s clear why long-term thinkers don’t think twice when it comes to paying extra for procuring reliable technology.
Of course, this same money-saving principle applies to how your business goes about the maintenance of its IT systems. If you view your company’s technology as an expense, then you’ll spend your money fixing problems as they crop up, which can quickly add up. Whereas long-term thinkers view their company’s technology as an investment, which translates to being proactive about IT maintenance and preventing problems before they surface. In the end, this long-term approach saves companies significant time and money, and that’s a decision everybody can feel good about.
To learn about how managed IT services from Attend IT Limited can benefit your company in the long term, call us today at 020 8626 4485.
Let’s say you get a bill in the mail for technology support, but you don’t necessarily know why you got it. Pretty troubling, right? Clearly someone in your organization isn’t privy about the proper method of getting help for their technology, but if you regularly work with a break-fix IT provider, this kind of correspondence (and cost) is unavoidable. Thankfully, there’s a simple solution to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again.
The aforementioned scenario is created when you expect your employees to contact tech support when they are experiencing an issue, rather than contacting someone within your organization. If your company doesn’t have someone dedicated to IT support, they might be left with no choice but to reach out to someone who can help them, whether it’s in your budget or not; especially if it means completing a project on time. How can you keep your organization from being surprised by hefty IT support invoices?
It’s clear that working with a managed service provider who offers help desk support is better for your business. Managed IT providers like Attend IT Limited charge only a flat monthly rate based on your service level agreement, rather than unexpected bills for unexpected support. You don’t have to worry about a stray call from an employee accruing extra charges since, as the call is covered under your service level agreement.
Consider how much can change simply by looking at your help desk solution in a different way. If your organization is billed per call for IT help, your employees might hesitate to reach out when something goes wrong. While these intentions are noble, IT issues that go ignored can escalate into full-fledged problems that can eventually cause downtime. Workers using machines that suffer from performance issues will be less productive, causing long-term problems and creating stress for your workforce.
Give Your Staff “All You Can Eat” IT Support
A good solution to the IT support conundrum is to give your staff access to unlimited IT support so that they can get the most out of their technology and perform their tasks with minimal issue. You want an IT provider that isn’t billed per call, but one that costs a set rate every month. This means that you can effectively get as much support as you want and/or need for no extra cost. This is extraordinarily important if you want a predictable IT budget.
But How Can You Get this Kind of IT Assistance?
We know a reliable way to make sure that your business never has trouble accessing trained IT professionals. Attend IT Limited wants to help your organization get past the problem of a limited IT budget through affordable monthly payments for all-you-can-eat IT support. With a help desk solution from Attend IT Limited, you’ll never be left wanting more with your IT support. Gorge yourself on our expertise and use it to further your business’s operations.
To learn more, reach out to us at 020 8626 4485.
