What you don’t know can create risk for your business. It’s a reality many IT professionals feel on a daily basis, especially those in small but mighty IT teams. Today’s IT professionals are expected to be experts in all areas of IT operations, development, and cybersecurity. They are the glue that holds the business together. 

But what happens when the internal IT team lacks deep knowledge or expertise in one or more areas? Risk is introduced or amplified. Frustration mounts among the IT team and their respective customers. Productivity and quality are impaired. Business growth stalls.

The challenge many organizations face is they have dealt with many of these frustrations and challenges for so long that they have become desensitized to them and have accepted these challenges as simply a part of doing business. 

Whether you operate with one or more internal IT team members or have an external IT support team handling some or all of your IT needs, it’s important that you have fast, reliable, and responsive support, 24/7. Anything less and you’re wasting your time and money. 

Could your current IT support be operating at suboptimal levels? 

4 Indicators of suboptimal IT support

Successful businesses require high functioning IT support to manage both internal and external needs. From ensuring employees have access to systems onsite, at home, or on the road, to ensuring data is secure and customers are able to engage with the organization, the IT support role is critical. 

If you are experiencing even one of the following leading indicators of suboptimal IT support, it may be time to look at alternative options. 

Slow response times 

When a technology challenge or need arises, the response time from your IT support team is critical. The faster you can resolve your issue, the faster you can get back to business. Slow IT support response times can lead to decreased productivity and employee engagement, reputational damage or lost opportunities, and increased risk to your business data and systems. 

Persistent or recurring issues 

If you encounter the same issues repeatedly, it may be a sign that your IT support team has a gap in their expertise related to that issue and may not be able to address the root cause. 

Ineffective or non-existent communication

Communication is the key to any healthy relationship – including business partnerships. Your IT support team should be able to communicate clearly and effectively to ensure you fully understand what is happening and the steps needed to resolve any issues or activities. 

Reactive versus proactive approaches

If your IT support  strategy is to wait-and-see and then react to issues as they arise, you’ll find yourself playing catch-up and defense forever. High-functioning IT teams are proactive in their approach, anticipating potential needs or threats and applying the appropriate strategies to prevent issues before they become major problems. 

Impact of suboptimal IT support 

Beyond the obvious frustrations and inconveniences, suboptimal IT support can have far-reaching negative consequences on your business. Persistent tech issues, for example, will inevitably impact team productivity, performance, and engagement, as well as client experience and overall business reputation. If the tech issues cause unnecessary or unplanned downtime, the business could lose revenue or growth opportunities. 

Suboptimal IT support also introduces unnecessary risk, especially with regard to cybersecurity. Today’s cybercriminals are more sophisticated than ever before. They are persistent in their pursuit of weaknesses and vulnerabilities within your digital infrastructure. If your current IT support is not well-versed in the latest cybersecurity threats or is unable to quickly address issues as they arise, you could be leaving a door open to a cyber attack. 

Filling the gaps

Every business needs IT; but not every business has the right mix of IT skills to maintain a consistent, secure, and user-friendly experience for internal and external audiences. 

When faced with this challenge, business leaders have a few options: 

• Do nothing and hope that everything will be ok
• Add one or more FTE(s) to your existing IT team, which means added headcount and overhead, as well as potential unavailability due to sickness, vacations, or general bandwidth issues
• Invest in a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to fill the gaps and provide 24/7 IT support

Hope is never a good strategy; and suboptimal IT support is never good for business. 

If you don’t have the right IT support or expertise, whether internal or with your existing MSP, it’s time to make a change. At GainSide, we can serve as either an extension of your existing IT team – providing added manpower and specialized expertise to speed up response times and decrease your risk profile – or even step in as your primary MSP to cover more of your business needs.