When businesses partner with a third party to provide managed IT services, the IT professionals they work with sometimes feel like an extension of their own in-house team. IT service providers know the IT infrastructure of their clients inside and out and are consistently working to not only troubleshoot issues, but also implement changes that can improve their IT strategy and help their business grow. This feeling that IT professionals are part of the team is made even stronger through remote and on-site interactions with the company.
However, more IT technicians are providing support remotely, including implementing changes and troubleshooting problems. While not everything can be done remotely, IT professionals are choosing to handle more tickets remotely than before which is beneficial for IT service providers and the businesses they assist. We understand that some businesses like when their IT technicians come to the office and explain what they are doing in person, but there are several ways your business can benefit from having your IT service provider take care of certain tasks remotely.
In this guide, we will discuss the ways in which remote IT support can benefit your business. If you are looking for a professional to help your business with managed IT services in the Chicago, IL area, call our IT professionals at PSM.
Rise of Remote IT Support
When problems arise within your IT infrastructure, it is important to have them resolved as soon as possible to limit downtime and prevent more serious issues like security breaches. The reason more IT professionals are resolving tech problems remotely is because it is much faster and more efficient. Sending a technician to your office takes time for travel and there are expenses involved. More than 90 percent of tech problems can be addressed remotely and taking care of tickets this way saves time and expenses for IT companies.
Since the pandemic, many businesses have continued working remotely which means that their IT infrastructure is not centralized in one place. Resolving IT issues remotely is much more efficient for IT technicians with remote clients.
How Remote IT Support Helps Your Business
Providing remote IT support not only benefits IT professionals by saving travel time and expenses, but it also benefits businesses that receive remote support. The following are the main ways that remote IT support is beneficial for your business.
1. Faster Response
Having an IT technician provide support onsite takes time as they will have to schedule an appointment with you, assign a technician, and send them to your location. Depending on the urgency of the problem, you may need help faster than the IT service can provide with an onsite visit. With remote IT support, you can get help resolving your issue within minutes of your call. The IT technician can immediately access your system and address the issue while still on the phone with you.
This is especially beneficial when you have an issue that puts your system security at risk or knocks you offline and must be resolved immediately.
2. Better Productivity
Remote IT support improves the productivity of the IT service provider and your business. Managed IT service providers invest in remote tools that allow them to push things like updates, fixes, and application installs, reducing the time needed to complete certain routine tasks. IT service providers also invest in professionals who specialize in using these remote tools which reduces the amount of time it takes to implement changes.
The ability for IT service providers to quickly implement changes and handle routine tasks remotely will help improve the productivity of your business.
3. 24/7 Support
Keeping your system protected and online is not just important during work hours, it needs to be protected 24 hours a day. If something goes wrong after work hours, you will need to wait until the next day for a technician to arrive for onsite support.
Many IT service providers offer 24/7 support over the phone. This allows you to get remote IT support any time of the day, to resolve your issue and ensure your system is online and secure.
4. Service Across Locations
If your business has several locations spread across different regions or states, relying on onsite support is highly inefficient. With remote IT support, it is possible for you to work with the same managed IT services to help all of your locations. Your IT service provider will have a thorough understanding of your IT infrastructure in each location and remote support allows them to quickly address any issue you have in any of your locations.
5. Remote Staff Support
The pandemic caused a lot of businesses to work remotely for the safety of their employees. Many businesses continue to work remotely post pandemic or have adopted a hybrid arrangement in which employees work part time remotely and part time onsite at the office. For businesses with a remote staff, remote IT support is beneficial.
No matter where your employees are, remote IT professionals can work with them to quickly resolve any issues they may experience with the same level of service you can expect at your office.
6. Insulation from IT Labor Shortage
The biggest problem within the IT industry is a shortage of IT talent. More people are leaving the industry than joining which is making it difficult for businesses and IT service providers to find IT talent. With remote IT support, it is possible for IT service providers to put you in touch with IT professionals anywhere in the world to help resolve your issue. The ability to connect remotely with IT talent around the globe to provide support helps insulate your business from the effects of the IT labor shortage.
Managed IT Services from PSM
Advances in technology have made it possible for IT technicians to address and resolve a number of issues remotely. This saves IT providers time and money and benefits your business as your IT issues can be resolved much faster, any time of the day, to keep your IT infrastructure online and running smoothly. Whether in person or remote, you can still expect top notch support from your IT service provider.
At PSM, we provide managed IT services to help businesses and organizations manage their IT infrastructure. Our professionals will understand your IT infrastructure, as well as your technology goals, and implement new processes to help you reach your technology goals and grow your business. We can help with many aspects of IT including maintenance, performance optimization, cybersecurity, cloud computing, storage and backup, and more. We also offer remote IT support, 24 hours a day, at our emergency hotline.
For more about our managed IT services, give us a call at (312) 940-7830.