Imagine owning a car and never checking the tyres, oil or water while ignoring any flashing lights on your dashboard.
Then imagine, when it breaks down, you desperately flick through the yellow pages to find the cheapest mechanic that can fix it immediately.
That's what the vast majority of businesses do with their computer systems.
Like the mechanic, a computer tech is a tradesman. When you call a tradesman out to a crisis it means you are up for a big bill. Whether it's cars, plumbing or computers, it's best to pick up a problem early than before a disaster happens.
Finding a tech can be a problem, though; there's few barriers to anyone who knows something about computers, and a few that don’t, putting up a sign saying "I'm a computer tech". Many of these people can barely be trusted with the family computer let alone the systems that keep your business running.
The first step in finding a good support organisation is to ask around. Your accountant, contractors and clients might know some names. Word of mouth is always the best reference.
Next, you need to know how big they are. The single man operator is often very good. But they are going to struggle supporting you and a dozen other customers.
Ideally a small support company will have at least four techs. This gives them a range of skills and they won’t have to rely on one or two people to service you.
Once you've found a support company with a number of staff you need to look at their pricing; "the no fix, no fee" and the "no call out fee" guys are firmly aimed at the consumer market. Their services are based on fixing comparatively small problems. You want to be avoiding problems, not having someone rush out to fix them when you can.
The hourly rate itself is a warning sign. A professional tech support outfit simply cannot provide quality services, employ decent staff and make a profit at under a $100 an hour. $150 is probably closer to a realistic rate when dealing with server support and network issues.
You should also remember that good techs cost. An experienced computer guy charging $150 an hour will often fix a problem in the first hour that the inexperienced $25 an hour tech will take two days to fix, if at all.
The support company should offer a support plan or retainer. This support plan will include documenting the system, monitoring its performance and regular inspections.
It's important to emphasise how critical support plans are. It's a win for both the tech and the customer. The customer gets regular maintenance done while the tech company has regular jobs that allows them to plan their cash and work flows.
One absolute no-no is buying on the recommendations your local computer superstore. The big box movers aim squarely at the home market. The stock at the computer superstore is rarely designed for business use and, even if it was, the staff couldn't support it.
Just as an aside, some businesses make the mistake of not only buying from the local computer superstore but also hiring one of the shop assistants to help them with setup. This almost always turns to tears.
Your IT investments are important to your business, so it's important they are looked after by someone who knows what they are doing.
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