The Top 10 Benefits of Using a
Professional IT Consulting Company
Benefit #10: Access to Otherwise Unavailable Vendor Support
Small to medium-sized businesses rely on technology to make their companies successful. Owners count on the fact that their technology will work the way manufacturers promise it will, but are frequently disappointed when the technology doesn't meet expectations. When faced with this situation, most small and medium businesses have to call the consumer hotline number and wait until the next available agent is available to help. At best, you will get quick and useful support, but often, you will be placed in a queue that requires additional assistance that the helpdesk can't provide; this can be extremely frustrating. Instead of waiting on hold for hours, partner with a professional IT consulting service that has established connections with manufacturers and get direct access to the help you need, when you need it.
When you hire an IT consulting firm such as All Covered, you gain elevated connections to the merchant support that your business needs. By nature, IT is complex. For example, consider software applications; while manufactures such as Microsoft create suites of applications that work well together, chances are that you will need to combine your Windows OS and Microsoft Office with a non-Microsoft application. There's a good chance that the programs will work together—as a matter of fact, the packaging on the software you want to install states that it is compatible with Microsoft, but you just can't get it to work. At this point, instead of calling the consumer hotline, your IT consulting firm can dial one of several specific numbers to get direct access to the specific type of support needed without needing to maneuver through several phone menus. Direct access to the specific type of support you need can quickly resolve your IT conflicts and save your business hours of lost productivity.
IT consulting firms such as All Covered have cultivated partnership arrangements with vendors such as Cisco and Microsoft that give your small to medium-sized business access to the VIP treatment. Professional technology services providers have direct dial numbers that will get your business the help it needs, day or night. Support that is typically only available during standard business hours is often available to your business because of the partnerships that IT consulting firms have with manufacturers. Microsoft, Cisco, and other vendors have special numbers available to partners in situations when there is a critical outage, placing partners in direct contact with support engineers to get your business up and running if a worst-case scenario happens.
Software and hardware upgrades can be exceptionally complex. While many manufacturers offer online support, the websites are often difficult to use. In addition, often, when you can't find an online solution for your problem, trying to find a contact number so that you can speak to an expert is always difficult. Also, keep in mind that your phone support might not be free. Each manufacturer has a different policy as to how much support they will give your business before they ask for a valid credit card. When you partner with IT consulting firms, you typically won't have to pay for phone support since your IT services provider has contracted free phone support as part of their partnership.
IT consulting firms also have special "pre-sales" support, which will allow them to call vendors for advice and support on software and hardware before you make your new purchase, begin an upgrade, or start a new project. This service can save your business time and money by insuring that the right product for the job is purchased in the first place. In many situations, your professional IT services provider can even set up special demos to show you the details and functionality of new technology products that you are considering.
Access to manufacturers is crucial in effectively supporting complex technology. Technology manufacturers traditionally provide little direct end-user support. When available, this support is basic and often unreliable. This is exceedingly frustrating for small and medium businesses that call customer support but rarely receive it. Through a relationship with a well-established professional technology services provider, small to medium-sized businesses enjoy the benefits of priority access to Microsoft, Cisco and thousands of other technology vendors.
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