Computer issues and sudden computer problems are bound to occur, whether your IT group is highly skilled or not, it is always a good idea to educate yourself on some fundamental IT support. Calling up your IT support or your technical IT guy is never the best and most effective option you can take. You want to make sure that your problem gets fixed as soon as possible without waiting on hold for hours on end. If you do need to call your technician or IT guy, here are some tips to keep in mind. Read on to find out some helpful suggestions.
Make sure you read through your technician’s website thoroughly. When you receive a quote, read every bit of it, from the estimate to the time it will take to fix your issue. If they claim to be managed services, make sure that you know what managed services actually mean. Some technicians may suggest managed services but require upfront payments for them before they begin any work. You don’t want to pay money for something you didn’t want in the first place.
Your technician might be suggesting managed services because he/she means the price will be lower. This is true, but you will still be charged for the actual hours of labor. Sometimes a technician may provide a quote over the phone but ask for a written estimate of labor hours after the initial quote is made. If you receive a phone call from a tech support representative who seems to be pushing managed services upon you, chances are they are trying to get you to sign up for managed services right then and there.
Preventative Computer Measures and Maintenance
Ask any computer repair personnel who has been working on your computer for any kind of assistance you’ve asked for. You should be able to find their name and telephone number somewhere on the website. If not, go back online and put in a request for information. Computer support experts tend to offer some form of preventive maintenance or troubleshooting. If your computer is slow, or the screen doesn’t seem to be displaying properly, this is when they can help you out.
A good IT technical support professional will always offer some type of preventive maintenance or troubleshooting. There will always be at least one time frame in which your computer system will crash, or have an issue that requires maintenance or troubleshooting. If your system can’t handle anything random at all and just freezes up or just crashes all of a sudden, you should have someone come by your house and look at your computer system during this time frame.
Some companies offer troubleshooting services known as tier one support. This is where the person on the phone actually refers you to someone else for assistance. The tier one tech support representative will give you a list of troubleshooting steps to complete for your specific computer repair needs. They may also assign a specific level of difficulty for your repair needs. There may only be a few simple steps involved, but if you don’t understand them, you are probably going to call someone else for assistance.
Basic IT Support Knowledge
On the other hand, IT technical support with managed service providers usually provides the customer with the option to call in their own questions via a knowledge base or live chat. If you have any questions about specific programs on your computer, the managed service provider can provide you with the information you need in order to make the program work correctly again. It’s basically an online chat or knowledge base, where the customer can get some answers to their questions. Often times technical support representatives can provide assistance via email, phone or by writing you back with information on their assistance policy.
Many companies can only afford to have tier one IT technical support, which is the most basic kind of support. If you have any questions or concerns, it’s recommended you have a tier one support group. However, many smaller organizations and even some large businesses cannot afford this level of technical support, which is why you often see smaller companies or individuals working out of their home using a remote network. The remote support provided is usually part of a larger managed service group, which gives the customer more options and versatility.