When you call an IT help desk, you are calling to get an issue resolved. Something has likely occurred while you were performing your daily work and you need it to be fixed…and quick. Of course, there may be other reasons to call a help desk. Perhaps you are interested in a new application and you would like some information, or a new user is starting and you need to get their account setup. Most of the time, though, your workflow has been interrupted.
Of course, issues seem to come up at the most inopportune times. You would just like to get a live person, tell them what you are experiencing, and hope that there is a quick fix.
When you outsource your IT Services and a member of your team calls them, their experience may reflect on the person who chose that service in the first place. If that’s your responsibility, you want to be sure to get it right. How do you choose the right vendor, the one with a knowledgeable staff who can handle your requests quickly and efficiently?
- Check with their existing clients. Checking references just as you would for a new hire is important.
- Ask about wait times and the capabilities of the person(s) that will be assisting you and your team.
- Inquire about staff turnover and training process.
- Understand if the firm has made the proper investment in the tools and resources required to organize an efficient help desk (contact us for more on what those tools and resources are).
- Ask about their process for knowing and learning your systems. Information should be readily available on everything from how much memory is installed on your machine, to which operating system and anti-virus you use. When the help desk technician has all of this information at his or her fingertips, the solution to your problem is found more quickly and accurately.
Most IT service providers who offer a managed service plan, include a help desk component. Take the time to perform your due diligence. The quality of their help desk could impact every user in your organization. For more tips on how to select an IT service provider, check out our previous blogs and watch out for our next post for a more in-depth look at each MSP offering with tips on how to evaluate them.
Authored by Donald Nokes
Nick Eckman joined NetCenergy in 2016 from an international gaming company. Nick’s experience with supervising and implementing secure, fiber and copper wire infrastructure services provides our clients with a team of highly trained and experienced technicians. In addition to the skills required to manage our infrastructure services department, Nick brings a very experienced and focused approach to project management and is a stickler for accurate documentation for every project designed and built by his team.
Peter Lachapelle joined NetCenergy in 2015 and is responsible for leading all of NetCenergy’s operations and accounting functions. Each department within NetCenergy reports through Lachapelle. He brings his years of experience to maintain a pragmatic, efficient, client-focused team at NetCenergy. Lachapelle joined NetCenergy after completing a 27-year career with a Rhode Island, federally-charted bank which culminated in his senior management position as COO and CFO for the bank.
Peter Nelson has 25+ years of technology and management experience and has been with NetCenergy since inception. Peter serves as the VP of Engineering at NetCenergy. His role consists of managing the engineering staff, driving the companies technology strategy, and ensuring NetCenergy keeps up to date on new technologies and solutions.
As a Founding Partner, Dan is a result oriented individual who is always focusing on what is best for his client. He understands that business applications empower an organization and that technology must support those critical business applications. Dan’s technology career started in 1990 at EMC Corporation. Through the years, he has represented technology and consulting services for several organizations until 2003, when he and Don Nokes founded NetCenergy.
As President of NetCenergy, Don is responsible for ensuring client satisfaction, overseeing overall performance, and for providing direction to the organization. Prior to co-founding the firm with Dan Charland, Don held senior leadership positions with IT service firms ranging in size from $3 Billion to $10 Million in annual sales.
With decades of hands-on HR experience, Margery Ahearn is our Director of Human Resources, overseeing all hiring of new positions for NetCenergy with a careful eye on sourcing technology savvy engineers and skilled office-based professionals who fit our company culture, understand our commitment to our clients, and bring their time and talents to our team. Margery has both a BA and MBA in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.