How to Tell If Your IT Firm Attentive or Negligent
Recently, I was brought in as a technology therapist dog for a sales prospect because they were in serious distress after their IT firm disappointed them over-and-over again. I brought along my friend Piper who is still learning the ropes but is a very good snuggler. When the sales prospect told us that they were paying thousands of dollars a month for their IT firm but hadn’t yet gotten a meeting scheduled for their 2019 plan, Piper and I couldn’t believe our fluffy ears! Then they told us they had to ask for every meeting instead of the IT firm asking to meet with them. “What sort of IT firm does that?” Piper asked. “How does an IT firm get away with doing so little?” Ahhh to be young and naïve.
The unfortunate truth is that this kind of behavior is all too common with a lot of IT firms. No regular meetings, no detailed reporting about issues, no discussions about risks or planning of projects and potential improvements. Many IT firms are content with your run-of-the-mill fix it as it breaks mentality, reacting to your issues instead of identifying the source of the problems, planning ahead and reducing problems before they interrupt your staff. Too many IT firms work like a car mechanic who only fixes your brakes one wheel at a time. Or a doctor who writes you a prescription for your cough without talking to you about quitting smoking.
Maybe it’s just us, but we attentive ones call that negligence. Simply fixing stuff isn’t worth thousands of dollars! If you don’t have regular meetings, updates, plans and budgets for improvements so your company can get better, then what-in-the-chew-toy are you paying for?
Effective IT should be like us– attentive, and forward thinking (and daresay fun to be around). Your IT firm should be updating you as to what’s going on, it should be educational to you and your employees, and it should be all about making things better, faster, stronger. IT plans need to be based around the specific company, since each company will have different needs and goals, and you should know what your next year’s plan and budget well ahead of time. We even work with our clients on three year plans and budgets.
IT shouldn’t be full of “gotcha” moments. Everyone should be well-informed on your company’s IT, especially those in management. You should never feel confused or out of the loop with IT. You should know exactly how your IT firm is helping your company other than putting band aids on things. You should feel like your IT looks like we do—always at the ready and always there for you. If you have any questions about what your IT should be doing for you, let us help you find out. Even without signing up with us we can still help you know what your IT contract is worth and if it’s meeting your needs even if you don’t need our services – yes, we really do that, free of charge. If you want me to come along, let our CEO Lauren know. He pays me in Cheerios. You can contact us on our website, or call us at 518-320-8906.