Ah, Valentine’s Day, the traditional day when our thoughts turn to love. But would it surprise you to know your tech might not be the object of your customers’ affection, both internal and external customers? If your customers currently have this love/hate connection with your technology, you still have time to improve the relationship. Consider how engaging with a managed IT service provider in the Chicago area can enhance your customer experience.
What tech issues can prompt poor customer experience, and how can a Chicago managed IT service provider improve the relationship?
Connectivity Bumps
Few things are more frustrating than a slow performing network connection. Has the traffic on your network increased beyond the capacity of your current bandwidth? Or, have you increased your bandwidth beyond what your outdated hardware can handle?
Chicago-based businesses also find themselves the targets of cyber criminals, nefarious hackers who delight in infecting IT devices and overloading network connections. The malware delivered by these hackers can infect and damage operating systems, workstations, routers, and even switches.
A managed IT services provider in Chicago brings solutions to your door. Their licensed professionals can monitor the performance of your network, ensure your cybersecurity tools protect your system from hackers, and keep your tools and workstations updated. They can address connectivity issues when they occur; their expertise and experience enable these technicians to suggest proactive actions that promote peak network performance.
Software Bugs
Sadly, the complexity of today’s software tools means no application is bug-free. Reputable software providers continually fix bugs and issue patches and updates to help users avoid problems. But IT teams must apply these updates in a timely manner.
You must update your critical applications such as your virtual private network (VPN), your firewalls, your workstation operating systems, and your security software to ensure your network is protected against current cyber threats.
A managed IT services provider will not only diagnose and resolve software problems, but they can also oversee your software as well as your hardware vendor relationships. These IT professionals can manage your software licenses, ensuring you have access to the current versions, and apply updates as soon as they become available.
Hardware Breakdowns
Your internal customers, your employees, view your IT network as a valuable tool. They interact with that tool through workstations, communication devices, and video conferencing tools; they may depend on the efficacy of robotic systems as well.
Your external customers rely on your hardware, too. They expect to reach you by email or connect with your website effectively. They depend on the system supporting your accounting and purchasing applications to run smoothly.
In the high-paced environment of IT, it’s easy to outrun your equipment. Aging workstations may no longer perform well; servers age out of their effectiveness. The IT professionals at a Chicago managed IT services provider can anticipate your need to replace old equipment and work with vendors to purchase the hardware that meets the need and fits within your IT budget. They can architect changes to your network to accommodate your growth, and they can also design disaster recovery plans to ensure quick recovery after a hardware failure.
User Blunders
No technology is infallible, and neither are your employees and your external customers. In all fairness, they may not have adequate training on the use of your applications. Your internal IT team may not have had the bandwidth to update all employee workstations in a timely manner. New software applications with added functionality may throw an employee off their game.
User error drives your employees, internal or external, to your Helpdesk for a quick fix. A managed IT service provider can handle those Helpdesk tickets for you. Their professionals have the tools to assess issues remotely and provide solutions for your customers. And, they can also gather data and provide instruction to minimize future issues and to educate your users to use your IT tools more efficiently. By partnering with an IT managed services provider located in Chicago, businesses based in the greater Chicago area can ask an IT professional to arrive on premise when the need arises.
Whether your customers are your internal employees or your external clients, help them love your tech this Valentine’s Day. Team with a managed IT services provider in the Chicago area like JMA Consulting. The IT professionals at JMA can give your IT infrastructure tender loving care and ensure your network provides the support your customers will love!
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