If you’re an IT consultant, then we have 2 things to say to you. Firstly – we salute you! Being an IT consultant is a challenging job. There is a lot of support, customer interfacing and technical knowledge that goes into providing a good service, and the challenge in running it as a business is balancing it all.
The second thing is a question – have you ever considered using a call answering service to help you achieve that balance? It’s something that you might not have thought of before, but it could provide you with a lot more time to focus on your customers and your business. So, what would an IT service provider use a call answering service for and could it really help grow your business?
Logging Tickets
IT support can sometimes seem like a constant stream of new fires to fight. Being on hand to help all customers means you will need to have some form of ticket system – where customers can log their issues and you can work through them in order of importance. But if your tickets are being logged by phone call, then this can mean you spend a lot of time on the phone taking details, trying not to get dragged into fixing problems then and there. Having someone else on hand to take those telephone calls, log that information and get it into your system ready to view can be a huge help – especially as your business grows and you get busier. Logging tickets by phone is one of the things we do a lot of at Verbatim – so you can be sure you will get all of the correct information in one place, without needing to spend time getting it. This leaves you free to actually work through the tickets in your system, meet with new clients and maybe even enjoy some time to yourself!
24-Hour Support
One of the claims we see many IT consultants make is that they offer ’24-hour support’. While this is a great thing to offer (and it makes customers feel a lot more confident in you), the reality is you can only work so many hours of the day, and you’re unlikely to be able to actually offer genuine 24-hour support. What if a customer calls in the middle of the night while you are asleep? Or while you are stuck in traffic, or in hospital? It’s not as easy as it sounds. But in the IT industry it can be a game changer, and it’s vital that you’re on hand the very moment a customer needs you. But with our call answering service you can see the benefits of offering genuine 24/7 support, without the drawbacks. Using our technology, your Verbatim PA will take the call at any time of day or night, and then activate an automatic process of contacting your staff in your preferred order until an available team member is located and referred to the job. Our end-to-end management of your emergency call out system is completely hands-free on your part, and will get your on-call team working like clockwork.
First Line Support
There is a reason the stereotype for IT support is ‘have you tried turning it off and on again?’ It’s rarely that simple, but a lot of problems that clients experience are often fairly standard, and can be resolved without you coming on a call-out. Simple advice over the phone can be all you need – all of which saves time and money – if you’re not the one doing the advising. If you provide your call answering service with a list of your most frequently asked questions, along with how you want them to be answered, then they can provide all of that first line support for you. This can free up a huge amount of time for you, while keeping your clients happy and over-the-moon with your service levels. It’s a win-win really!
If all of those things sound great to you – then you’re in the right place! At Verbatim, we work with a number of IT consultants and professionals, supporting them as they support local business owners. Our services range from 24/7 call answering services to holiday cover, overflow cover and even lead qualification. If you would like to know more, all you need to do is get in touch with us today.
