Introduction
In today’s fast-paced business environment, technology is critical to the success of any organisation. However, technical issues can occur at any time, even outside of regular business hours. This is where out of hours IT support comes into play.
By providing technical assistance outside of normal working hours, companies can ensure that any IT-related problems are addressed promptly, minimising downtime & ensuring that their operations run smoothly.
In this blog, we’ll take a look at why it is so important for out of hours IT support, what is included, how it works and understanding the benefits. Did you know Next2IT offer 24/7 IT support?
What is IT support?
Many organisations see IT support as simply end user computing and ensuring security. By providing a clear focus highlighting the importance of infrastructure organisations can see vast improvements in their organisations productivity.
Whilst IT support does encompass these areas, the technical assistance provided by IT support engineers has knock on effects across an organisations. By design, helping users resolve technical issues and troubleshoot problem is at the heart of any IT team. However, infrastructure management is the backbone of any modern organisation. This includes monitoring servers, storage devices, databases, operating systems, applications and network equipment.
Furthermore, to ensure business continuity it is vital organisation invest into IT support and associated infrastructure. By investing in IT support businesses can ensure that their technology infrastructure remains up-to-date, secure and able to sustain their business growth & success.
Why do organisation need out of hours IT support?
Out sourcing out of hours IT management can have a number of benefits for enterprise organisations. The table below explores the main benefits of 24/7 coverage to ensure business critical issues are addressed promptly.
| Benefit | Description |
| Minimise Downtime | Out of hours IT support ensure that any technical issues that arise outside of regular business hours are addressed promptly, minimising downtime and keeping your business running smoothly. |
| Increased Productivity | By resolving IT issues quickly, out of hours IT support helps to increase employee productivity by minimising interruptions and delays caused by technical problems. |
| Improved Customer Satisfaction | Out of hours IT support can help ensure that your customers have access to your services or products at all times. |
| Cost-effective | Rather than hiring an internal IT team to work around the clock, out of hours IT support can be provided by a third-party service provider, which can be a more cost-effective solution. |
How to implement Out of Hours IT support
There are 6 key steps for any organisation to consider when implementing out of hours IT support. As the name suggests this is focused around IT support outside of core operating times. Implementing out of hours IT support can be a complex process that requires careful planning and execution.
Stages:
- Identity Business Needs
- The first step to implementing out of hours IT support is to identify the specific business needs that require assistance. For example, if your organisation operates in a different time zone or has employees who work remotely, you may need 24/7 support.
- Define service level agreements (SLAs)
- Once you’ve identified your business needs, you should define service level agreements (SLAs) that specify the level of service that will be provided outside of regular business hours. SLAs should include response times, issue escalation procedures and any other relevant details.
- Select a provider
- Following on, you’ll need to select a provider that can meet your businesses needs and SLAs. This may involve evaluating multiple providers and comparing their offerings, pricing and track record.
- Setup communication channels
- To ensure that out of hours support is effective, it’s essential to set up clear communication channels between your organisation and the support provider. This may involve providing contact information for key stakeholders and establishing protocols for issue reporting and escalation.
- At this point, here at Next2IT, we can offer to create run-books and complete analysis of the current infrastructure. This is useful for organisations who have undergone large change or simply don’t have up to date records.
- Train your staff
- Your staff should be trained on the procedures for reporting and escalating technical issues outside of regular business hours. This may involve providing training on how to use communication channels effectively and how to access support resources.
- Monitor and evaluate
- Once out of hour IT support is in place, it’s important to monitor its effectiveness and evaluate impact on your business. This may involve tracking response times, customer satisfaction and any other relevant metrics.
- Next2IT offer all clients monthly review meetings to run through the statistics for the period.
What is the Next2IT solution?
Here at Next2IT we offer our 24/7 Cloud & Network Operation Centre services with the aim to help enterprise organisations optimise their technology. Based in Staffordshire, Next2IT provide round the clock monitoring, management and sustain your IT infrastructure. Our team of highly skilled engineers will work proactively to ensure that your network and cloud infrastructure run smoothly, minimising any downtime.
Overview
Overall, we have discussed the importance of out of hour IT support for businesses and explored the benefits, including minimising downtime, increasing productivity, improving customer satisfaction and being a cost-effective solution. This article outlines the 6 key steps to implementation and introducing Next2IT’s Cloud & Network operation centre services.
Talk to an expert today on 0330 1332 202, email sales@next2it.co.uk or follow us on LinkedIn.
