All posts by SystemsNet Administrator

Do You Have An Effective And Valuable IT Help Desk?

Manage Service, ,

Your IT help desk is more essential than ever for your company to run smoothly.

It is almost time for the office to close on a Friday. Your boss is expecting to receive a report from you. You attempt to print the report, but nothing happens when you hit the print button. You decide to call your help desk, but no one answers the call. How are you supposed to receive help from the help desk when no one is available to help you?

You are already having problems that are stressing you out. You do not need any added pressures, nor do you need any excuses about why someone cannot help you with your problem. Thankfully, this does not have to keep happening. IT Help Desk support is available to help you. There are a few traits that can make an excellent help desk.

Attention To Customer Service

Everyone does not have the ability to be a part of an IT Help Desk. An IT Help Desk team should consist of a professional and experienced engineer. The IT Help Desk engineer will need to work at a fast pace, but every call should be treated with attention and care so the caller will feel important.

Callers should understand the words members of the IT Help Desk team are using. Callers should have a clear understanding of what to expect in terms of a response and a resolution. If a caller has a simple request, the caller should be able to have their problem resolved while they are on the phone or participating in a chat conversation.

The IT Help Desk Process

An effective IT help desk will have the proper processes in place to handle any type of process. No one wants to hear that a member of the IT help desk team will have to contact you later because he or she has to check something. No caller wants to hear that a member of the help desk team has never seen a particular problem before.

An effective IT Help Desk system will be able to diagnose and dispatch any issue to the appropriate person so callers will have a fast resolution. An IT Help Desk that is efficient and effective will be able to create a report on how long it takes to begin working on a request once the request has been submitted. A report should also be made about how long it takes to resolve the problem.

There will be issues that will require higher abilities and knowledge and those issues should have their own processes. If the service desk is closed, who should be contacted after hours? The IT Help Desk should be as efficient and effective as possible at all times.

IT Help Desk Tools

Before an IT Help Desk service engineer can understand how to use the equipment, tools, and software that is needed to fully support your infrastructure, engineers and members of the IT Help Desk team will need to be available. If you want to have an effective IT Help Desk, you will need to make sure you have the right tools and resources in place.

Some of the tools you will need to have an effective IT Help Desk include the following:

  • A comprehensive database that is used to host company and customer information
  • A ticketing system that can be used to create service tickets
  • An automated system that can actively monitor the servers and infrastructure

The tools you need are designed to save you time so you can place more attention on improving your business operations. The tools and resources you use should not hinder your process. If you want to have a valuable business or organization, you need to have a valuable IT Help Desk. Does your IT Help Desk have all the right moving parts?

Contact us today for more information on how to have an effective IT Help Desk.

Managed IT Services: Common Misconceptions That Surround Outsourcing IT Services

Manage Service, ,
VOIP, communications, remote, phones, technology, systems

Outsourced IT services are less complicated than you think.

While many companies are choosing to outsource their IT needs to a managed service provider, you are not alone if you are hesitant to make the switch to managed IT services, as there are many misconceptions about hiring an MSP. However, these misconceptions could be damaging to your business in the long-run, as a managed service provider can help to improve the security and efficiency of your business. To help you make an educated decision about whether or not hiring an MSP would be right for your company, take a look as we debunk a few of the most common myths and misconceptions that exist regarding outsourcing IT services.

MSPs Are Expensive

One of the main reasons many businesses are hesitant to outsource their IT needs is that they believe that a managed service provider will cost them more than in-house IT services; however, this is far from the truth. In fact, the most common reason companies make the switch to an MSP is due to the extent to which outsourcing IT can save them money. When you partner with an MSP, you are only paying for scaled IT services as you need them. This often represents substantial savings when compared to the costs of paying full-time IT personnel. Additionally, when you rely solely on an in-house IT department, you will also have to spend significant amounts of money investing in, and researching, the latest IT technology in order to keep your business secure. However, with a managed service provider, these costs are spread across all of the MSP’s clients, helping to further save you money.

Only Large Companies Use MSPs

There is also a misconception that only large companies use, and benefit from MSPs. While it is true that many large businesses use a managed service provider, small businesses actually have the most to gain by partnering with an MSP. The fact is that smaller businesses often have limited resources, which can make it difficult to maintain a sufficient IT department. This can be particularly difficult for growing businesses, as you may find that your needs are constantly exceeding the capacity of your IT department. By partnering with an MSP, you can access the services your company needs at an affordable price, and you can scale your services to meet your changing needs and budget. Partnering with an MSP actually gives small businesses a competitive edge by allowing them to access world-class technology and services they would not otherwise be able to afford.

We Can Do The Same Thing in House

Of course, perhaps the most prevalent myth surrounding outsourcing IT services is that many businesses believe that they can get the same level of service from an in-house IT team that they would get from an MSP; however, whether or not this is true comes down to resources. The fact is that it takes a large IT team with diverse specializations to meet all of the technology and security needs of any business. If you do not have a sufficient IT team, you may find that efficiency is reduced and that your business’s security is put in jeopardy because you do not have access to the right resources. However, MSPs hire only the best IT professionals who specialize in various aspects of IT management, maintenance, research, and development. They have the resources necessary to ensure that your business has everything it needs to maximize its security and efficiency.

These are just a few of the misconceptions surrounding managed service providers that cause businesses to forgo outsourcing their IT needs. Contact us to learn more about the services we provide as well as to learn more about how your business could benefit by partnering with a managed service provider.

Lesser-Known Benefits of VoIP Phone Systems (Part Two)

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Video conferencing features are one of VoIP phone systems’ many benefits.

Many businesses continue to use legacy telephone systems because it is what they are used to, or simply because they are unaware of the benefits that VoIP phone systems can provide. Not only are VoIP phone systems often a more affordable option, but they provide a variety of unique features that makes these systems the ideal choice for any modern business owner. Not only are these systems portable, making it easy for you and your employees to stay connected from wherever you are, but they also come with additional features not seen in many traditional phone systems that add convenience, improve security, and boost productivity. If you have been debating whether or not to switch your company to a VoIP phone system, here is a look at a few of the lesser-known reasons you should consider doing so.

Training Tools

A particularly useful feature of VoIP phone systems is its training tools. When training employees on how to handle phone calls, you may only be able to hear one side of their conversation, from which you would have to provide feedback after the call has ended. However, a VoIP system can allow you to listen in on an employee’s phone conversation without the customer knowing. Additionally, advanced VoIP phone systems will even provide coaching tools that allow you to speak into an employee’s ear (known as whispering) to provide tips and advice while they are on the phone without the customer hearing. This provides the unique advantage of allowing you to train new hires by guiding them through routine phone conversations in real-time.

Customized Hold Music

Perhaps the only thing worse for customers than being placed on hold is the terrible elevator music callers are often subjected to when they are put on hold. Not only does terrible hold music often begin to irritate callers, but when customers are on hold is also wasted time that you could otherwise use to provide them with valuable information about your company. With a VoIP phone system, you can craft custom hold music that not only replaces elevator music with more popular alternatives, but you can also add pauses in the hold music where a pre-recorded message informs customers about your hours, products/services, website, and potential alternative contact methods. This allows you to take advantage of the time customers are on hold by providing them with useful information that may even answer the question that they had called to ask.

Advanced Conferencing Features

For many managers and business owners, conducting conference calls is something they do on a regular basis. Not only do VoIP phone systems integrate conferencing, making it simple to conduct remote meetings with colleagues and/or customers, but these systems also provide advanced features that can transform the way you conduct conference calls. Beyond just supporting standard conferencing, many VoIP phone systems also allow users to send files, collaborate on calendars, and share presentations or desktops over conference calls, making it simple to get work done remotely or make pitches to customers without having to travel.

Door Entry Buzzer Integration

Advanced VoIP features are all about making things easier for businesses by streamlining services. One way that they can do this is by allowing you to integrate an analog door phone into your VoIP phone system. This allows you to have a two-way conversation with visitors and unlock the door for them from your phone, greatly simplifying this process while enhancing building security.

VoIP phone systems are truly transforming the way that small-to-medium-sized companies conduct business. Contact us to learn more about the unique features VoIP phone systems provide as well as to learn about how a VoIP system could benefit your company.

Lesser-Known Benefits of VoIP Phone Systems (Part One)

VOIP, , , , ,
VOIP, communications, remote, phones, technology, systems

VOIP phone systems provide advantages such as transcription and call routing.

Even in the age of emails and social media, the telephone still plays a critical role in the way many companies conduct business. However, the latest technology has definitely begun to shape the way companies use the phone, as VoIP phone systems, and the unique features they provide, give new ways for businesses to take advantage of their phone systems. If you are considering making the switch to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system for your business, then it is likely that you have heard about the more popular benefits these systems provide such as portability and reduced costs, however, there are a variety of additional benefits of choosing a VoIP phone system as well. Here are a few of the lesser-known features a VoIP business phone system can provide.

Voicemail to Email Transcription

While staying on top of voicemails is critical in order to ensure that you are responding to clients/customers in a timely matter, listening to all of your voicemails each morning can be time-consuming. Fortunately, VoIP phone systems provide an alternative to listening to each of your messages. With voicemail to email transcription, your voicemail messages can be immediately transcribed into text and sent to your designated email, where you can read them at your leisure at a later time. With voicemail to email transcription, you can scan voicemails quickly for pertinent information, greatly reducing the amount of time you spend reviewing voicemails each day. This also makes it easy to access important information from voicemails such as names, phone numbers, and addresses without having to scramble to write everything down before the message cuts off.

Find Me/Follow Me Call Routing

For business owners who are constantly on the go, a great feature of VoIP is its find me/follow me call routing. If you do not spend the entire day chained to your desk, you may run the risk of missing an important phone call you have been waiting for. Fortunately, your VoIP phone system can help prevent this situation with find me/follow me call routing, which allows you to create a list of numbers where you can be found before a call gets sent to voicemail. For instance, you could program your phone system so that if your office phone does not get picked up after three rings, then the call would be routed to your cell phone for two rings, followed by your home phone. Only after all of the phones on your list have been tried would the call then be routed to your voicemail, increasing the chances that important calls get through to you.

Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb (or DND) is another great feature to help prevent important calls from going to voicemail while allowing you to maintain a certain level of professionalism. The fact is that you won’t always be able to answer your phone. Sometimes, it may even be critical that you silence your phone, such as when you are meeting with clients, so that you do not get interrupted. DND not only allows you to temporarily stop incoming calls to your phone when needed, but it also allows you to program your VoIP phone system to redirect calls when you have Do Not Disturb turned on, allowing another colleague to answer the call at the touch of a button. This can then prevent important calls from going to your voicemail.

For businesses that still use legacy telephony services, switching to a VoIP phone system could give them access to a variety of useful features that could help to boost their overall productivity. Contact us to learn more, and look out for our next post as we continue to look at some of the lesser-known benefits of VoIP phone systems.