Over the past few years, technology has significantly influenced organizations worldwide. Businesses have quickly recognized the importance of technology for streamlining their operations and improving efficiency. However, hiring expert resources might not always be the most affordable option, especially for small businesses or startups. This is where professional IT services come to the rescue.
From installation to use and maintenance, every step of integrating business technology requires advanced skills and knowledge. More importantly, technology can be prone to failure and requires supervision and control.
To help you further recognize the importance of IT services, here are five reasons every business needs one.
Save money
Small businesses still view IT support as an unnecessary expense. According to research by SMB Group, 27% of small businesses do not avail of IT support services. Moreover, only 53% of small businesses in the USA have a website! While it’s true that effective IT services may require a significant fraction of your overall budget, they will help you save more money in the long run. Businesses that avoid utilizing IT services face challenges integrating new technologies into their system.
In contrast, having an IT service to support your technological systems means any issues will be effectively resolved as soon as possible, reducing downtime. Not to mention, IT services can reduce maintenance costs in the long run by keeping your systems up and running at all times.
However, as mentioned earlier, you could eliminate certain expenses by training your employees. Existing employees can be trained to perform expensive security measures such as penetration testing. Penetration testing is a form of ethical hacking where security is assessed by simulating real-world attacks on software. This can be a complicated process and requires effective training. In order to become a penetration tester, your employee will need expert training and knowledge, which can be acquired through online bootcamps and degrees.
Enhanced security
Cyberattacks are one of the biggest issues modern businesses face. What’s more concerning is that in the past few years, cyberattacks have increased significantly in size and number. So, not only are they more likely to occur, but they can also cause damage at incredibly large scales. Any organization that utilizes technology without enough security will sooner or later suffer from a data breach. This can lead to a loss of confidential data and cause significant financial loss. In fact, as much as 60% of small companies go bankrupt after a cyberattack.
However, IT services can help your company avoid such a situation. Cybersecurity specialists employed by IT services can ensure your IT infrastructure is protected by cutting-edge security measures. For instance, IT services offer secure cloud storage and backup options to prevent data loss. Moreover, they also provide encryption services and frequent software updates to reduce security gaps. Additionally, in the case of a cyberattack, your IT service will respond as soon as possible to reduce the chances of data loss.
Gain competitive advantage
Staying ahead of the competition is one of the most important goals for any business. After all, standing out from the crowd guarantees consistent revenue and success. More importantly, gaining a competitive advantage is now more important than ever due to the highly saturated modern business market. Fortunately, you can increase your chances of gaining a competitive edge with IT support.
Emerging technologies play an important role in placing businesses ahead of their competitors. Companies that are quick to adopt new technologies are able to outpace their competitors by increasing their productivity and revenue significantly. An IT service can help you by automatically integrating new technologies into your business operations as soon as they are available. Hence, you can easily capitalize on new opportunities and leverage emerging technologies before your competitors.
In addition, IT services also provide strategic guidance on matters related to technology. They will continuously assess your company’s IT infrastructure and evaluate its efficiency and effectiveness in relation to your company’s objectives. This allows IT services to provide comprehensive reports on business technology and offer customized solutions.
Improved customer services
Customer services are an important aspect of any business. After all, a company’s reputation, revenue, and overall success depend on its customers. In fact, 81% of individuals will purchase a product or service from a company following a positive customer service experience. Hence, it’s crucial to ensure satisfaction for each customer by catering to their needs through effective customer service.
However, functional customer services can be hard to implement, especially at a large scale. Multiple communication channels need to be set up and aided with technologies such as artificial intelligence to provide effective customer services.
However, with IT support, providing excellent customer service won’t be as challenging. Your hired IT service will handle the IT infrastructure required to address customer issues. They will integrate and utilize new technologies such as AI and help with customer relationship management. This includes collecting and analyzing customer data to gain deeper insights into their preferences and needs. As a result, you can provide targeted and personalized customer care for each individual.
Boost productivity
Maintaining and boosting business productivity is essential for overall success, and IT services can help you. Your IT support team will help to implement workflow automation and digital tools to make tasks more efficient and less prone to errors, thus increasing overall productivity.
But more importantly, having an IT service means your employees won’t have to face any technological obstacles during work. Any issues that halt their work will be resolved immediately, allowing workers to complete their tasks smoothly and on time. Furthermore, IT services can implement technologies for effective communication and collaboration between employees. As a result, your employees will be able to collaborate seamlessly and experience improved productivity for group projects.
Conclusion
In the modern age, technology should be the top priority of every business that wants to stand out and flourish in the ever-evolving tech-oriented business landscape. However, it’s not possible to utilize technology without IT support or experts who can handle the integration and maintenance of technology. They help implement a robust IT infrastructure and ensure it’s up to date with current trends. So, don’t think of IT services as optional but as an essential part of your business and a significant contributor to its success.
