With everyone’s reliance on technology, a simple system malfunction, data breach, or mismanaged software can bring a business to shambles. This is why all companies should have tech support, whether it’s a full in-house team for a corporation or freelance online tech support for a small business. These specialists don’t only troubleshoot hardware and software issues; they also provide a lot of value to the company in the form of increased internal productivity and improved customer experience.
What Is Tech Support?
Tech support refers to a range of services designed to aid in managing, maintaining, and repairing hardware and software. This is fulfilled by tech support specialists (simplified as simply “tech support”) or professionals with technical know-how to deal with related issues, including troubleshooting software errors and fixing broken hardware.
If you’re wondering, “What are the different types of technical support?” know that the area covers a broad scope of work. This is often organized into tiers, with specialists working on each level dealing with more complex issues the higher it goes.
For example, Tier 1 often only deals with common problems and can be done by low-level technicians through training and with the help of a script. More complex problems are escalated to Tier 2, where technicians have a deeper knowledge about the product or service. Even more complicated issues are brought up to Tier 3, which is composed of experts (often the creators, developers, or architects of the product or service) who may have to create a completely new solution or develop a new feature to address the concern.
Why Does My Small Business Need Tech Support?
Tech support doesn’t just solve customer support tickets nor fix computer problems in the office. The work they do provides a lot of value to a business as it keeps it productive, competitive, and profitable while improving customer experience through customer service at the same time.
Here are the benefits of hiring tech support:
Technical Resolution
FAQs, product descriptions, and customer service bots can’t always provide the best solutions for common problems, especially when they’re related to hardware and software. Tech support can provide the appropriate information and resolutions to solve everything from a simple log-in error to a full-on data breach, keeping all of your technical components in check.
Competitive Technology
Tech support can provide valuable insight into the technology that your company uses to ensure that your processes are maximized to their full potential, e.g. that you’re using the most capable hardware, that your software helps in ensuring seamless workflows, etc. They can keep you updated on the latest technology, making sure that you’re competitive both within the company and versus your competitors.
Tech support can also assist in maintaining your current systems, as well as monitor usage to make sure that you’re not wasting any space (and money using that up).
Productive Workforce
Competitive technology and available technical support allow your employees to be more productive. You’ll never hear excuses such as “the server was down,” “I lost my files,” or “my email won’t let me in”, ever again!
Improved Security
One of the biggest benefits of hiring tech support is improved security. They can make your systems more secure, preventing data breaches and keeping your data, often including your customers’ information, safe.
Better Customer Experience
When customers face problems with your products or services, they can easily stop patronizing your business—or worse, leave you bad reviews for others to see. With tech support, you can nip this problem in the bud, offering them solutions that can even leave them having a pleasant experience, increasing user retention, and enhancing their perception of your brand.
Maximized Profits
Tech support helps you maximize profits by reducing waste, which can be generally linked back to outdated hardware and software (e.g. imagine your employees losing an hour of work every day just waiting for their computers to load).
What to Look for in Tech Support
There are thousands of tech support specialists out there. Even on Guru, you can find multiple professionals that can fit the bill of what you’re looking for. That said, you still have to vet the right one based on your budget, what you need, and the scope of work that you need them to get done. Here are some qualities to look for in tech support:
- Proficiency in information technology (a degree in computer science is a plus!)
- Technical know-how (e.g. knowledge in Internet language, etc.)
- Customer service and communication skills
- Project management skills
- Problem-solving mindset
- Attention to detail
- Knowledge of the latest tech news and trends
How to Find the Right Tech Support
Finding the right tech support as a small business on a budget can be difficult. Most companies provide full-on teams that do the work, which comes at a premium. But you can hire a freelance tech support specialist on Guru at a fraction of the price but with the guarantee of the same experience and results.
