80% of You Pay Way Too Much…
You read that correctly. Most recent reports I’ve read stipulate that the vast majority of businesses out there, (as noted here in the 80th percentile) are simply spending too much for their technical products and services. Most business owners I’ve met simply don’t have the time to go over and compare product brochures and the corresponding service plans to keep them up and running. And why should they? Those things are ridiculous! Just going through the fine print and the caveats for various service plans will make your head spin. Then you have to call these companies and hope you get someone on the phone who actually knows what they’re talking about, and even then you’re still likely to get surprises on your billing after a few months establishing service.
These things typically fall into one or more of the following categories after establishing service:
Cost for Time and Services- This is when a technician shows up to fix the problem and typically bills out his hourly rate to you.
Managed IT Service Support- This is when you outsource all your technical and service support needs. This is often times on a yearly contract basis. These types of companies typically provide daily support either remotely or on-site. You usually pay a monthly service fee for any problems that may arise and you better hope these people know what they’re doing.
Software Services- This is typically what you get when you have one developer’s software running somewhere within your company. They will offer you remote support and fix any bugs or glitches you may experience. They will NOT typically service any other type of issue you’re experiencing that isn’t their own product.
This is where things start to get fuzzy. Are you paying for managed IT support every month even though you rarely if ever require actual service? In that instance perhaps the first option of paying a tech an hourly rate would suit your needs better. Are you paying multiple software companies to support your organization when there might have been ONE company you were unaware of that provides all the same types of software you’re already using so all your support could’ve been found under one roof? These are typically the things most business owners who need to get up and running quickly don’t realize until it’s too late and that’s why 80% of businesses are currently overpaying these third party companies and either don’t realize it or acknowledge they’ve made a mistake and there’s no going back at that point.
This is why hiring a strategic service provider like us can help alleviate all of the above problems. We even have our own technical concierge with people who know exactly how best to place a company for product and service acquisition as well as the support piece after install. I would also be willing to bet that most businesses don’t even realize that strategic service providers exist. Which one are you?