• Is our IT Support Company over charging us?
• How do I save more money in IT Support costs?
• How can I know if I am using the correct technology for my IT requirements?How do I choose the right UK IT Consultant / IT Consultancy?

Do you find yourself asking these questions after your outsourced IT Manager has been onsite conducting maintenance on your PC computer network? If so then this White paper is relevant. Search Engine Optimisation

Introduction:
Finding decent UK or London based IT Consultant / IT Consultancy in a specific industry sector to provide IT Support or a phone system like SWYX can be a difficult task. Many IT Consultant / IT Consultancy are experience with computers,networks and ADSL connections, but lack specific knowledge about your industry, your specialised software and business needs. Language Courses

It is an unfortunate truth in the UK that there exist a number of cowboy IT Consultant / IT Consultancy, offering IT Support or a range of IT solutions like SWYX , (especially in London!) who are more concerned their bottom lines than actually taking an interest in your company's technology requirements and infrastructure.

However> an experienced and professional IT Consultancy is worth their weight in gold if they can ensure your business saves time, money, and above all frustration, whilst helping your business expand through the use of time and labour saving technology (SWYX). If a new IT Consultancy does not reducing your IT Support costs or at the very least reduce the amount of network downtime then you are with the cowboys!

Your IT Support is so important Builders
Your computer network is mission critical to the day-to-day operations of your UK business. Your network, be it wan, lan, VPNs, provides instant access to your documents, hosted applications, access to vital email and internet services. There are many many more, but the point we are making, is that the practical running of your business depends on the smooth running of your IT. A misguided IT decision may possibly have devastating effects on your company's productivity and client satisfaction. A cheaper IT Support contract may seem appealing at the time, but you always get what you pay for and IT Support is no differ net.

"An inexpensive IT Support contract can end up costing at least twice the saving after networks and mission critical applications fail." Source: MORI 2004)

Critical Points to remember
Chesterton IT Solutions has compiled a list of seven critical pointers that are useful before selecting your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy. It is interesting to note that if your current London based IT Consultancy radically disagrees with any of these pointers, then it maybe an idea to begin questioning your IT relationship with them.

a) Ask your IT Consultant (outsourced IT Manage> company supplying IT Support or SWYX etc) to let your staff be involved in your technology, allowing your company to solve some of its own IT issues (and hence reduce your IT support costs). One of the most successful techniques for reducing IT support costs is by learning some of the basic computer support issues that your business experiences.

An idea is to appoint an employee to become the Internal IT Guru for your business. This employee is the primary contact for your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy and should be looking to gain knowledge from the IT Consultant / IT Consultancy. Maintaining an in-house knowledge base, for example a word doc with Q&A,, will enable you to review how previous IT issues were resolved. Your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy should also provide you with a web-based knowledge base.

NB Please note many IT Consultant / IT Consultancy will want to keep you in the dark regarding the way they offer to support your network. They may after installing programmes like SWY> try an keep you the client in the dark regarding simple maintain in order to increase their net worth to you as an IT SUpport partner> as they believe that the less you know, the more billable hours they can rack up on your account. We believe this is not in the best interest of your business and that's why we always try to transfer knowledge to our clients.

b) Ask your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy to provide client testimonials
To measure the quality of your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy ask them for written testimonials (preferable with telephone numbers!) from some of their existing clients.

The information you might find useful to find out is:
• How fast and reliable were they are in regards to urgent matters?
• How quickly and efficiently did they respond to your needs?
• Did they invoice you accurately?
• Would you use them again?

NB Please note If your proposed IT Consultant / IT Consultancy has been providing a high standard of IT service and IT Support for London and UK businesses, then they will have no problem in being able to provide testimonials, however if they hesitate or fail to provide this information then begin to worry!

c) Make sure your IT Manager understands your particular industry
There are literally hundreds of UK and London based IT companies and IT Consultancy that provide excellent levels of IT services and solutions. However> how many of them understand your specific industry? This is a very important aspect that is often overshadowed by IT decision makers, when they are sourcing an IT Consultant / IT Consultancy.

For instances, the UK health sector is a specialised industry in which specific software products are being used by medical practices. It is vital to ensure that your chosen IT Consultant / IT Consultancy has experience in providing IT services, support and solutions for other clients in the health sector.

IT Consultant / IT Consultancy who specialise in your specific industry have a far more in-depth knowledge about the software and hardware products you are currently using. As a result they should be able to resolve IT problems faster without causing without having to learn on the job or onsite.
NB Please note If your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy does not have relevant experience in your industry, then you risk being a guinea pig while they learn your particular software on-the-job, causing you possible IT disruptions.

d) Understand what your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy is offering you before signing up
Many IT Consultant / IT Consultancy operate a 'Cowboy' style business whereby they are willing to sell your company anything and everything in order to increase their profits. What this means is that they may often take advantage of your lack of technology knowledge by suggesting you need XYZ. This is often common in situations where you are dealing with an IT Consultant during the sale and another during the technical installation or IT support process.

Ask your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy questions and get them to explain items that you are OK with. Ask questions such as “Why this is necessary?“, or “Explain how this works“, or “What does that do you mean exactly?“
NB Please note Your London based IT Consultant / IT Consultancy should be more than happy to answer these questions and provide meaningful often written (emailed) clear answers. Avoid like the plague IT Consultants / IT Consultancy whom try to blinker you with IT technical gobbledygook.

e) 'One Man IT Consultants in London Bands'
It can be very tempting fiscally to do business with IT Consultant / IT Consultancy who operate as a One Man IT Bands, or using someone who supports your network 'on the side' while in a separate full time job elsewhere. Many business owners believe they are saving money, as these IT Support workers are cheaper than well established IT companies, until something goes wrong and your IT worker can't respond, has too many clients to service or does not know the IT answer!

It makes better commercial sense to hire a well established IT Consultancy that has a firm IT track record and a sufficient number of skilled IT engineers to respond quickly in an emergency.
NB Consider how mission critical your IT infrastructure (software applications and data networks etc) are and evaluate your IT budgets accordingly.

Chesterton provides professional mutli level IT support for businesses in London. Clients include multi-site companies, through to UK based companies installing their first network.

f) 'Bait & Change'
Often when you first meet with an IT Consultant / IT Consultancy, you generally meet with an experienced senior engineers, managers or business owners. This creates an impression that you will be dealing with an IT professional with exceptional talent, skill and knowledge. However> with your expectations of the IT Consultant / IT Consultancy now at high levels, your first technical encounter with the company may leave you feeling high and dry as they send the company's junior technician to your site. This is called the 'Bait & Change'.

Essentially you were sold with the view that you would be dealing with capable, senior engineers, but what you got were inexperienced, recent graduate engineers who will spend most of their time learning on the job.
NB Please note Make sure your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy is up front with you about who you will be dealing with once the technical issues start to arise. Be sure to question them about industry certifications such as Microsoft.

Chesterton provides professional multi level IT support for businesses in London. Clients include multi-site companies, through to UK based companies installing their first network.

g) Maintenance Contracts and Service Level Agreements (SLA's)
Your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy may discuss an IT Support or IT Maintenance Contract to take responsibility for the smooth running of your IT network. IT Support Contracts are an intrinsic part of your ongoing IT / technology requirements and are available in a variety of sometimes confusing packages.

• Complete IT Support Coverage - This type of contract is generally considered to be the most comprehensive and proactive arrangement. The IT Consultant / IT Consultancy provides maintenance on a daily, weekly or monthly basis through onsite IT Engineering visits with/without unlimited telephone and remote IT support.

The IT Consultant / IT Consultancy takes responsibility for looking after your IT network, servers, backups, PCs, email, anti virus / anti spam solution, software etc. As a rule of thumb , this sort of IT Support contract works well for businesses with 15 or more workstations
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• Pre Paid Time plus telephone / remote IT Support- This contract allows you to purchase your IT support in blocks of pre-paid time IT Engineer time, at a reduced hourly rate. This is the type of contract Chesterton specialises in as it is deemed as the IT contract of choice in terms of economics.

• On Demand / Ad Hoc- This contract is best suited to clients who have adequate IT skills to look after the basic technical issues that the practice may encounter> but may need external support when the IT issues are above and beyond their skill level. Sometimes this type of IT Support resolve can be a bit of a gamble but with luck can save companies money.

Regardless of the type IT Support contract you sign up for> always ensure that your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy provides very detailed documentation explaining the IT Support contract's levels of service to you. Important

Information includes
• How long is the contract to be in place for (normally annual)? and more importantly is is ongoing (rolling on) Does the contract automatically renew?
• What penalties exist for early termination of the contract?
• What sort of response times are defined in the contract?
• Are there any hidden costs, such as after hours work, travel time and replacement parts?

NB Please note Your IT Consultant / IT Consultancy may say to you that they provide a 2 hour response time for emergencies, but then when the emergency occurs, they say they will not be able to get there until later in the day, or even worse, the next business day. By clearly defining your expected 'Service Level Agreements' you can avoid this from happening.