Five Ways Organisations Benefit from 24/7 IT Support

“24/7 IT support” – what does this really mean?  

Well, here at Littlefish it’s classed as a critical business operation; it’s vital to the reliability, availably, and security of your organisation’s IT infrastructure and, in this sense, contributes, unquestionably, to the overall success and longevity of the business. 

In a nutshell, 24/7 IT support refers to the provision of technical assistance and troubleshooting services to organisations around the clock, seven days a week. In other words, there’s always an IT professional available at any time, day or night – including public holidays – to support IT users, resolve technical issues, perform maintenance and troubleshooting, and repair computer systems and networks.

With true 24/7 IT support, employees are empowered to focus on their primary ‘day-job’ tasks without being hampered by technical difficulties. Everyone can get on with their day (or night) shift, safe in the knowledge that technology functions correctly, security measures are in place, and hardware/software assets are managed and maintained.

Some key aspects of 24/7 IT support include: 

• Continuous availability – regardless of what day it is or what time, organisations can access IT support services whenever they encounter technical issues or require assistance.
• Rapid response –with 24/7 support in place, IT teams are equipped to respond promptly to any reported problems, minimising downtime and disruption to users and business operations.
• Remote assistance– many 24/7 IT support services offer remote assistance, allowing service desk agents and engineers to diagnose and resolve issues remotely, without the need for an on-site visit. Efficient IT service desks should also aim for a high first contact resolution (FCR) rate as well as a high-resolution rate (minimising the need for onward referral to other resolver teams).
• On-site support – 24/7 IT support teams may provide on-site assistance to address more complex issues that cannot be resolved remotely. This may be through reactive onsite support with response times (and costs) aligned to business impact.
• Proactive monitoring – beyond simply responding to reported issues, 24/7 IT support often includes proactive monitoring of systems and networks to detect potential problems before they escalate into major issues.
• Service level agreements (SLAs) or experience level agreements (XLAs) –organisations may establish SLAs or XLAs with their IT support providers. Typically, SLAs outline response times, resolution times, and other performance metrics to ensure the quality and reliability of service, whilst XLAs are concerned with defining and measuring the type of IT experience end users can expect and tracking and documenting their satisfaction with said experience.
• Multichannel support – 24/7 IT support is typically available using various communication channels. This could include phone, email, instant chat, and self-service, providing users with multiple options for seeking assistance.

Different types of 24/7 IT support

It’s an increasingly digital world out there and, as organisations rush to keep up with the pace of digital transformation, 24/7 IT support services have become an integral part of business operations.

There is more than one type of IT support however, and choosing the right one for your organisation depends upon different factors, such as employee support needs, types of technology utilised, and, of course, budget.

24/7 IT support services are typically resourced in one of three ways: on-site, reactive on-site, and remote:

1. On-site

   On-site support involves stationing a technician (or team of technicians) physically at one or all of the organisations’ location(s) so that someone is on-hand to address any IT-related issues in person.

2. Reactive on-site

   As for on-site support but where need or cost doesn’t justify dedicated resource(s). Four-hour, eight-hour, or next business day response are common options, typically aligned to business impact or the issue to be resolved.

3. Remote

   Remote support means service desk technicians are available over a computer or phone to troubleshoot problems from a remote location, often this is achieved via live chat and remote desktop software.

Benefits of 24/7 IT support 

Investing in efficient and knowledgeable ‘round the clock support can reap many rewards for organisations. After all, when technology runs smoothly, life can get much easier, faster, and even more innovative.

Here are five significant benefits of installing 24 7 IT support:

1. Increased Productivity

   Maybe it goes without saying, but one of the most significant benefits of 24 7 IT support is the increase in productivity that having smooth, scalable, and reliable technical support brings to the table.

   After all, when employees have access to IT support whenever and wherever they need it (as well as training for newer, more efficient systems), they spend less time troubleshooting issues (unresolved issues can leave people feeling frustrated and stressed as work piles up) and more time working on tasks that are important to the business.

   Additionally, when you access technical support, it can help to ensure that your in-house teams have the right tools and resources they need to do their jobs effectively. Think of the IT service desk as a strategic and meaningful window into your employees’ world, allowing you to see how your systems perform for end users and how this measures up against your business goals. Organisations (or their managed IT services providers) should capture, analyse, and ultimately use valuable service data to support continual improvement and evolution of the services they provide.

2. Improved security

   Another benefit of 24/7 IT support is the increase in security and protection from cyber threats that comes with having immediate assistance available as well a security-focused service. These may include adoption of best practice in day-to-day management of IT systems and services, or dedicated cyber security services focused on prevention, detection, and remediation.

   With the assistance of a 24/7 technical support team, businesses can ensure that crucial security measures are set-up and functioning as they should be (tasks may include installing firewalls, enforcing password protection or multi-factor authentication, and identity and access management).

   Moreover, an outsourced cyber security teamwill play a vital role in monitoring for – as well as swiftly and effectively responding to – security breaches to contain and eradicate threats. Their expertise ensures that businesses can mitigate the impact of data breaches and safeguard sensitive information.

3. Higher employee satisfaction

   Perception is everything when it comes to IT services, and if your IT support cannot adequately measure and manage user-experience, this can lead to a loss in user-confidence and diminishment of service uptake.

   Of course, tying your employees’ hands when it comes to their IT needs quickly leads to dissatisfaction, frustration, and stress, and it’s likely that organisations with these types of IT challenges will see higher absences than average. In other words, employees are more likely to feel more valued and feel more satisfied at work when they know that the company is investing in its IT infrastructure.

4. Cost savings

   Always nice to hear, one benefit of a 24/7 IT support service is that it can help your business become more streamlined and efficient and, in this way, become more cost-effective.

   For example, by outsourcing 24/7 IT support, many businesses can avoid the high costs associated with hiring and training in–house IT staff by taking advantage of the leverage resource models on offer from specialist IT managed service providers. This is particularly pertinent point considering the digital skills gap the UK is experiencing now.

   Also, not to be overlooked, poor IT support can undermine your workplace culture, gradually eating away at your employees’ morale as complaints mount and fundamental IT tools aren’t easily accessible. This kind of demoralisation can lead to high staff turnover rates and increased recruitment costs.

5. Fewer downtimes

   Another impactful benefit of having 24/7 IT support is the reduction in downtime – benefiting not only productivity (as above) but also enabling employees to offer better customer support to your customers, therefore retaining a competitive advantage and keeping your organisation profitable.

   Naturally, there’s also the truth that nobody likes to be kept waiting! Thankfully most IT support providers offer rapid access to their support teams, and some can even offer for your teams to work with the same group of IT support technicians each time there’s an issue, something we refer to as the Pod system. This familiarity increases service performance by ensuring support personnel know the users’ environment, as well as building rapport that underpins a quality user experience. A dedicated help desk team will be monitoring these cases to ensure a fast response and to keep an eye on reoccurring issues.

If you would like to discuss how Littlefish’s award-winning service desk can help you reduce costs, increase service quality, and support your transition to the modern workplace, feel free to contact us through our get in touch button.