Frustrating IT Issues: Slow Response Times

Businesses rely heavily on technology to operate efficiently and remain competitive. That’s why the time it takes for your IT team to respond to IT issues is an important quality. Imagine this: a critical system goes down, and it takes days to get an IT technician on the line. Your team is idle, revenue is stalled and frustration is at an all-time high. This is the harsh reality of many businesses dealing with reactive IT support; the speed at which IT issues are resolved can significantly affect your company’s performance.

On the other hand, proactive managed IT services free up your time and take IT worries off your plate. No matter if you have an internal team or an outsourced managed IT partner (or both), this investment should not come at the cost of your precious time.

If you’re experiencing slow response times, let’s look at why this happens and what you should expect instead.

Read: The Hidden Costs of Reactive IT

What Is the Cause of Slow IT Response Time? 

With reactive IT, the provider focuses on keeping the day-to-day operations running, leaving little time to proactively plan an IT strategy. This results in floods of IT support tickets since issues are not anticipated and dealt with beforehand.

So, what do we mean when we say response time? We’re not only talking about an automated scheduling ticket response. At some firms, it can take days before issues are even worked on. Response times mean an engineer’s response to the support ticket and a resolution begins.

The Negative Impacts of Reactive IT and Slow Response Times

Reactive IT management and slow response times can severely affect business operations; they’re about putting out IT fires without preventing them in the first place. This approach leads to several negative impacts:

• Decreased productivity: Slow resolutions to IT issues disrupt workflows and hinder employee focus and productivity as they waste valuable time waiting for IT issues to be resolved.
• Increased downtime: Every minute your systems are offline costs your business money. In fact, downtime can cost between $5,600 and $9,000 per minute.
• Lost revenue opportunities: Prolonged IT issues can delay critical business processes and result in missed revenue opportunities.
• Increased frustration and low morale: When employees cannot perform their tasks due to IT issues, frustration and dissatisfaction mount, leading to decreased morale and a high turnover rate.
• Damaged brand reputation: Consistent IT problems can harm your brand’s reputation and image, especially if they impact customer-facing operations. In fact, 32% of customers would stop doing business with a brand after one bad experience.
• Higher long-term costs: Reactive IT management often results in higher long-term costs due to the cumulative effects of downtime, emergency fixes and inefficient operations.
• Security vulnerabilities: Delays in addressing IT issues can create vulnerabilities that expose your business to cyber attacks, data breaches and compliance liabilities.

Strategies to Improve IT Response Times

By addressing slow IT response times, you can significantly improve your company’s efficiency, productivity and overall success.

• Invest in proactive IT support: Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) can help ensure your business receives proactive support, reducing the likelihood of issues and minimizing response times when problems arise. By monitoring systems around the clock and addressing potential issues before they escalate, you can maintain seamless operations and prevent costly downtime.
• Invest in your IT infrastructure: Ensure your IT infrastructure is robust and capable of handling your company’s needs. Regular maintenance and upgrades are crucial, and IT management tools and automation can streamline processes and improve response times.
• Invest in employee training: Regular training for IT staff ensures they are equipped with the latest skills and knowledge to address issues efficiently. Additionally, training employees in basic troubleshooting can empower them to resolve minor issues independently, reducing the burden on IT teams.

How Is Thriveon’s IT Response Time Different? 

At Thriveon, we believe in a proactive approach to IT management. Our focus on preventing IT issues before they can start means fewer issues and faster response times when they do occur. For 100% of the problems that come through our door, we have an IT engineer who starts working on your ticket the same day we receive it. For emergencies and “can’t log in” requests, clients see a response time from us within six minutes.

We achieve these response times because we have only 10% of the number of tickets compared to other firms. This is because we focus on prevention strategies where we identify and address potential problems before they become critical, aiming for the ambitious yet achievable goal of zero tickets and 100% client satisfaction. Our clients are ecstatic when they don’t have issues and technology runs as it should.

If your current IT support technicians are slow to respond or have poor ticket resolution times and you’re tired of slow response times, it might be time to consider partnering with an MSP like Thriveon. Schedule a free IT strategy session to learn how we can help you achieve optimal IT performance.