IT staffing ratio - how do the numbers stack up?

In a company of perhaps 20 people or so, many will have taken the view that staff numbers mean there is enough work to recruit an IT manager. However, what do you do before you reach this size?

Many small companies choose to engage external consultants to provide hands-on support. Often these are solo operators, one-man bands. While they may be competent and well-intentioned, there are a number of inherent problems which may prevent them from responding with the appropriate service levels you need to run your business.

• No cover for absences
  Solo IT support consultants also have holidays and illnesses.

• Unable to contact
  The solo consultant might be on the phone or - in an area with poor mobile network coverage or generally out of contact.

• Over stretched
  If your one-man band is busy with another client, then they simply can’t help you on-demand.

• Vendor unaccredited
  Solo operators are unlikely to have partnerships and relationships with key vendors

• Poor documentation
  Lack of time and organisation means support activity may not be properly documented

• Narrow experience
  Consultants are unlikely to have the system-wide depth of knowledge required

• One pair of hands
  Solo operators can't provide extra resources for projects - one pair of hands is just one pair of hands…

And what when the numbers do stack up?

If your company grows and the numbers start to stack up so you can support an internal IT role, it may not be the end of your one-man band IT support problem. It just makes the one-man band a permanent salary.

While he or she won’t have other clients to look after many of the issues listed above will still persist.

Solving the one-man band IT support problem with HTL

HTL Support services are designed to provide the right levels of support smaller and growing businesses need. Our team is built to overcome the problems of one-man band IT support:

• Right-sized resource
  HTL has a depth of resource to provide complete continuity of service to cover holidays and sickness and we don’t use freelancers…

• Contact centre
  Centralised office and email systems to ensure support team are continually contactable

• Sufficiently staff
  ‘Headroom’ resourced to meet client numbers, needs, projects and known commitments

• Vendor accredited
  Nurtured and built enduring relationships with key vendors and suppliers

• Dedicated IT support software
  Uses Autotask to log and provide management and documentation of all support activity

• Wide experience
  Depth of knowledge across the team with vendor certification in many diverse areas

• Another pair of hands and another…
  Many pairs of hands and many heads means we have resource organisational memory to fix problems quickly

To find out more about HTL’s outstanding IT support solutions that deliver the level of support you expect, simply get in touch today.