March 2021 Newsletter

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Karyn Schell named one of

"The Most Successful

Businesswomen to Watch in 2021"

by CIO Views.

SEE THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

3 Questions You Should Ask Any IT "Expert" Before Letting Them Touch Your Computer Network

There are seemingly countless IT services providers to choose from these days, and it can be challenging to tell one from another. However, not all IT services providers are created equal. Some offer independent services, while others are part of larger firms. Some are new to the field, while others have been around for years. There are also companies that put out slick marketing to grab your attention but make it hard to tell if they really live up to the hype.

Well, we’re here to help you cut through the clutter. You want to hire someone who knows what they’re doing and will take care of your business the right way. To do that, there are a few questions you should ask every IT expert before you let them anywhere near your network – to ensure you’ll be in good hands.

1. What’s Your IT Experience?
   Education, certifications and hands-on experience are all important. You want to know your “expert” is actually an expert. It’s all too easy for someone to pass themselves off as an expert when they really have limited experience, so you should never hire an individual or a company without vetting them first. After all, this person (or team) will be handling EXTREMELY sensitive hardware and data essential to the operation of your business. This isn’t the time to take risks or give someone the benefit of the doubt.
   
   When you work with an IT services company, or MSP, you can generally expect that the people you work with are educated and experienced, but you should always ask. It’s okay to dive in and ask them about their certifications, how long they’ve been doing their job and how familiar they are with your industry. And if you aren’t sure what certain certifications are, feel free to ask follow-up questions. There’s a very good chance they’ll be more than happy to answer all of your questions, especially if they’re a true professional who knows what they’re doing!

2. What’s Your IT Approach?
   There are different approaches to IT and network security. You have the old-fashioned break-fix approach and you have the modern proactive approach. The break-fix approach used to be the staple of the IT industry – it was the business model of just about every IT support firm in the 1990s and early 2000s. This approach is pretty straightforward: something breaks, so you hire someone to come in and fix it. If many things break or something complicated breaks, you could be looking at a pretty hefty bill – not to mention the costs associated with downtime.
   
   Today, most MSPs take a proactive approach (and if they don’t, look elsewhere). They don’t wait for something to break – they’re already on it, monitoring your network 24/7, looking for outside threats or internal issues. They use advanced software that can identify trouble before it strikes. That way, they can go to work, proactively protecting your business so you avoid those hefty bills and long downtimes. These are companies that are willing to collaborate with you and your business to make sure you’re protected, your IT needs are met and you’re getting your dollars’ worth.

3. What’s Your GUARANTEED Response Time?
   This question often gets overlooked, but it’s one that can make or break your business – and it can make or break your relationship with your IT services provider. You need to know that you won’t be left in the dark when something goes wrong within your network. If you’re experiencing a cyber-attack, or a power surge has taken out part of your server, the cost to your business can be catastrophic if your IT services provider can’t get to you right away. The longer you have to wait, the worse it can get.
   

You need to work with someone who can give you a guaranteed response time in writing. It should be built into their business model or, better yet, the contract they want you to sign when you hire their services. They should be doing everything they can to instill confidence that they’ll be there for you when you need them. If you’re working with an IT company that doesn’t have your full confidence, you may need to rethink that relationship.

Guest Article 

Making & Keeping Customer Connections In A Digital Era

Leah Tobak

Make the value that you give your customers so high it doesn’t matter what the price is. Based on the experiences your brand consistently delivers, your customers should have no idea what your competition charges. You don’t need to raise your prices. You need to bring value and better service. This includes employee training – and be sure they understand how to build and keep relationships.

3 Strategies To Dominate The
Relationship Economy

• Use technology to allow employees to focus on what’s most important: building relationships that result in higher customer loyalty.
• Build a culture that creates emotional connections with your employees.
• Create relationship-building training for new and existing employees.

Things That CAN Be Trained:

• Authenticity
• Insatiable curiosity
• Incredible empathy
• Great listening skills

The 1 Thing That CANNOT Be Trained:

• The ability to love people

Let’s focus on what can be trained and what these traits look like.

Authenticity:

• You love what you do, and it’s obvious.
• You’re transparent – if you have bad news, don’t hold it back.
• You are as committed to the success of your customer as they are.
• You know your clients’ top three goals
  for the year.
• Your customer should not be able to imagine a world without your business in it.

Insatiable Curiosity:

• You’re dying to learn about others.
• You want to know about both familiar and unfamiliar subjects.
• You’re willing to meet as strangers but leave as friends.

Incredible Empathy:

• You look at things from the customer’s perspective.
• You put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
• You listen and think from the other person’s point of view, allowing their message to become much clearer.
• You’re wary of empathy fatigue and able to reset yourself.

Great Listening:

• You give them fierce attention.
• You ask a question and then more questions.
• You don’t defend questions and instead explore new ones.
• You bounce questions back.
• You fight the urge to reply before you finish listening.

Every employee should possess these four traits, and you should be willing to train your team to deliver on these traits. When you successfully bring these four elements together, you are set up for success and have the foundation to build and maintain strong relationships with your customers. 

Leah Tobak is a Project Manager with Petra Coach. With a background in public relations and marketing, she’s done a lot of work building relationships with customers and prospective customers. Outside of the corporate landscape, Leah is an international model and is known for her work in front of the camera.