We have found that almost every one of our clients has had difficulty in finding reliable and honest computer support, so we have decided to share this information so that you can make an informed choice when choosing support. We will give you the top 6 questions you should ask a potential computer consulting company before making a decision.
Question #1: Is your company a corporation, LLC or sole proprietorship? This is not an invasion of privacy, as you, the client, have the right to know the company's organizational structure. Because there are many fly by night companies out there, this question should help you determine whether they are a legit company or not.
Question #2: Who handles the billing and invoicing at your company, and what are the terms? Most often the consultant interview is only focused on the technical aspects of the service. As a business owner, you know that once a month you have to deal with billing and invoices, and you want this part to be as smooth as possible. Find out the billing and payment terms, and how hours are tracked, and ask any other questions that are important to your accounting.
Question #3: How many other people work at your company? Find out if they are a one person company or part of a larger firm. Find out if there is an office number or someone that can be reached if the technician is not available. Find out who covers for the lead technician if they are sick or on vacation. If you have a major problem, you want to be able to talk to someone and not leave endless frustrated voice mails while your business is down. These questions are important to ask so that you can ensure your business is covered at all times.
Question #4: What hours are you available? Can you service my business on nights and weekends if necessary, and is there a surcharge? Most companies do charge an after-hours fee for work outside of normal business hours, but it's good to find out all these terms ahead of time. Upgrades on major systems should always be performed outside of your normal business hours so that it doesn't interrupt any of your work, so find out how your potential company handles this.
Question #5: How will your services help my business grow and save money? This question often stumps people who don't offer pro-active services or don't see how important costs are to small businesses. A good consultant will be able to answer this question well, while questionable consultants will struggle with it. While consulting companies are obviously in business to make money, a good company will help you find ways to save money, and more importantly protect the money that you've already invested in the business.
Question #6: How long have you been in the consulting industry and how many clients do you currently service? Unfortunately you'll have no easy way to verify the information you are given in answer to this question, but it's good to ask. It's better to ask how long they have servicing clients rather than how many years they have been fixing computers. Someone might have 10 years fixing computers in their garage for families and friends, or have worked at a help desk for a long time, but that doesn't mean they'll be able to service your business well. You definitely want someone who can show they have serviced businesses like yours in the past.
As you can see, 5 of the 6 questions had nothing to do with technical skills. While it's important to ensure your potential computer company is technically qualified, there are other very important areas that inexperienced companies often fail at. It's in these areas, like understanding your business model to billing and invoicing, that become increasingly important as you do business with a consulting company.
We hope this information has been helpful, and we want to empower you to make an informed decision when choosing a computer consulting company.
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