Why remote IT support may be the best IT support for your small business

Large enterprises can afford to have IT departments that cater to the tech requirements of every staff member. However, most Toronto-based small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) don't have that luxury. Some can’t even justify hiring just one full-time IT support specialist.

Here’s the thing, however. That’s not necessarily a bad situation since most IT problems can be resolved remotely. With the right tools -- and the right partner -- you can experience support that equals or even surpasses your enterprise rivals. Here’s how:

IT support tasks are just a ticket or phone call away

Let's get one thing out of the way first. The vast majority of IT help desk support requests are actually for very basic issues, though we’re able to say this because we’re coming from a place of expertise. We understand that your expertise lies elsewhere and that IT issues can feel frustrating and confusing -- things you want to resolve quickly and correctly.

However, if you want things done correctly and quickly, then you’d be much better off calling our IT support specialists at XBASE. We can provide you with immediate help, which is better than wasting time waiting for a technician to arrive in person.

Common IT Issue	How our remote IT support will help you
Password resets	Our online IT support specialist can remotely reset passwords or coach account holders how to do password resets themselves.
Software updates	We’ll remotely set up cloud-based services so that software updates are executed automatically.
Network slowdowns	We’ll help you check what may be eating up your network bandwidth. Often, poor network performance is caused by incorrect configuration, especially when new devices or access points have been added to it over time. We can diagnose the problem remotely, and can often reconfigure it during off-hours so that impacts on your operation are minimized. If a slowdown is caused by the need for a network upgrade, we’ll then help you avoid network service disruptions caused by such upgrades by implementing a change management process that schedules potentially disruptive tasks outside of business hours. Sometimes, network performance issues are caused by excess bandwidth use by certain individuals or departments. We’ll help you determine which users may be causing the slowdown, the nature of their use, and solutions if more bandwidth is required
Missing or mistakenly deleted documents	We’ll work with users to guide them on how to retrieve their lost document if it has been accidentally deleted or moved If we determine that physical storage has become damaged, we’ll restore your data for you (if it’s on our servers) or walk you through how to recover your files via on-site or remote backups.
Video conferencing difficulties	Our IT support will help identify the issue, fix any configuration problems, and even contact the vendor on your behalf if it’s an app issue If you’re working to a deadline, keep in mind that these resolutions take time. We recommend testing your solution early by calling us in advance to check connections, audio-video quality, and computer compatibility
Blue screens of death	First of all, we’ll acknowledge that this can be utterly unnerving Secondly, we’re happy to report that this is rarely an issue with our customers, because we constantly patch and update your computers, and monitor them for utilization, out-of-warranty, and capacity If we request a reboot of your device and it doesn’t work, we’ll ask about what was being done before the blue screen appeared. We’ll diagnose the problem and come up with a fix ASAP.
Slow computer performance	You might be pushing your machine to its limits without even knowing it, so we’ll check if you have unneeded browser tabs open or unused applications that may be draining resources. Your device may be infected with malware. We’ll ask you to disconnect from the network and either have the device shipped to us or help you clean your machine to return it to peak performance.
Printer problems	We’ll go through the usual causes first: We’ll check remotely if the printer is turned on, has enough ink, and has paper in the right tray. If the answer is “yes” to all of the questions above, then the problems may be caused by network connection issues. We’ll help diagnose and resolve those in a jiffy.

Of course, remote support isn’t only about a phone call or email. For new computers, for example, we’ll often order them for you at your request, receive them at our Network Operating Centre, configure them to work perfectly with your system, and then ship them directly to you. When you receive them, plugging them in is all that’s required, and the machines will be immediately monitored using the same Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools that we’ve already installed on your other machines. In this way, you save time, rather than waiting on an IT technician to be on site.

Let our IT support providers temporarily take over your systems remotely

As previously mentioned, our RMM tools allow us to immediately monitor your devices and network to ensure peak performance and to identify potential problems. These tools also allow screensharing, which lets our IT specialist see exactly what your employee sees, and helps both parties “cut to the chase” and avoid miscommunication.

However, while we can monitor your systems, we cannot and will not directly manage them until you opt-in to grant us remote access rights. During such a session, our specialists can directly diagnose any problems they encounter, carry out fixes in real time, and drastically reduce the possibility of user mistakes. Plus, it helps to reduce or eliminate the chance that a user will seek out a workaround or download a fix from the internet, which opens your organization to increased malware or other cybersecurity risk. Trust is critical here, so we’ll work with you to establish strict processes at the front end, and we’ll ensure that we remind your staff to rescind remote access rights as soon as we’re finished with a remote session.

The right service provider provides proactive remote IT support

Nowadays, merely reacting to problems leads to costly downtime that hampers growth. But if your desktops, servers, mobile devices, and other technology investments are monitored and maintained by professionals at all times, then they’ll proactively keep technical issues from getting in the way of your business.

With us, you’ll no longer risk missing critical patches and updates — and you’ll never have to go through the hassle of applying these yourself, or waiting a week or more for a once-a-week technician. In short, our remote IT support removes distractions and lets you focus on and achieve great success in the things you specialize in.

IT support is best when it’s live and local

Immediacy is key when resolving IT problems because downtime means lost productivity and irate customers. XBASE never keeps you waiting — the support we provide is available 24/7, live, and staffed completely in Toronto — we never outsource or offshore our services.

And in the rare case your problem can’t be solved remotely, we’ll send a technician to where you are. Learn more about our brand of IT support and other Exponentially Better™ IT services by downloading our eBook now.