When a client has a problem, we “open a ticket” in our IT management system, allowing us to properly assign, track, prioritize, document, and resolve client issues. However, some IT firms force you to log in to submit a ticket and won’t allow you to call or e-mail them. This is for THEIR convenience, not yours. Trust me, this will become a giant inconvenience and a thorn in your side. While a portal is a good option, it should never be your ONLY option for requesting support.

Also, make sure they have a reliable system in place to keep track of client “tickets” and requests. If they don’t, I can practically guarantee your requests will sometimes get overlooked, skipped, and forgotten.

Requesting support should also be EASY for you. So be sure to ask how you can submit a problem to their support desk for resolution.

We make it easy. Calling, emailing, or submitting a ticket via our client portal puts your IT issue on the fast track to getting resolved. 

Check out our Client Support Center to see how easy it is to request support for your tech issues. 

We answer our phones live from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and all clients can enter a critical ticket for emergency, after-hours support if a problem arises, including on weekends.

Why? Because many of the CEOs and executives we support work outside normal hours and find it the most productive time they have.

If they cannot access their computer network, AND can’t get hold of anyone to help them, it’s incredibly frustrating.

We guarantee that a technician will be working on your problem within 60 minutes or less of your call/ticket submission. 70% of all tickets are generally responded to within 30 minutes.

Our technicians are trained to have the “heart of a teacher” and will take the time to answer your questions and explain everything in simple terms. The chemistry between our friendly, polite, & good-natured team and our clients is as important as the skills and service they provide.

All of our clients are assigned to a dedicated Client Success Manager.

Smaller firms may not offer this due to staff limitations, and the owner may tell you they will personally manage your account. While that sounds like great customer service, the owner is usually so busy that you’ll only be given reactive support instead of proactive account management. Rest assured, from the initial call to the final resolution, you will work with the SAME dedicated account manager who will know you, your business, and your goals.

We conduct quarterly (or annually, depending on company size) review meetings with our clients to look for new ways to help improve their operations, lower costs, increase efficiencies, and resolve any problems that may be arising. Our goal with these meetings is to help our clients be more profitable, efficient, and competitive.

When you allow anyone access to your computer systems, you are entrusting them with your most valuable business asset – your company/clients' data.

You should be able to have faith that whoever is working on your systems will keep your data confidential. Everyone on the ClearCom IT team signs a confidentiality agreement, which extends to cover our clients.

In addition, all our support specialists, account managers, and leaders have completed the Level 4 Criminal Justice Information System Security & Awareness training and certification, as well as undergone rigorous federal background checks & fingerprinting for your safety and peace of mind.

You want to find an IT company that will proactively monitor for problems and perform routine maintenance on your IT systems.

If they can’t do this or don’t offer it, we strongly recommend that you look elsewhere.

Our remote network monitoring system constantly watches over your network, identifying potential problems, security issues, and other issues so we can address them BEFORE they escalate into bigger issues.

Some smaller IT firms may outsource this critical function. As a result, you may get a tech who is not familiar with you, your network, previous problems, and personal preferences. Or worse, they may not be as qualified.

This can be frustrating and lead to the same problems cropping up over and over, longer resolution time, and you have to spend time educating the tech on your account.

We provide our own in-house help desk team and make sure the folks helping you are friendly and helpful. We consider this one of the most critical aspects of customer service, and we also believe it’s essential for keeping your data secure.

We also assign a dedicated Client Success Manager to your account who will get to know you and your company, as well as your preferences and history.

Get to know our team and see the faces behind the phones. 

Be cautious when working with a smaller IT firm that has only one or two technicians or outsources this critical role.

Everyone gets sick, has emergencies, goes on vacations, or takes a few days off from time to time.

With over 30 team members, we have more than enough full-time techs on staff to cover in case one is unable to work.

ALSO: Ask how they will document fixes, changes, and credentials for your organization, so if one tech is out or unavailable, another can step in and know your network settings, history, previous issues, etc., and how those issues were resolved.

Network documentation is exactly what it sounds like: the practice of maintaining detailed technical records about the assets you own (computers, devices, software, directory structure, user profiles, passwords, etc.) and how your network is set up, backed up, and secured.

Every IT company should provide this information to you in both written (paper) and electronic form at no additional cost, upon request, and update it on a quarterly basis.

Good documentation enables engineers working on your account to resolve problems more efficiently, as they don’t waste time searching for information and locating accounts, hardware, software licenses, etc.

All our clients receive this in written and electronic form at no additional cost. We also perform a quarterly update on this material and ensure that certain key personnel from your organization have access to this information and know how to utilize it, giving you complete control over your network.

To us, there’s nothing more important than face-to-face time with our clients. Therefore, we make it a priority to meet with all our clients regularly throughout the year to provide a “technology review.”

In these meetings, we provide you with status updates on projects you’re working on and on the health and security of your network. We also make recommendations for new equipment and upgrades you’ll need soon or in the near future.

Our technology meetings with you are C-level discussions (not geek-fests) where we openly discuss your business goals, including your IT budget, critical projects, compliance issues, known problems, and cybersecurity best practices.

Our goal in these meetings is to help you improve operations, lower costs, increase efficiencies, and ensure your organizational productivity remains high. This is also your opportunity to give us feedback on how we’re doing and discuss upcoming projects.

We feel WE should own the problem for our clients so they don’t have to try and resolve any of these issues on their own – that’s just plain old good service and something many computer guys won’t do.

Make sure you carefully review the cancellation clause in your agreement. Many IT firms hold their clients hostage with long-term contracts that contain hefty cancellation penalties and will even sue you if you refuse to pay.

We would never “force” a client to stay with us if they are unhappy for any reason. Therefore, we make it easy to cancel your contract with us, with zero contention or fines. Our “easy out” agreements make us work that much harder to exceed your expectations every day, so we keep your business. 

Please provide us with written notice of at least 60 days so we may help you with a smooth transition to a different provider. There may be fees for the balance of any existing licensing contracts you will be responsible for - i.e. Microsoft Annual, Billed Monthly terms, Adobe Licensing, etc. 

The reason for asking this question is to see if they HAVE SOMETHING in place. A plan, a procedure, a process. Don’t take their word for it. Ask to SEE it in writing. What’s important here is that they can produce some type of process. Further, they should be able to explain how their process works.

One thing you will need to discuss in detail is how they are going to take over from the current IT company – particularly if the current company is hostile. It’s disturbing to me how many IT companies or people will become bitter and resentful over being fired and will do things to screw up your security and create problems for the new company as a childish way of getting revenge. (Sadly, it’s more common than you think.) A good IT company will have a process in place for handling this.

If you consider us as your next IT services firm, we will gladly share our new client onboarding process and documentation. I think you’ll be impressed.