Change is hard. Some can, and some can’t . . . quite, even when they know they must. When it’s time to outsource your IT management, I know that one of the biggest dreads for a business owner can be having a conversation with a “geek.” I recently heard a funny story about an IT department in Aspen, Colorado. Whenever they want to blow off a service request, they just start talking in “computer speak” to whoever is asking, and very quickly that person will go away. It’s funny—but in a painful way to me.
I, too, am a consumer. I have those people I’m uneasy about talking to, like ad reps, insurance agents, car salesmen, sometimes doctors. I don’t want to be talked-down-to, or see eyes roll, or have someone raise their voice as if louder will make it easier for me to understand. But it happens to me, and I know business owners fear it will happen to them when they when they accept that they really need an outside IT management team.
Information Technology today is highly specialized, and it changes in the blink of an eye. A large part of our week here at Aptica is studying and learning about new hardware, software, viruses, malware, ransomware, new hacking techniques and the subsequent arming to prevent it. If this is not your zone of genius as a business owner, then I don’t expect you to meet me with the most up-to-date questions about managing an IT network. I expect to hear your concerns, your areas of hesitation, your best expectations, and your plans for the future. Then you can expect to have me address your concerns, offer options for your areas of hesitation, express my expectations, and talk about our partnership going forward and how that will help your plans for the future. And I do this in language you understand. Literally—I am your neighbor. I speak about business just like you do, and I’m required as a service provider to be transparent and easily understood. You don’t need me to know all the nuances and oddities of your business; I don’t need to explain all that to you unless it involves fixing a problem.
Find That IT Management Company You Can Talk To
So keep that in mind as you feel your stomach tighten when you have yet another computer problem and you wonder if it’s time to call in an expert. Expect to be spoken to with respect and in simple, normal business terms. It’s the first part of some otherwise very technical service (and we can speak geek if you want to.)
If you want to check it out, give us a call here at Aptica LLC. We answer with “Hello.”
Jason Newburg, 260.243.5100, ext 2001, is the founder and owner of Aptica LLC. This IT management and support company has been serving small to medium-sized businesses for 15 years in the area that includes Angola, South Bend, and Fort Wayne, IN, Battle Creek, MI, and Toledo, OH.