KPIs are useful because they help managers to get a better idea of what exactly is happening. It would be difficult to monitor the performance of agents in technical support companies without using key performance indicators. Supervisors and managers would simply not have enough information to decide on a good course of action. The organization would stagnate or even backslide. All in all, smart, effective management requires the use of tools such as KPIs.

To illustrate the conceptualization and implementation of the KPI strategy, consider the particular example of a technical support company. The use of key performance indicator is a tool and not the foundation of a management strategy. Instead, the first step in any strategic management approach is to set goals and objectives for your organization.

The organizational vision is the most general. It is a brief statement of what the organization wants to be. In this example, the vision might read, "An innovative, dynamic technical assistance firm providing timely, reliable aid to its continually growing network of customers." Then comes the specification of this vision into the different departments and aspects of the organization. Management should be able to align these more specific objectives with the vision that they have formulated.

The IT Support Services for Business formulation of KPIs ties in closely with the formulation of these objectives. Ideally, the KPIs selected should be able to monitor all of the important aspects regarding the achievement of these objectives. Given the above vision, it is possible that support agents have specific objectives such as responding to inquiries quickly and efficiently. A relevant key performance indicator in this case would then be average handling time, or the average time it takes for an agent to finish dealing with an inquiry. Another objective could be to improve the technical skills of agents. For this objective, relevant KPIs might be training hours per employee, training evaluation test scores, and so on.

Once you have chosen the right key performance indicators, the challenge is keeping track of them all. This is the reason why, usually, only the most relevant KPIs are chosen - it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of an increasing number of KPIs. At some point, it could become more trouble than it is worth, especially if the KPIs were not well chosen.

These examples of technical support KPIs are only intended to show the utility of the KPI concept. Any organization can improve its strategic management by using key performance indicators.

IT operations are crucial to the success of your business and how reliable your clients view it. If you have a larger company, an on-site server, VOIP telephone system, or automated backups, your choice of an IT partner is crucial to keeping your business afloat.

Modern businesses rely on IT for virtually every aspect of their day-today running. Networks facilitate services and operations, email and phone systems connect businesses to their customers, any disruption to any part of this structure can result in productivity grinding to a halt.

It is difficult to choose the right IT support company partner. There are many factors to consider. Here are some key considerations to make before you choose your IT partner.

Response

It is a simple fact that things go wrong. No matter how well-maintained or up-to-date your antivirus protection or software, there are always risks. Whether it be a hardware issue or just plain human error, how your IT support company responds to emergencies should be a crucial aspect of your partner choice. It is crucial that you are confident that your IT support company can quickly respond to any emergency. This could make the difference between a minor inconvenience for your clients and a major problem for your business.

The way your IT support provider handles your major emergencies is what separates the good from the poor.

Service Level

Although you may not use your IT support company for emergency situations very often, it is likely that the quality of their everyday service will reflect how highly you rate their support. Don't be sold short on this area, a good IT partner that wants to nurture a long lasting relationship will provide services beyond just reacting to the minor support issues faced by your business and employees. Your partner should be able provide training for you, your staff, and ensure that your systems are being used correctly, efficiently, and to your full potential. They should also be able to offer sound advice on how to improve your IT infrastructure and streamline it so that it can grow to your advantage in future.

Flexibility

Don't just gauge an IT company on how they suit your business right now. If yours is like most businesses then you are most likely hoping that it will continue to grow, so make sure that you select an IT partner that is flexible enough to match their services to support your requirements as your business evolves. It is important to have a good working relationship to your IT support partner to ensure that you don't have to change IT companies.

Experience

Look for a company that has been in business for a while. IT support companies that don't deliver when things go wrong don’t tend to survive very long. The sad truth is that they often just start a new business and provide the same poor service and response. Select a company that has a good history of providing quality IT support, read their testimonials and if possible speak to their existing clients. Experience of dealing with IT issues and getting systems back on track with minimal disruption is a factor that shouldn't be overlooked.

Value

Don't just pick an IT company based on price. Your IT budget will play a significant role in choosing the right company to handle your IT needs. However, before you choose a company based on their basic level of services, make sure they meet your requirements. Compare the prices of different IT companies once you have found the company that offers the services you need at a cost that suits your budget. Remember that cheap doesn't always mean value for money.