All too often, business leaders consider support the center point of their technology plan. They missed the first 7 steps to IT Paradise. The next mistake is building a support system that is built around reacting to critical emergencies. Though extremely important, if the prior steps are properly in place, these instances should be rare. Constructing a proper technology support system is where the productivity of the individual is as important as the whole business. Without that, you could be going through the old Chinese practice of ling chi, death by a thousand cuts. Keeping system users productive must be a focus understanding even a small degradation of systems is a loss of productivity and finances.

Your support team should:

• Be staffed with experienced and continuously educated technicians that can analyze root cause issues, not just fix the immediate problem.
• Be great communicators with empathy to the end user.
• Be available with response times in the seconds, not minutes or hours.
• Resolve issues quickly, not just enter “tickets” for the future.
• Have the resources, documentation and tools that optimize reaction time, communication and resolution of issues.
• Be process driven providing them structure, escalation processes and a foundation for success.