Local IT Services vs. Remote IT Services
In the Information Technology space, we’ve seen a massive trend towards private equity companies purchasing a whole bunch of IT Service provider companies to form a “platform.” As this trend continues to gain momentum, in many cases the local customers are the ones that pay the price.
The Question
We’ve gotten several sales related calls recently from local businesses looking to do business with a local technology service provider. They all do business with a company that used to be local to our area but sold out a couple of years ago to a platform company. They all complain of slow response times and a disconnect in the quality of service that they need to run their businesses.
Challenge of a Remote Provider
I’m not saying that this business model cannot be done properly, but rather that it is rarely done properly. What we’ve seen is that a platform company will purchase the local IT service provider and then consolidate all possible services into their main headquarters, leaving a field technician and a sales person in the local territory. They will often outsource helpdesk services to offshore resources in the Philippines and in India to reduce costs. The complaint that we are hearing is that when calling for support, they are now speaking to someone in the Philippines or India that speaks English as a second language and is not familiar with the company’s technology. This results in slower response times and more downtime for these local businesses.
Keeping it Local
At Philantech3, we’ve made the business decision to keep our helpdesk services in-house. We hand pick and train our technicians in the way that we feel responsive helpdesk services should be delivered. If you see the advantage of working with a local company that understands your community and your business, please reach out.to see if it makes sense to get the quality of support that you need to grow your business.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Information Technology Aligned With Your Business Goals?
Philantech3 is a complete IT services & IT support company working with organizations in Spokane.
Dr. Buchanan is passionate about helping organizations achieve their full potential and has over 25 years of working experience in the business world.