Recent Blog Posts
Our Experience with Industries Perspective is a valuable thing, especially when you have to figure out solutions to as many problems as an MSP has to. Not only are there occasionally real-time issues to resolve, we also deal with predicted problems and challenges, working to have a fix ready for when it is needed. We?ve gathered a lot of perspective during our experiences doing so, and it has made us better at our jobs. However, perspective is only helpful if it can be applied practically – you need more than a complete view of things, you also need to know what you are looking at. The same goes for the IT support team you are relying on, too. What are your IT challenges, and how are your operations most impacted by them? The most successful support team is the team that understands how your business needs to operate and provides you with the IT services that facilitate that. Response Times From the perspective of a business owner, many of the issues that pop up in their technology do just that – they pop up. They?re sudden. Considering that, there?s little wonder that many business owners still prefer to have an employee (or a department, depending on the size of the business in question) on-hand to work on IT issues. That way, travel time isn?t a factor, and the issue can be resolved quicker, right? Well, yes and no. Part of it has to do with the remote nature of managed services, so someone on-site is going to be able to get their hands on the problematic device that much quicker, sure. However, because the MSP is using their remote access to proactively monitor your solutions, you probably aren?t even aware of the problems that the MSP is catching and resolving for you behind-the-scenes – and technically speaking, even if the problem does require an on-site visit, the MSP could be using their remote monitoring solutions to help diagnose the problem as the tech is on their way. Again, the idea is to avoid incidents that make it critical to cut down response times in the first place. Services Offered What is it, really, that you need of your IT resource? Specialized experience with niche technologies? Greater control in your hands? Less responsibility? Improved communications? Adherence to stricter compliance standards? A good managed service provider can help you with all these things, and more. Furthermore, a relationship with us gives you privileged access to the same professionals that we?ve cultivated relationships with – vendors and the like – as a pleasant addition to our team?s expertise and determination to successfully provide for your IT needs. Overall, this is truly one of the biggest, underestimated, benefits to working with a managed service provider. Cost Savings Consider the investment you would have to make to completely staff and equip an entire IT department with highly skilled professionals of the caliber and skill that we have at White Mountain IT Services. Now consider how you could better invest that money, having saved it by signing on with White Mountain IT Services as your outsourced IT provider. There really is something to this managed service arrangement. If you?re looking to get something more out of the way your business takes advantage of technology, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.
First, let?s examine some of the types of internal communications that commonly factor into a business? operations. Information sharing – There?s a lot of news that needs to make its way throughout the office. Different forms of communication can help accomplish this, helping to ensure that the message gets across, whether it?s a company-wide announcement or onboarding materials. Collaboration – Collaboration, by its nature, requires communication between any involved parties. There are a few solutions that make this more efficient and effective, not to mention simpler. Recognition and company culture – Who doesn?t like to be recognized for their accomplishments, or to participate in internal decision-making, especially when that decision-making is in regard to something related to something more fun? Collaboration solutions play a role here as well. Now, let?s consider a few solutions that can help you to accomplish this goal. Information Sharing This is perhaps the most obvious use of internal communication – making sure that all of your team is on the same page, whether as a means to promote collaborative tendencies (more on that later) or new policies, plans, or procedures are being put in place. To accommodate these needs, you should make sure that your employees have the tools that they will have to use to do so. These tools include things like: Email – While other solutions have become reasonable alternatives for email, the tried-and-true default still stands strong. As a solid solution for all-around communications, it provides you with a means of communicating with your staff in a way they are almost guaranteed to be familiar with, just make sure they aren?t checking it excessively throughout the day. Newsletters – While newsletters are often used as an external effort to remind your audience of your services, they can be just as valuable as a means of keeping your employees in the loop, especially about items that don?t often get brought up in the workplace, or questions that you don?t want to have to answer repeatedly. Using your aforementioned email solution to distribute an e-newsletter internally is a cost-effective way to do so. Video – While it may seem like overkill to put together a video to share information internally, they make sense to use in situations where you can reuse the material over and over, like when you are onboarding new employees or training them. Keep in mind, these videos should still be supplemented by other training tools, like other internal documents and resources, to use as references? plus, there?s a lot to be said for face-to-face, shadow-style training, too. However, maintaining an internal repository of reference videos provides your employees with an option to help them answer their own questions without distracting others in the office. Collaboration Collaboration is one of the biggest industry buzzwords nowadays, and for good reason. A workplace that operates collaboratively usually sees big benefits to its operations. This is particularly true if a business has more than one location to contend with, or allows its staff to work remotely. There are also solutions that can help you encourage this kind of collaboration, such as: Dedicated Applications – There are a king?s ransom of collaboration-based applications out there, designed around a variety of business needs. Sure, you have your conferencing applications, but you also have things like shared […]
Rotating Pages It?s something we?ve likely all seen: a PDF file that, once opened, provides a crystal-clear view of just the document we need? upside-down. That isn?t very helpful. To fix this, many PDF viewing programs like Adobe Acrobat Pro offer options to rotate the document. If you?re using Acrobat Pro, the Rotate Pages option can be found under Document. You can then select which pages should be rotated, and how they should rotate. Other programs feature a button in the toolbar that allows you to rotate each page individually. However you do it, rotating the pages in a PDF file to boost their usability is worth the few moments it will take. Why wouldn?t you want your documents to be easier to read? Signing PDFs It isn?t uncommon for a document that needs a signature to be sent over as a PDF. Historically, many people take this to mean that they need to print out the document, physically sign it, scan it back into the computer, and send it back? but wouldn?t it be easier to sign them electronically? Some free software, like Adobe Reader, is capable of doing so – check with IT to have them download it, or advise you as to which solution to use instead. Assuming that Adobe Reader is approved, signing documents is relatively simple. After using Reader to open the file, click on the Fill & Sign button, then Sign, and finally, Add Signature. At this point, you?ll have three options: Type – you type your name to indicate that you have seen the document, and an electronic signature is rendered (which almost certainly will not resemble your actual signature). Draw – using your mouse as you would a pen, you draw your signature in the space provided. Image – you use a scanned image of your actual signature that is then saved for future use. At that point, just make sure your signature is positioned where it needs to be, click apply, and save. Many modern line-of-business applications can produce secure, signable PDF files for you to send to your customers. Password Protection Sometimes, the content of a PDF needs to be restricted to a limited number of eyes, which is why the capability to password protect a PDF is so helpful. Make sure that these passwords are initially distributed through secure means to keep them from being undermined. Microsoft Word allows you to turn a file into a PDF by using the ?Save as? function – all you have to do is select ?PDF? as the file type. Before you click Save, you will be able to find a More options button, which will open another window, where encrypt document with a password can be found under Options. Selecting this gives you the ability to set a password that anyone viewing your PDF after that point will have to provide in order to open it. Merging Files Once a PDF has been distributed, it can be easy to lose track of all of the different copies with each containing different information filled in by your recipients. As consolidating information like this generally make it much easier to deal with, you can likely do so with any of assorted free and paid software titles – just make sure IT signs off on […]
Employees Without the proper communication with your team, you will be sacrificing many business benefits that would otherwise lead to its growth. The reason for this is simple: First off, history has shown that the best business ideas can come from those at the bottom of the organizational flow chart – the ones who are hands-on and experiencing what works well and what doesn?t for themselves. Giving them a voice not only means you can benefit from their insights, it also motivates them to stick around longer – input is a hard thing to give up. Another reason to make sure you are communicating effectively with your employees is just as simple: it helps to make sure your expectations are met. If your view of success is clearly defined, your employees will understand the benchmarks that must be met. Don?t be afraid to have frequent one-on-one meetings with the members of your staff to work on their individual goals. Clients and Customers This is probably the most obvious piece of the puzzle – but communicating with them requires more than just publicizing your service offering and the seasonal deal you happen to be running. Your patrons can serve as a useful source of information, as they can be considered experts in a variety of business concerns, such as how your services could be improved. By collecting and reacting appropriately to this feedback, you can build their trust in you, demonstrating that you value their input. A trusting client is more likely to come back to you, and less likely to leave. Of course, you don?t need to only collect this information through formal processes. Remember how your employees have that front-line insight? Maybe they?ve noticed some trends in the behavior of your audience, or that many are surprised to learn about a particular offering. Use these observations to your advantage! You Yes, you. In order to be able to really improve your business, you need to take the time and see how well you are aligning your business management to your business goals. While this kind of self-evaluation shouldn?t be easy, it is necessary to do on occasion. Were the goals you set for your business realistic? Was there anything you could have done differently to help accomplish them more effectively? Once you have done so, it helps to collect feedback from those around you and see if their honest observations mesh with the conclusions you came to. By supplementing your own observations with this input, you can help narrow down the most impactful issues, as well as hold yourself accountable for your operations. White Mountain IT Services can help you by providing the tools to encourage these communications – as well as see to a number of other technological concerns and needs. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Had Enough? If your business seems to be caught in a never-ending cycle of computer problems and complaints, perhaps you have been focusing on the symptoms rather than the source of the problem. The underlying cause is most likely a lack of professional IT management. At White Mountain, we take responsibility for the operation, management, and support of your IT infrastructure. Don’t settle for the IT systems cycle of torture, there is a better way, give White Mountain a call today. Why wait? If you think it may be time for a change, give us a call today to schedule a free consultation. We are experts at providing discreet and confidential advice on how to protect your business and avoid problems and disruptions when replacing your IT support provider. There is no reason to put up with a never-ending cycle of problems and frustrations, give White Mountain a call and let us help you make things right! Call today and give your business the White Mountain advantage!
