Onsite IT Support Versus Remote IT Support: Which One is the Best Option for your Business?

There is no doubt about the importance of information technology (IT) for any kind of business. Whether it is a start-up company, a small company or a large corporation, information technology is a necessity in order to successfully run, expand and maintain a business. For this reason, you should review the available IT support options that your business will ultimately benefit from. Taking the time to explore and understand your options will help you make an informed decision – as well as a long-lasting investment.

As we know, technology is evolving, clients are becoming more demanding and there is always a need to improve services to surpass the competition.  That’s why it is vital to keep your business operations in perfect performance. Both onsite IT support and remote IT support for businesses each have their own advantages that can benefit your business, depending on your IT support needs. So, the big question is: Which kind of IT support will be the best solution that will fit the needs of your business? Onsite IT support or remote IT support?

Before you answer this question, let’s take a look at each one in more detail to get a better understanding of what it is and what it offers.

Onsite IT Support

Onsite IT support is when a professional IT expert physically comes to your business location and offers IT support and works with you one-on-one.

Advantages of Onsite IT Support

Onsite IT support has some advantages that may be more suitable to your business needs, depending on what you are looking for. They are the following:

• 1. This way provides a more hands-on support for all of your IT needs which may make you feel more comfortable knowing you have someone in person to talk to face-to-face, to answer your questions and to address any issues.
• 2. With an IT specialist onsite, he or she can discuss with you other potential issues and how they can be resolved. You also have the opportunity to address any last minute issues or ask any questions.
• 3. You may feel more satisfied, confident and relieved that your issues and questions are addressed face-to-face.
• 4. You may feel that you have a more pleasant experience with the technician and create a strong relationship as a result of an on-going face-to-face visit.

Disadvantages of Onsite IT Support

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages with onsite IT support that you may encounter. Here are the following disadvantages:

• 1. Onsite IT support is more costly as it requires more time.
• 2. This type of support may be inefficient for you and the technician since it takes out more time and in a lot of cases, may be unnecessary, depending on the situation at hand or the location. For example, some situations/issues can be resolved remotely without having a technician being physically onsite or if your business has different locations or branches, it doesn’t make sense to have onsite IT support.
• 3. If you rely heavily on onsite IT support and then decide to have an issue addressed remotely, you may not feel the same satisfaction and confidence you would have felt with onsite support, even though remote support may be more efficient and cost-effective.
• 4. Many IT issues can be addressed and resolved remotely.
• 5. Onsite IT support increases time including the time it takes for the technician to arrive onsite, the time it takes to discuss the issue with you as well as the options to resolve the issue and the time to actually fix the issue.

Remote IT Support

Remote IT support is when a professional IT specialist offers IT support and accesses your business operations/systems remotely, without physically being present at your business location.

Advantages of Remote IT Support

Remote IT support has taken its place in this fast-paced society. It offers effective advantages for you and the IT provider. Here are some advantages that may be more beneficial for you and your business:

• 1. IT issues can be addressed and resolved immediately and quickly since the IT specialist will access your systems remotely.
• 2. The cost for this type of support is more economical because it doesn´t require as much time as it would if IT support was addressed onsite.
• 3. Most IT issues can be addressed and resolved remotely and therefore, do not require onsite support. Try to have issues addressed remotely first and then, if necessary, seek out onsite support as your second option. In the long run, you will probably save time and money.
• 4. An IT technician is able to access your system from any location at any given time.
• 5. Remote support allows you and the IT specialist to fulfill your business needs without geographical limitations. For example, if you have a business location/branch in one city and one location in another city, the same IT support can be provided to both.
• 6. There are now many advanced tools/methods that are readily available to IT experts to resolve issues remotely such as remote access to devices, phone calls, chat sessions and RMM (remote monitoring and management) tools to identify and resolve issues without the need of human interference.

Disadvantages of Remote IT Support

There are a couple of disadvantages that may affect you personally on an emotional level rather than affect your business. This primarily depends on how you would like to receive customer service/support in regards to the type of experience and interaction you are looking for. They are listed below:

• 1. You may not receive that comfort, confident feeling that you would like to receive as a result of not having a physical human interaction onsite.
• 2. You may not feel important or that your needs are not addressed with a warm, open-arms feeling as you may feel if your needs were addressed onsite.

Now, let’s go back to the question: Which kind of IT support services will be the best solution that will fit the needs of your business, onsite IT support or remote IT support? Actually, there is no right or wrong answer. It all depends on your specific IT business needs, the IT support that you feel most comfortable with and the support that will benefit you and your business in the long run. If you are all about fast, immediate, efficient results, use remote IT support but if want to know exactly what is going on and looking for a one-on-one experience with an IT technician that can identify and resolve IT issues in person, pick onsite IT support.

However, keep in mind to focus on what would be best for your business and the best way to achieve your business goals. Think about what would be most logical in your situation and the issue at hand. If an issue can be resolved remotely in 15 minutes as opposed to one hour onsite, which one would you probably prefer and would make more sense? If you can save time and money and be able to focus your time on your business, then remote support would be the best option. On the other hand, if you have problems with your physical hardware or your office phones aren’t working, then onsite support would obviously work best. Overall, remember to review your options before making a decision and consider the option that would best resolve the existing/potential issue as well as what would be best for your business.

At Zimega TS, we handle all kinds of IT issues and offer the best solutions that fit your needs. Our experienced IT professionals are able to access your computers remotely, quickly identify the problem and provide an effective solution. If an issue can´t be fixed remotely, one of our support engineers can be onsite quickly to resolve the issue. Contact us today to speak with one of our IT specialists. You can also visit us at zimegats.com.