When was the last time you made it through a workday without a single technical hiccup? If you’re like most Birmingham business owners we talk to, those days are rare.
Whether it’s network issues interrupting client meetings or software glitches delaying important deliverables, these ‘minor’ disruptions add up to major productivity losses.
- Local business owners often struggle with:
- Clients expecting quick turnarounds and personalised service, putting pressure on you and your team to work efficiently.
- Junior staff needing guidance on technical or procedural matters, which takes time away from client work for both of you.
- Difficulty carving out time for long-term planning while managing the firm’s day-to-day operations.
Let’s take the owner of a small accounting firm, based just outside the city centre, as an example. We’ll call him James.
With 10 employees to oversee, James is primarily concerned with balancing operational efficiency with client satisfaction. While he’s comfortable using basic business IT tools, the business relies on external IT support for advanced issues.
They’ve been with their current managed IT service provider for a few years (they were the most budget-friendly option available at the time), mostly hearing from them when IT emergencies occur.
Here are two different options for James’ everyday:
Version 1: Missing Out On Managed IT Services
7:00 AM – 8:30 AM: Starting the Day
James starts his day early, checking his email and task management app while having his morning coffee.
Having been forced to use Microsoft Teams during lockdown, he’s become quite proficient on this particular platform. He reviews key performance metrics from his firm’s dashboard. Then it’s time for the rest of the team to arrive.
8:30 AM –10:00 AM: Team Briefing and Problem Solving
James holds a daily stand-up meeting with his team to discuss ongoing client projects, deadlines, and any roadblocks.
During the meeting, a newer junior accountant mentions trouble accessing a client file due to a network issue. James promises to escalate it to their IT support provider – but even the thought of that brings on a headache. These guys have become less responsive over time (one of the signs you’re not getting the value you deserve), and he knows he’s unlikely to spur them into action without lots and lots of chasing.
10:00 AM –12:30 PM: Client Work and Business Development
Meeting done; James spends some time preparing for a pitch meeting with a prospective client in the afternoon. This prospect would be a pretty big deal for the business, so he’s keen to make sure all his materials are polished and ready.
As he’s working, James also gets a call from a longstanding client asking about a delay in receiving their tax advice. He reassures them it’ll be delivered ASAP and follows up with his team for an update.
As it turns out, some errors in manual data entry forced the employee in charge of this account to start the process over. This had doubled the time they’d usually take to complete their advice report, causing the delay.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Client Meetings
After a lunch break that always seems to pass too quickly, James virtually meets with his prospective client to discuss a potential partnership.
Mid-meeting, his laptop freezes due to a software glitch. He jots down a reminder to contact his managed IT services provider for a system health check – but, unable to fix the problem himself, his presentation is cut short, and he has to go off-book.
Even as he clicks ‘end meeting,’ he knows this unimpressed prospect won’t be turning into a client.
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM: Internal Operations and Staff Support
Feeling frustrated, James turns his attention to a few administrative issues, like approving leave requests. He’s also asked to help his marketing assistant troubleshoot their email automation software, which isn’t sending reminders to clients.
This ends up taking longer than expected, so the coaching he promised a junior employee has to be postponed to another day.
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Strategic Planning
James finally gets around to reviewing some operational costs, trying to decide whether to renew the business’s subscription to a cloud-based project management tool.
Though his gut tells him parts of the platform are useful, James finds renewal hard to justify given the firm’s remaining IT budget – which, thanks to some unexpected hardware faults last month, is significantly smaller than usual.
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Wrapping Up
Disappointed about how the day’s gone, James checks his email again to ensure no critical issues have come up.
He sends a follow-up email to their IT support provider – who still hasn’t gotten back to them about the network issue. For now, at least, it seems to have resolved itself – but James isn’t confident that’ll last.
Last on his agenda is checking tomorrow’s to-do list. Or, in this case, scrapping it entirely and starting over. The disruptions today have pushed James and the team further behind schedule than he’d have liked, so he’ll have to squeeze in some extra hours (and miss out on family time) to catch up.
Version 2 (What Could’ve Been): The Power of Proactive IT Support for Birmingham Businesses
This is how that scenario could’ve unfolded if James had partnered with IT support in Birmingham that knows how to deliver:
7:00 AM – 8:30 AM: Starting the Day
James has the same start to the morning – but this time there’s a distinct absence of fear about what issues the business’s IT will throw their way today.
He does notice an email from his IT support provider. They’ve asked him to call them about any network disruption the team experiences today, as their monitoring software flagged up a potential issue overnight that they’re now working on resolving.
It’s not the best message to wake up to, but James’ worry quickly disappears – he knows they’re in good hands with this IT team. They’ve never let a potential issue become an actual problem for the business.
8:30 AM –10:00 AM: Team Briefing and IT Support Feedback
This time, when James asks about network disruptions in the daily standup, the team has nothing to report. They’re on-schedule with all their client projects and have some great feedback about a useful new collaboration tool the IT support team has been trialling with them.
10:00 AM –12:30 PM: Client Work and Business Development
While James polishes up his meeting materials, one of his longstanding clients calls him. They pass on a heartfelt thanks about their recent tax advice – the reports their account manager provided were crystal clear and made it easy to understand their spending and deductibles.
James makes a mental note to let their Birmingham-based IT support team know that their guidance in using the AI-powered features of the business’s existing reporting software has proved invaluable.
12:30 PM –1:00 PM: Quick Lunch Break
James takes a brief lunch break, catching up on business-related news or reading articles about scaling professional services businesses.
He’s free from IT worries – though not even the finest managed IT services can make that 30 minutes feel any longer.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Client Meetings
James virtually meets with an existing client to discuss progress, upcoming deadlines, or their evolving financial needs.
Midway through, his laptop freezes up momentarily. Likely, it’s a network issue – not uncommon in their area. The client doesn’t seem to notice, and the meeting concludes without any further problems.
Still, James jots down a reminder to contact IT support for a system health check. Best to be on the safe side – and the team always finds a way to get his laptop working better than before.
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM: Internal Operations and Staff Support
Once his admin work is out of the way, James has plenty of time for business development.
He coaches a junior employee struggling with a complex client case, offering guidance on balancing client needs with firm policies. It’s nice to have this uninterrupted time to help his team grow.
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Strategic Planning
To close his day, James uses the detailed reports provided by his IT support team to shape the business’s long-term growth strategies.
He reviews their recent documentation of operational costs, which proves his gut instinct right – renewing their subscription to their current cloud-based project management tool is a worthy investment and one that’s well within their budget.
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Wrapping Up
Before he leaves, James checks his email again to ensure no critical issues have come up. He’s got a new message from his IT service provider about scheduling a quarterly tech review – something he would’ve completely forgotten to do otherwise.
He confirms a date, then updates his to-do list for the next day, looking forward to an evening with his wife, his kids, and a fantastic home-cooked meal.
Key Takeaways
Hopefully this hypothetical gives you an idea of just how important proactive IT support is for Birmingham businesses. MSPs like ours offer a multitude of services – but the most important thing they provide is peace of mind.
Remember:
- Prevention Beats Recovery: Proactive IT support helps identify and resolve issues before they impact your operations, saving both time and money compared to emergency fixes.
- Time is Your Most Valuable Asset: The right IT partner frees you to focus on strategic growth by handling technical challenges efficiently and effectively.
- You Only Achieve Security Through Strategy: Random tech adoption creates security vulnerabilities. A structured approach, guided by experienced IT professionals, keeps your business and client data protected.
- Your IT Investments Need Protection: Professional IT support helps you make smarter technology investments, ensuring new tools integrate seamlessly with existing systems and actually deliver ROI.
- Your Team Deserves Empowerment: With proper IT support, your staff can work confidently and efficiently, knowing they have reliable technical backup whenever and wherever it’s needed.
Ready for exceptional IT support? All it takes is a conversation – book a complimentary discovery meeting with our experts today.
MT Services: The #1 Technology Partner for West Midlands Businesses
For over 50 years, businesses across the West Midlands have relied on us for fast, personal, and effective IT support, cyber security, and IT infrastructure – all delivered by our friendly team, from our Tamworth HQ.
Our mission is to unlock your business’s potential through tailored technological solutions. By understanding your unique objectives, we craft strategies that propel you towards your goals. Our forward-thinking approach ensures we deliver cutting-edge solutions, fostering growth and innovation for any project in any industry.
