How proactive IT problem solving can improve your practice profits
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Ten years ago, purely reactive IT support was popular - report a problem, fix the problem. However, this method isn’t suitable for medical or veterinary practices where any downtime can cause major issues. Thankfully, the dynamic has shifted to a more proactive approach in recent years.
Proactive IT support means having a partner working in the background to maintain and monitor your entire network. A good partner can detect and deal with problems before they occur, often without their clients knowing there’s been an issue. They should also predict when their clients need to change or upgrade their devices, software, or security, thus reducing unexpected spending and encouraging better budgeting.
We all know that the quicker a problem is resolved, the less downtime you have and the less expensive it is. Therefore, the old cliché prevention is better than cure rings true. We call this Proactive Problem Prevention, and the benefits are enormous. Let's discuss some of the benefits.
Less downtime
Downtime is a severe drain on your practice. Even 15 minutes of downtime can cause chaos as people can’t complete appointments or contact clients. Moreover, it is demotivating and damages your team’s productivity and practice reputation.
Then it can be a real effort to get people back on track. If you experience regular periods of downtime, this is frustrating for all involved. Your staff will be sick of it, and you will lose money and potentially some great clients.
Massive cost savings
Every minute your systems are down or under-performing, it costs you money.
A recent survey found that 78% of SMEs reported costs of more than £7,000 for each hour of downtime they experienced. 10% of businesses said that figure was over £36,000. This figure increases hour after hour after hour.
Better disaster recovery planning
Even with a highly proactive IT partner (like us), it’s impossible and unrealistic to expect 100% of all technical problems to be prevented. Technology and everything that comes with it is incredibly complex, and it’s constantly changing.
Big disasters can happen to anyone and everyone. When you choose the right partner, you work together to create a disaster recovery plan specific to your business.
A proactive partner will ensure all your necessary data is backed-up - and crucially, check constantly that your backup is working.
They’ll also ensure you have access to everything you need to keep your veterinary practice working should disaster strike.
Kinder to your budget
With a proactive partner, you’ll already be saving money on downtime and callouts.
A big part of Proactive Problem Prevention is anticipating where issues will arise for your clients in the future. You can then work with your IT partner to plan future investments and even put together a strategic technology roadmap.
You’ll have the ability to budget better and stretch it further because you know you’ll have fewer surprise costs along the way. This should allow your team to grow and achieve your goals quicker.
Increased security
The last thing your practice wants is an uninvited guest poking around in your systems or stealing clients sensitive information.
Proactive partners always keep an eye on their clients’ networks using the best-sophisticated analysis and monitoring tools:
- Looking for security holes
- Monitoring for anything amiss
- Updating operating systems and software
This allows partners to spot potential threats and issues before they occur, keeping your data safe and everything functioning.
The best part of this is that this happens 24/7 without you even knowing it.
Improved motivation
Downtime disrupts plans and puts staff behind on consultations, which is frustrating for them and their clients. It’s even more frustrating when the issue is something they’ve complained about before.
A good IT solutions partner can use ticket trend analysis to get to the root of the problem to ensure it doesn’t happen again. This not only helps to boost productivity and morale but also evokes motivation and greater job satisfaction.
If you’ve realised that you’re not receiving the level of service your business needs to decrease issues, optimise growth, and enhance customer experience, it’s time to switch to a more proactive IT partner.
Choosing a new IT support partner can feel like a massive leap of faith; you need to be assured that they will be proactive, secure, and reliable enough to deliver the best possible service and add value to your practice.
How do you find an IT support partner who Proactively Prevents Problems?
“What percentage of your revenue comes from fixing problems, and what percentage from preventing them?”
A genuine proactive partner will only have a small proportion of revenue from fixing problems. They’ll readily agree that it’s less stressful and more profitable to stop things from going wrong in the first place. Everyone wins in a partnership like this.
We’ve made finding the right partner easy by compiling the seven signs to look out for when switching IT support providers. Download our guide now to ensure you’re receiving the proactive IT support your practice deserves.
