Everyone with computers eventually needs support, and here’s a quick guide to getting enough support and being sure the support you are getting is qualified. I’ve been on both sides of this fence, being an Information Technology as a technician/engineer/administrator for many years and also providing support to many small businesses as a contract worker.

When looking for a tech support specialist, you have to first understand the scope of your issues.

About You:

• Are you technically capable of fixing most small issues yourself?
• Are you competent with hardware and software to fix issues between tech visits?
• Do you have time, or want to take time from other business activities, to work on tech issues?

About Your Technology:

• How many computers do you have?
• Are they networked?
• Are they on the internet?
• Is there other equipment you have to deal with?
• Mac or PC? Linux? Other operating systems?

About Your Expectations:

• Are your computer systems critical for your company to function?
• How long are you willing to wait for something to be fixed?
• Do you believe you’ll have enough work for a full time tech person or just on-call?
• How much have you budgeted for tech services?
• Will you be working new rollouts into your tech plan or simply repairing what you have?

Answering these questions will put you into a better place to make a decision on your technical needs. Once you have these answers, you can decide what kind of support you’ll need, how many technicians and what to pay them.

Some general rules about the type of support available:

• On call/emergency technician – These are for people who rarely have issues, or simply don’t have the budget for a tech support professional. When things break, these people are available. They generally come at a premium (often $100-250/hour or more) and may be highly specialized. If they are specialized, you may keep one or two of these in your file for when something specific goes wrong with a specialized piece of equipment or software. Because these techs don’t know your network or your situation, they may be overall less effective than someone who deals with it every day, but they’re less expensive in the long run if you have few issues.
• A part time technician – A choice of small businesses everywhere. A part time tech generally comes in a few hours/week to do maintenance, check backups, fix minor issues, do hardware upgrades, etc.etc. You can expect these guys on a set schedule of 5-20 hours/week and you can usually get one for $15-30/hour, depending on their skill set.
• Full time technician(s) – For medium to large companies with lots of hardware, a full time technician is a valuable asset. Some companies have many of these people working in coalition as an I.T. Team.

Once you have an idea what your support needs are and what kind of support professional you will need, you can hire one. The best way to do this is to ask for referrals from your peers. As a small business owner, you likely have others in similar situations who can make recommendations. When I was a support guy, I received a dozen calls a month as referrals because I did work at a reasonable ($60-125/hour, depending on the job) rate. Up until the time I abandoned that life for my current (and more satisfying life) as a marketing manager, I had nearly 30 customers on rotation and I received almost all of these jobs from referrals.

That said, don’t be afraid to ask hard questions of potential techs either. You want someone who is dedicated, knowledgeable and willing to work odd hours. There’s plenty of techs out there, especially in this down market, so be sure to ask lots of questions and try out a few techs until you find the right fit.