IT Support in 2024 | 9 ways we improved your service while saving you money

So let’s talk about cost

With the cost of living crisis very much at the forefront of everyone’s minds, getting the best value for your money is more important than ever.

Kurt Vonnegut first coined the phrase “you get what you pay for”, suggesting that the lower the cost, the lower the quality. But is this always true?

When it comes to technology, you need the right tools and security measures in place to protect and enable productive work, so you can’t cut too many corners. However, when looking for your next IT partner, consider a provider that adopts a “smart” approach to IT support.

“Working smarter” means finding ways to work more efficiently, saving time and cost. A smart IT provider will listen to your needs, provide exactly the service you require, and look for ways to work more efficiently, benefitting both them and you. In doing so, they’ll ensure you have the tools to protect and grow your business without inflating costs.

How to get great IT support at a reduced cost

At Sereno, our business model is centred around working smarter. With a combined 30+ years experience running successful MSPs, our leaders have analysed the operational efficiency of a variety of IT companies to determine what does and doesn’t work.

We have a wealth of knowledge about:

• The most common types of IT support requests
• The average time taken to solve those requests
• Which IT issues most commonly reoccur
• The weaknesses in most SME IT infrastructures
• Where clients need the most help (whether they realise it or not)

This knowledge is foundational to how we run Sereno. Our approach to IT support is built entirely around reducing issues, saving time, and improving efficiency, which is mutually beneficial, and enables us to offer a reduced support fee compared to less efficient competitors.

So how do we do that?

Minimising IT support requests is at the core of our model. Our experience means we know the most common IT issues, so our whole operation is designed to reduce how often they occur in the first place.

1. Automated and bespoke starter and leaver processes

Introducing new employees onto your systems and removing leavers is one of the most common IT support requests. These tasks can be laborious, prone to mistakes, and are often undervalued, a slow onboarding process frustrates new starters, while an incomplete offboarding can leave ex-employees with access to your systems.

At Sereno, we automate your starter and leaver process as much as possible. We build your specific requirements into our system and create bespoke forms so your team can simply fill in and send, capturing everything we need to get it right first time. We also encourage Same Sign-On, so that when someone leaves, they are securely locked out of all systems automatically, with no manual intervention required.

2. Automated device build process

As with most IT providers, the cost of building and setting up new devices is billed based on time taken, not included in your monthly fee. We’ve seen these requests cause significant disruption and back-and-forth to ensure every setup is complete.

At Sereno, we automate device builds through technology like Microsoft and Google licences, making the process efficient and consistent. We agree on a fixed reduced build fee upfront, and the result is a better experience for you at a lower cost.

3. Pre-approvals

If your employees have devices containing confidential information, you need to know those devices are protected from malicious downloads. But manually approving every app your team wants to install creates a constant stream of IT requests.

Instead, we help you create a pre-approved list of apps and files in advance. Downloads are then automatically approved or declined based on your list, no manual intervention, no backlog.

4. Resetting passwords

Needing to reset a password is one of the most frequent IT support requests, the average employee needs a reset at least once every three months. But it doesn’t have to go through your IT team.

At Sereno, we proactively give your employees the ability to reset their own passwords securely. Rather than logging a request, waiting for an engineer to become available, and then waiting for the reset, your team can do it themselves in under five minutes. Less friction for them, less noise for us, and stronger security, since each person is the only one who knows their password.

5. IT support you can schedule

Most IT requests are not emergencies. Employees rarely want to stop mid-task to deal with a minor issue. In many cases, unscheduled IT support hinders productivity rather than helps it.

When your employees log a non-urgent request with us, they can schedule a time that works for them, so support happens on their terms, not ours. No unnecessary back-and-forth, no interruptions at awkward moments.

6. IT support via instant chat

Because our support is bookable, our team has more capacity to provide an instant chat service alongside day-to-day support. Not every IT question requires a phone call. Some can be answered in a few lines, “how do I convert a Word doc to a PDF?” or “how do I install a new printer?”, and our live chat makes that kind of quick help available without a formal request.

7. Encouraging cloud adoption

Cloud computing refers to delivering services, storage, servers, networking, software, through the internet. It’s a well-established choice for most businesses, valued for its cost-efficiency, security, and usability. It’s particularly valuable for businesses with hybrid or remote working models.

Businesses that haven’t yet adopted a cloud-first approach tend to experience more IT issues. We encourage all clients to make the most of cloud computing, helping them improve productivity and preventing IT problems from arising in the first place.

8. Quarterly consultancy

Every Sereno client receives quarterly IT consultancy as standard. We take the time to understand your business and its goals, which gives us the opportunity to anticipate weaknesses in your IT infrastructure and help you prevent potential issues before they occur. By addressing problems proactively, we reduce the volume of IT and security issues you experience later on.

9. Reducing overheads

Before recommending any new technology, we look at how you can get more from what you already have. Our experience means we can show you how to use best-in-class tools to their fullest extent, without unnecessary add-ons or additional licences.

As a proactive IT partner, we’re also always looking for ways to reduce your overheads, whether by recommending a cloud-first approach that removes the need for on-premise equipment, or by demonstrating how remote working can cut costs without impacting performance. We’ve adopted this model ourselves, so we can show you exactly what it looks like in practice.