Tech issues are a regular, daily part of business. It's commonplace to experience IT problems, mainly due to how much companies now rely on technology to accomplish daily workflows. So much so that tech businesses are tasked with fixing other businesses' IT issues to ensure they run efficiently.
A CompTIA report states that there are more than 585,000 tech companies that exist in the United States today. As an office technology company, Usherwood hires a team of IT experts to help our clients fix their IT issues. Our team encounters various IT challenges and problems daily, and today we'll discuss the top ten service tickets our techs frequently see daily.
Top 10 Service Tickets
Typical IT challenges IT service techs see daily vary according to the business. There can be issues ranging from slow computers and emails receiving spam to printing issues and being unable to reset passwords. There's a wide variety-based client to client. If it's a smaller-sized business, techs usually see service tickets once every four months.
With larger businesses that employ 150 employees or more, there tend to be more frequent issues. Every business is different in what problems they face and what needs they have IT-wise. However, with Usherwood's team of tech experts, here are the ten service tickets mainly experienced:
1. Spam Emails
Spam emails are a typical cybersecurity issue our team sees almost every single day. Spam emails enter the primary mailbox when they shouldn't and usually appear as a CEO impersonation. The impersonator will use the CEO's name and perform "spoofing," where they replicate the real person's email address. They try to trick the employee into buying items such as iTunes gift cards or clicking links. Educating yourself and employees on what to look out for with suspicious emails could help protect your business. In our article “Did You Know Phishing Simulations Help Prevent Cyber-Threats?”, we highlight what to look out for with these shady emails.
2. Slow Computers
Another daily occurrence is customers calling in or submitting a service ticket exhibiting slow-running devices such as computers. Computer applications such as Outlook, Microsoft documents, Word, Excel, etc., run slower than usual and reduce work productivity. When this issue arises, our team will go in and evaluate the last time systems/computers were rebooted, if anything new was downloaded recently, if employees have been utilizing websites not commonly used, if any new programs have been installed, and other similar issues to try to dissect where the main problem is stemming. If you experience slow-running devices, double check all your applications are properly updated and restart your devices before contacting your provider.
3. VPN Connectivity
Many remote workers find themselves experiencing VPN connectivity problems. This obstacle usually occurs when remoting into a server or using the VPN on a device. Typically, issues are spurred when users fail to receive a DUO push, an application of multifactor authentication that sends a code to authorized users to access company servers. Users can only log into their work network if they receive a DUO push. When this happens, our team tries rebooting the user's devices, analyzes the VPN settings on the device, or evaluates if the issue stems from a home network. If you experience issues with VPN connectivity and haven’t received a DUO Push, reach out to your provider. To see the reasons how VPNs are beneficial to businesses, check out “Are VPNs Safe for Your Business?”.
4. Network Connectivity
Having trouble connecting to Wi-Fi is a challenge we've all faced at one time or another. We often experience clients needing help with their Wi-Fi, laptops, phones, tablets, and even printers. Usually, if the user is running off a private network, the password has been changed. When this is the case, our team has to go in and clear out the credentials.
5. Adding New Users
Businesses that hire new employees or have an employee transitioning to another organization have to tweak their user permissions. Adding or removing a user from a company network requires confirming with the endpoint contact what licenses must be performed or released, what sort of licensing is required, what computers will be used, etc. These factors must be determined to set up or remove user access properly. Ensuring factors such as adding Teams phone numbers, trading Outlook accounts, and making sure all appropriate applications are installed and emails are accessible are additional potential requirements.
6. Drive Fails
Many clients might be unaware that their IT technicians receive automated alerts for drive failures on servers before they are alerted. This is so the techs can initiate contact with support to get it fixed before the client is informed of the issue. The aim is to care for everything before the client can even worry about it. Our team will receive alerts and then contact the vendor to initiate scenarios such as drive replacements or dispatching a technician to the work site to fix the issue.
7. Preventative Maintenance
Techs are behind a majority of IT maintenance for clients. If a client's computer utilizes too much space, techs will receive alerts and be prompted to clean up temporary folders and whatever else is taking up too much space. They also perform maintenance for networking equipment and will investigate firmware and alert if things go awry with them. Always try to ensure you are not taking up any unnecessary memory and storage on your devices, and that all devices are properly updated.
8. Connecting Devices
A fair number of tickets received are connecting devices for clients. Our techs connect as many devices, such as printers, phones, etc., that the clients need. Adding more devices to a client's office is assisted with delivery and installation. We work hand-in-hand with our integrations team to ensure the devices are mapped to the servers and are sent out to all the clients on the site needed.
9. Working with Vendors
Many clients receive updates to their IT or equipment and therefore need assistance guiding their vendors. Our tech team contacts our clients' vendors to walk them through the process and guide them to the required servers and networks. We help implement new software that goes through the vendor and assist them with accessing the server and the programs needed to perform updates. It's teamwork to meet the client's needs ultimately that’s prioritized.
10. QuickBooks
QuickBooks is owned by the company Intuit and runs as an accounting software program utilized to assist businesses with on-premises accounting applications and cloud-based versions that accept business payments, manage and pay bills, and other payroll functions. Many clients rely on QuickBooks, and when an issue occurs, our team calls QuickBooks and opens a support case. We pull error codes, talk to support on the phone, and ultimately do whatever is possible to resolve the issue for the client.
Our Usherwood Team is Here for You
When you work with Usherwood, you bring a whole team of experts to your side to help care for your IT needs. While you may talk to the same three or four individuals in person or on the phone, behind the scenes, a whole team is constantly working on your environment to ensure you're secure, your services are up to date, and everything is running smoothly.
At Usherwood, we strive to form connections with our clients to let them know we genuinely care and do our best to improve your business. For more information on how Usherwood could be a helping hand to your business, get a tech evaluation from us to see how we could assist with your IT needs.