IT support response times. Important stuff or empty promises?

When you have a problem with your computers or systems you want help quickly.  We get that. 

If you're stuck and can't get your work done it's important to know there's somebody there on the other end of the line. That's why the IT support industry has a fascination with response times. Any customer service expert will tell you it's important to track response times, and like any business who cares about its customers, that's what Impelling does. 

But what use is a fast response time if the person you're talking to can't help you with your problem? You're still stuck, and talking to an engineer without the skill to solve your issue (or in some cases a chatbot) can just make you more frustrated.  What we all want is fast response times, and fast resolution times.

At Impelling we track both, and we're constantly improving our service to make response and resolution times as low as possible. All of our techs on the end of the phone are skilled enough to solve problems. 

We also track a third metric though, and one we think is the most important. 

The fastest response, the fastest resolution is for an issue that doesn't require a ticket in the first place. Self healing systems, preventative measures, and monitoring all help us in our quest to reduce the overall number of tickets. We want to minimise the number of interruptions to your working day, so we make sure there's someone helpful on the end of the phone for the times you really need our help.

Response times are important then, but only as part of a wider customer service strategy.

There are bold claims out there about ultrafast response times which essentially translate to automated responses, so take what you read on LinkedIn with a pinch of salt.

If you'd like to know more about how we approach IT support, please feel free to get in touch.

Photo credit: Elena Koycheva on Unsplash