How IT Business Solutions Can Help You Curb the Common Complaint

Tech knowledge varies greatly from employee to employee — ask any IT staffer. While some are mobile-savvy, internet-smart, and rarely contact the help desk for IT business solutions, others are more prone to computer concerns. The result? IT managers are used to a never-ending stream of complaints from frustrated staff. And though some questions are more funny than functional — such as Robert Half Technology's "How do I download the internet?" and "Will you show me how to use the mouse?" — others do occur on a daily basis.

Here's a look at five top tech issues and, more importantly, the IT business solutions you need to help curb these complaints:

1. Slow Suffering

"The internet is too slow." IT pros hear this one all the time. Employees now expect the same kind of speed and responsiveness delivered by mobile devices no matter which network they're on, turning any lag spike or performance hiccup into a must-call scenario. In some cases, staff simply need to wait it out, since ISP problems or necessary network upgrades may temporarily affect performance. However, as tech experts know, it's also worth asking a few of the following questions:

• What kind of applications are users running?
• Have they visited any websites that fall outside company browsing guidelines?
• Did they download video players or open unknown email attachments?

In most cases, poor performance stems from the software that users have installed on their devices rather than the network at large. One option is a crackdown on access and use policies, but you might be better served with a shift to the cloud so your applications are stored offsite.

2. Mobile Madness

As noted by CIO, another common complaint revolves around mobile devices. Users often call the help desk for assistance in activating their new device or getting access to the company network. Beyond simply setting up the device with the proper SIM card and device ID verification and ensuring voice and data plans are active, there's also the larger problem of ensuring staff members use their devices responsibly.

The first step is creating a self-help guide to streamline the process. If employees contact the help desk and haven't used the guide, you can (respectfully) urge them to do so. It's also a good idea to roll out a mobile device management (MDM) platform to ensure you can monitor, track, and ultimately wipe data from devices if they're lost or stolen, along with a mobile application that ensures new users are easily linked with your existing phone system. By employing cloud-based business communication systems across these devices, you can turn them into an asset, not a liability.

3. Printing Problems

Everyone in IT hates this call: "I can't get anything to print!" Not only are users typically frantic by this point, but many have tried (and failed) to create some kind of Frankenstein's monster-like connection between a local PC and a printer down the hall. While common practice here means starting with the obvious — "Is the PC connected to the internet?" "Is the printer plugged in?" "Does it have ink?" "Have you ever printed from this printer before?" — this doesn't solve the larger issue of random printer failures and the subsequent employee outrage.

One way to solve this conundrum is through a managed service provider (MSP) using cloud-based self-healing automation to detect printer issues and correct them on the fly, as noted by TechRadar.

4. Deletion Difficulties

"I DELETED IT!!!" Users are typically more frightened by this prospect than IT managers, since tech experts know that clicking "Empty" on the recycle bin doesn't mean files and folders are gone forever — they're simply hidden from public view. However, it is possible for staff to completely lose files if they don't contact IT in a reasonable amount of time. Ultimately, this points to the big value-add of the cloud, since files stored onsite can also be duplicated in the cloud and across multiple geographic instances. This means that in the event of an IT disaster or a serial deleter, files can still be found.

5. Locked Out!

The biggest user complaint to help desks is when users have forgotten passwords or usernames and locked themselves out of their accounts. It doesn't help that the most common passwords continue to be standouts like "123456" or the ever-popular "Password123." When users can't access corporate networks, they get frustrated and even start to panic. For IT, this makes a spend on a reliable password recovery tool worth the cost, but it's also a good idea to lean on solid cloud-based monitoring and visibility covered by a robust SLA.

Working the IT help desk means having a sense of humor and the ability to innovate. Thankfully, new cloud-based IT business solutions are making it easier than ever to curb the common complaint.

If you're looking to streamline your IT response and better manage mobile integration, contact a Vonage Business adviser.