One of the very coolest things about our business is that we get to meet lots of entrepreneurs. The men and women who launch and manage successful companies tend to be bright, optimistic, and hard-working. Many of them began their ventures from nothing, committing years to their vision before achieving a breakthrough.
Knowing that it’s only natural that so many business owners adopt a frugal, DIY-focused mindset. When something breaks (like a leaky faucet or a ripped piece of carpet), they want to fix it themselves. Doing so doesn’t just save them money, but it also keeps them engaged with their business at the ground level while also teaching them how things work.
This is a wonderful personal quality, but a terrible way to manage IT.
If you’re the kind of business owner who likes to fix their own computers and devices based on information you find online, we are going to politely ask you to stop. Not because we need you to pay, but because it isn’t likely to work out well for you in the long run.
Let’s look at a few of the reasons why…
It’s Easy to Misdiagnose Some Common IT Issues
Have you ever gone online to find out why your pinky finger hurts and discovered you likely have a rare disease caused by insects that roam the Brazilian jungle? Of course you have. The same thing happens with technology. There are lots of different things that can cause common computer issues. By trying to solve the wrong problem, you could waste time and do real damage to your business.
The Information You Find Might Be Wrong or Outdated
Patches, firmware updates, and manufacturing changes all mean that the correct fixes for a given problem can change from one month to the next. And yet, that article you found on the internet might be several years old. Outdated (or outright incorrect) advice is all over the web, even in many IT forums. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to separate good advice from bad advice if you don’t work in our field.
You Could End Up Making Things Worse
When you don’t follow the right procedures for IT repair, you can take things from bad to worse pretty quickly. This is particularly true when working on expensive computer hardware or complicated apps. Very few business owners realize how easy it is to wipe out years’ worth of data, for example, right up until the moment they accidentally do it.
You’ll Lose Access to Warranties and Support
In the event that you do manage to damage an expensive server or turn a laptop into a paperweight, then you can’t assume you’re going to get any support or compensation from your providers. That’s because most warranties specifically state that the terms are voided if a person without the right certification opens the device or makes changes to the application.
Fixing Computers Is Not a Great Use of Your Time
And finally, we get to the biggest issue, which also happens to be the easiest to overlook. You have other things to do besides spending your day googling printer error codes. If you want to maximize your income and efficiency, then get good at running your company and leave the tech repairs to the specialists who deal with them each and every day.
Outsourced IT Is More Affordable Than You Think
You don’t have to choose between being frugal in your business and having five-star technical support. Contact the sales team at Fantastic IT today to see just how easy and affordable it is to have a team of experts keep your business technology running smoothly every day.