Business schools will still be dissecting trends and takeaways from the pandemic decades from now. For those who have to manage sales, revenue, and expenses in real time, though, some lessons have already come firmly into focus. One that we have heard business owners and CEOs talk about again and again recently is the need to avoid the trap of overcommitment.
During the first wave of the Covid-19 epidemic, as economic activity ground to a virtual halt, the hardest-hit companies were the ones that had huge staff and infrastructure expenses to maintain. In other words, a lack of flexibility suddenly became a huge anchor on your bottom line.
This was particularly true when it came to IT. With millions of employees working remotely, a lot of organizations didn’t have a need for on-site technicians who were burning through payroll. But, they didn’t have the flexibility to simply lay these people off and bring them back later, either.
On the contrary, our clients tended to be in a far better position. They could alter their managed services plans, continue business as normal, or even scale back their expenses to meet lower demand. With those choices they were able to make smarter decisions based on other priorities.
We suspect the majority of them will stay with flexible IT arrangements. It’s difficult to tell the future, of course, but why would they change things up regardless of what happens with the economy? Hiring more full-time staff – and committing to those expenses – means ignoring a few basic facts…
Most IT Can Be Outsourced Cost-Effectively
It’s almost always less expensive to work with an outsourced IT partner than it is to bring on permanent in-house staff. That’s because managed services contracts spare you the expenses associated with ongoing salaries, benefits, and training.
There are rare cases where it makes sense to have a dedicated technical team on your payroll, but those instances are few and far between. Usually, working with a firm like Fantastic IT gives you a clear bottom-line advantage.
Outsourced IT Is Entirely Scalable
This is a point we’ve been making in this article, but it’s too important to miss. With a managed services agreement in place, you can decide what level of service (and expense) you need from one quarter or year to the next.
Having a virtual IT department that’s scalable means you can pay for more assistance or workstations when it’s necessary, or decrease your services and spending when you don’t need as much from us. That keeps you in the driver’s seat and avoids long-term financial commitments.
An IT Vendor Gives You Access to More Specialties
Although this is often overlooked in discussions about managed services, you can get much better IT care from an outsourced vendor than you can a team of technicians. That’s because our staff is always going to be larger than yours. So, we can provide round-the-clock coverage, hire more specialists, and generally invest in technology and training you wouldn’t be able to provide to your team.
Put it all together and a managed services package is cheaper, scalable, and more effective. Why would you deal with technology any other way?
Need a Better Way to Manage IT Needs and Budgets?
At Fantastic IT we work with our clients to ensure they get the level of service they need without extra costs or commitments. If gaining flexibility without hurting your bottom line appeals to you, contact a member of our sales team today to schedule a free consultation.