If you have a maintenance contract, then you have a commitment from your IT services provider. As you have made a commitment to them and demonstrated how seriously you take your IT installation, then you have a mutual commitment as your IT services provider should be taking your commitment equally as seriously.

Set out in this contract should be some important parameters. Firstly there should be clearly defined, a list of deliverables in terms of response times, working hours, expected fix times, and what to do in the event of not being able to fix the problem, along with reassurance about holiday cover, sickness etc.

Also in the contract there should be a list of equipment and software covered under the contract. This equipment schedule will be subject to change as new equipment is purchased and old equipment is removed, and may cause the contract fee to adjust accordingly.

The advantages of having a service contract far out way the possible reasons why you wouldn’t want one.

From a cash flow point of view, the client is able to budget their maintenance costs. Knowing exactly how much each month their IT support will cost allows them to plan other expenditure more easily. In fact when you compare ad-hoc fees generated over a 12 month period to monthly fees charges fixed over the same length of time, there is often a saving to be made by having a contract, plus you have all the additional benefits of having a contract.

Knowing their IT systems are covered by a guaranteed response time provides valuable reassurance. If you have no contract in place, then your regular choice of IT service provider has no reason to prioritise your IT service needs. In fact, you would always fall second-in-line to another client who has a service contract in place for obvious reasons.

The only reason why a company would chose not to have a service contract is in opposition to the main reason why you would; commitment. Some people feel not having a contract means they can go anywhere for their support; which is true, but unless you understand your own IT installation more than your previous or recent choice of IT support specialists, and are prepared to have to work harder at getting the support you need, then there is really no point in chancing your systems or your business by not being covered.

If you would like to discuss having an IT support contract in more detail, including the benefits then please call one of our team on 01858 455426.