Technology is out to make your business easier, yet more frequently, it is making things harder. Unexplained crashes and network failures on crucial calls and systems that slow down not only frustrate but also seep away productivity and eat away at your profits.

The issues can be efficiently addressed, as IT support and the remote helpdesk will address many of them. However, certain issues cannot be resolved on the screen share or over the phone. Failures in hardware, network outages, or security are all reasons that you would require on-site IT support: a skilled technician at your business, ready to act at any moment.

Here are 10 reasons why businesses have so many IT problems and why having a field IT technician can help.

The Wi-Fi’s Down… Again—Chronic Network Instability

It begins with an individual: “Does anyone have problems with the Wi-Fi? Within moments, half of your team is at the router, praying for a miracle.

The reason why it occurs: obsolete hardware, bandwidth overload, poorly installed access points, or wall and structure interference with the signal.

The benefits of on-site IT support: A technician walks around your area, takes real-time signal strength measurements, rearranges or replaces access points, replaces aging routers, and reroutes cabling (where necessary), things otherwise not feasible remotely.

Slow Computers—Productivity Slows to a Crawl When Performance Is Slack.

It takes a long time to open your accounting software. Emails stall in between transmissions. Your crew wastes more hours looking at loading screens than doing something.

This is not only irritating, but it is also expensive. Such typical offenders are bloated software that runs in the background, old hard drives that can barely keep pace, insufficient memory (RAM), or even concealed malware quietly crippling the ability of the system.

Remote IT support will be able to do some cleanup on the software, but on-site IT support will be noticed. A technician is able to examine the machine physically, strip out any unwanted hardware in the network, optimize RAM, or replace a dying drive on-site, and identify just the slightest indications of hardware failure or infection that remote tools can tend to overlook. Sometimes you just need someone in the office to know what is really happening under the hood.

Printing Nightmares—Silent Productivity Main Sucker.

“Why won’t it print?”

“Did you check the queue?”

It presents itself as being online… and nothing happens!

Hear the general moan of the whole office.

Print problems are not usually simply a matter of switching it off and on again. They are more frequent because of old or contradictory drivers, paper jams buried very deep within the tray, incorrect network settings, or a faulty cable that looks okay but does not work.

Remote support may clear a stuck job, but on-site IT support is the only one that can open the printer, clear stubborn jams, test cables, and, most of all, have spare parts such as USB or Ethernet cables on hand. Most technicians even keep a universal adapter in their hands; hence, your crew is not left waiting until $5 parts are shipped.

Hardware That Does Not Co-operate—Compatibility Chaos.

New monitors won’t connect. Laptops are not familiar with docking stations. The projectors display No Signal when pitching the biggest.

Why it happens: This usually leads to a case where there is a mismatch of ports, old firmware, or cables that are fine on the outside but are spoiled on the inside. The problems may prevent a laptop from connecting with a monitor, a projector from connecting, or a projector from experiencing random dead air during an important presentation.

How on-site IT support helps: The technicians come ready to work—they carry a complete toolkit consisting of universal adapters, cable testers, and spare parts. They will be able to troubleshoot very fast, whether it is a faulty HDMI port, a glitch in the firmware, or a bad cable, and fix it on the spot. As they continue to troubleshoot, you can continue polishing your slides or running your pitch, knowing that as soon as you are ready, so will the tech.

We’re Moving Offices—Now What?

When you think of relocation, it is all so exciting until you get to workstations, servers, printers, and phone systems; they should all work on Day One.

Why it occurs:

The lack of proper planning results in the loss of data, improper labels, misplaced hardware, and additional downtimes.

How on-site IT support helps: Technicians will be able to plan the whole move and label all the cables and equipment, save up all the systems before anything is plugged in, reassemble your complete infrastructure at the new location, and have your business running on day one, with no surprises.

The Bottom Line

Any business that is modern needs IT support. A lot of it can and must be provided remotely, effectively, and safely. However, for the physical, urgent, or complex problem, remote access is not sufficient. On-site IT support is not a luxury. It is the quickest, most consistent means of reinstating business, securing information, and keeping your staff going.

Access to remote and on-site IT support is not only intelligent when considering the business where you rely on technology. It’s essential.