How We Cut IT Response Times from Weeks to Under an Hour

Picture this. You ask your IT company to set up email for a new starter, and three weeks later you’re still chasing it.

For one local business, that was just how IT worked. A few months after moving to NetVector, their average response time across all requests is under an hour. Average resolution time is under five hours. That’s every ticket, not just the easy ones.

So how did we get there?

Results at a glance

	Before NetVector	After NetVector
Average response time (all requests)	Up to several weeks	Under 1 hour
Average ticket resolution (all tickets)	Not measured	Under 5 hours
Customer satisfaction	Frustrated, chasing updates	100% positive survey responses
Security	Gaps and inconsistent protection	Reviewed, hardened and monitored
Connectivity	Unreliable	Upgraded and monitored

 

The problem: weeks for the basics

Before they came to us, even small admin changes (adding a user, giving someone access to a shared mailbox, that kind of thing) could take weeks.

That might not sound like the end of the world. But it adds up. New starters sit around without the access they need, staff waste time chasing, and small problems turn into big ones because nobody is looking at them.

Switching over

Changing IT provider can feel like a lot of hassle, especially when you’re already fed up. It doesn’t need to be. We followed our usual supplier switch process so the team could carry on working throughout, carried out by our in house project team.

First we had a proper look at everything: user accounts, devices, the firewall, backups and the internet connection. From that we put together a plan, so everyone knew what was happening and when.

We then worked with the outgoing provider to get admin access, passwords and licences handed over. (This is often the bit people worry about most. With a clear plan it’s usually straightforward.)

Once that was done, every member of staff got access to our helpdesk and customer portal, and their devices were set up on our remote monitoring. 

What we changed

Support that actually picks up

Every request now goes to a helpdesk team that knows the business and its systems. The average response is under an hour, and tickets are resolved in under five hours on average. Staff can raise and track tickets themselves through the portal, so nobody is left wondering what’s going on.

Security

We went through the security setup properly and fixed the gaps. The biggest change was a new secure hardware firewall. This is the box that sits between the office network and the internet and decides what’s allowed in and out, so getting it right matters.

We also turned on multi-factor authentication across the accounts, put all the devices on managed updates and antivirus, and made sure backups were running and being checked. 

Connectivity

A slow or flaky internet connection drags everything else down with it. We looked at the line and the office network and made improvements so the team can rely on it. We also monitor the line now, with downtime showing in a matter of seconds live in our office so we usually spot a problem before anyone in the office notices. 

Microsoft 365 licences

We ran a licence wastage report on their Microsoft 365 account. This shows which licences aren’t being used, which are doubled up, and where someone is on a more expensive plan than they need. We tidied it all up, so they now only pay for what the team actually uses. (It’s worth doing every so often, as licences tend to creep up as people come and go.)

The results

A few months in, the average response time across all requests is under an hour. Average resolution time is under five hours.

Every ticket survey they’ve returned has been positive. For a team that was used to chasing their IT company, that’s a big change. Things get fixed quickly, they know who to call, and they’ve got a clear picture of their security.

Local IT support in Edenbridge, Oxted and Tonbridge

We’re based at Crockham Hill, just outside Edenbridge, and we’ve been doing this for over 25 years. We look after businesses with between 5 and 250 users across Edenbridge, Oxted, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas.

Being local means we can get to site quickly when it’s needed. For everything else there’s the helpdesk. (We’ve got a 5.0 rating from 32 Google reviews, if you’d like to see what our clients say.)

Thinking about switching?

If you’re waiting days or weeks for simple IT jobs, you don’t have to put up with it. Switching is easier than most people expect, and we do the heavy lifting.

Give us a call on +44 (0) 3700 500 040, email enquiries@netvector.co.uk or get in touch here for a chat about your IT.

Any questions, just let us know