I need IT support for my business. Where do I start?

Each business will have different needs. See below some of the most common support models, and how Fuse can work along side your team.

In-house IT

One available option is for the organisation to hire an in-house IT professional. While this would make sense for organisations with more staff and a bigger budget, this may not be viable for smaller companies. For example, if a business is made of 4 members of staff, adding a 5th employee just to look after IT would most likely not be cost effective. This also relies on a steady supply of IT-related work for them to carry out in order to justify their employment.

For medium and large sized businesses however, having an in-house IT professional starts to make more sense. Having someone 'on the frontline' of the business solving first line support issues can be a valuable resource, saving both time and money.

Working with Fuse:

We have a variety of options to support organisations who make use of an in-house IT professional. We offer a 'Contingency Support' package which is designed to provide additional support to an in-house IT employee, for a reduced cost. This is beneficial for both sides, as the business has someone dealing with the low level support requests before they get to us, and we are available as a point of escalation for more complex queries.

Software Package & Support

Another question that needs to be asked is whether much support is actually needed at all? If a business operates using online tools/databases and only makes use of the office suite for simple tasks such as emails, word processing and Teams meetings, the level of required support is likely to be low. This is where it may be beneficial to sign up with a Microsoft partner to both provide Microsoft 365 licenses, and also ongoing support for those products for a small fee on top of the licenses. This option is likely to be cheaper than a full support package as only support for the software is provided, but its gives the end users peace of mind knowing that any issues related to these packages are supported.

Working with Fuse:

As Fuse is a Microsoft Gold Partner, we are able to offer a variety of Microsoft products on both a 'Software Only' package, and a 'With Support' package. As the support is billed per user, this means a consistent charge can be expected in alignment with the growth of the business in question. This also means peace of mind regarding support for each end user assigned to these plans.

Total Support Packages

Sometimes the preferred option is to outsource IT completely. This is an ideal support model to consider when no in-house IT professionals are employed. This means each aspect of the organisation's IT is managed and supported for them. This option is the most expensive approach, but it also offers the highest level of support, often including SLAs and immediate assistance for business critical issues.

Working with Fuse:

We give our customers the option to use our full featured service desk. With a 'Total Support' package, customers have the unlimited ability to raise tickets, call our support line*, and read our knowledgebase articles, giving full support to end users. We combine support charges with license charges, meaning that pricing is calculated per user. Furthermore, make use of 'IT Champions' - streamlining support requests through nominated members of staff who are given the self-help and knowledgebase articles in order to assist their colleagues.

*Support line is open during business hours - 9am - 5:30pm GMT

Click here for more info on Fuse's IT Support