Why Business Hours Support Can Be Efficient, and Cost-Effective
While 24/7 support can seem like the gold standard for customer service, it’s essential to assess whether full-time coverage truly matches your needs or if tailored solutions like business hours only support services are more appropriate for your business.
Why Business Hour Only IT Support Can Be More Than Enough
For companies operating primarily within standard business hours (typically 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday), BAU (Business As Usual) support is often sufficient, and strategically beneficial. This kind of support ensures reliable, responsive assistance precisely when teams face most technical issues, avoiding the significantly higher costs associated with round the clock availability.
By selecting BAU coverage, organisations can typically achieve cost reductions of 30-50%. These savings enable businesses to focus on growing their core business and invest in proactive measures, such as enhanced data backup, cybersecurity improvements, and operational upgrades, delivering peace of mind and long-term value.
When Does 24/7 Support Truly Matter?
Certain areas of IT require continuous coverage, particularly in critical aspects such as:
1. Critical Infrastructure: Core business servers, cloud services, networking, and systems needing constant availability.
2. Cybersecurity Incident Response: Immediate action required to address tech issues or cyber threats that arise unexpectedly.
3. Customer-Facing Digital Services: Platforms such as eCommerce sites, payment systems, or vital client interfaces that directly impact customer experience.
4. Remote or International Operations: Businesses with operations spanning multiple time zones, international clients, or shift based workflows.
When is BAU Support Adequate?
On the other hand, many common IT areas function efficiently within standard business hour support:
1. Routine End-User Support: Handling standard user requests, password resets, software troubleshooting, and general hardware support.
2. Non-Urgent Server and Application Maintenance: Regular updates, patches, and scheduled system checks to prevent disruptions.
3. Strategic Planning and Advisory Services: IT strategy sessions, consultations, and infrastructure planning sessions that align technology with your business goals.
Is 24/7 Support Effective Without Internal IT Availability?
One overlooked factor is the practical value of 24/7 support without internal team availability. If an incident occurs after hours, and internal personnel are unavailable to provide access or authorisation, issues frequently remain unresolved until the next business day, diminishing the effectiveness of round the clock coverage.
Thus, businesses must realistically evaluate operational requirements and internal capacities. Without internal support availability, after hours IT incidents might stay pending regardless, reducing the benefit of paying for continuous support.
Making the Right Choice
For many mid market and small businesses operating primarily during business hours, standard BAU support provides robust, cost effective coverage. At AVTech, we believe in providing tailored solutions designed specifically to support your business efficiently and effectively.
Want to ensure your support model fits your business precisely?
[Contact us today] to discuss your unique requirements and find the optimal IT support model tailored for your organisation.
Additional Interactive calculator – However catch is this should be embedded cause otherwise too complex
45 –55 points: High need for 24/7
30-44 points: Moderate need – consider extended hours or on call support
15-29 points: Low need for 24/7 BAU support is sufficient