If you own a small business, or are in charge of the IT for a small business, you likely work with a computer network consultant. How confident are you in your computer network consultant? Do you sometimes wonder if they have all the qualifications needed to fully support your company’s IT infrastructure?
Likely you yourself are not technical so you can’t say for sure if your tech has all it takes, but I can share with you what I believe it takes to be a great small business IT consultant. I own and manage an IT consulting company for small businesses. I have learned lots of valuable lessons over many years of hiring employees into our company, some that have worked out, and some that have not.
I have had almost no turnover in the last 2 years, and I like to think it is because I have learned what kind of qualifications a tech needs to be successful for the work that we do:
- Someone that is confident in what they do, but also respects the intelligence of those people that do not work on computers every day.
- Bright, ambitions, friendly and humble – a nice person.
- Very clear communicator that isn’t overly “techish”
- Long term resident of the Chicago area
- At least 6 years of full-time experience providing IT support for businesses
- Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certification (with Exchange certification)
Hiring is never an easy process of course. I often go back and forth between what I think is harder in running a business – hiring employees or finding new clients. When I hire, I always have multiple interviews, including a technical interview, an interview done by 2 senior members of my staff, as well as reference checks. At the end of the day, it comes down to a “gut” feeling. I sometimes even second guess my gut feeling too. I have had people that didn’t interview well work out great, and I have also had people that interviewed spectacularly that didn’t work out.
Generally speaking though, I can tell if I have a good candidate within 2 minutes of meeting them face to face and shaking their hand. If someone looks, bright, fresh, clean-cut, and confident, they either have it, or they don’t. You can’t put in a suit and cover up those missing points.
The good news is, that when you work with an IT consulting company for your small business, they handle all the legwork with finding a great tech to manage and support your IT infrastructure, and hopefully the techs they provide you with are full-time employed with their company. At my company, Xerillion, each client gets a single dedicated, highly qualified tech that works exclusively on their account and is employed full-time with our company. This creates a very consistent service experience for the client and also is enjoyable for the consultant because they build a close relationship with the client.
When you interview IT consulting companies for your small business, just remember the qualifications I have stated above, but above all else, you should feel immediately comfortable and confident with the owner of the company when they come onsite to meet you for the first time. I’m a strong believer in face-to-face time, both by the owner of the company, as well as the tech working on your network. If the company you are considering hits all the points I mentioned, you should be in for a long-term rewarding business relationship.
-Wayne Chapin
(Wayne Chapin is the president and founding partner of Xerillion, an IT consulting company servicing small businesses in the Chicago metro area. www.xerillion.com )
