With proactive IT support, problems are found and fixed before they disrupt your business. Often before you even notice them.
This is in contrast with reactive, or break-fix: the type of support where you log a ticket after something goes wrong and hope it’s resolved quickly.
Which feels like a better decision for your business?
In this guide we’ll cover:
- What proactive support looks like day to day
- The hidden costs of reactive, break-fix support
- Proof that proactive support works
What Proatcive Support Looks Like Day to Day
When proactive support is done right you’ll barely notice that it’s happening at all. The main sign that it’s working is that fewer things go wrong.
Here are the layers that make it work:
- Continuous monitoring: your systems are watched around the clock so that any issues are caught and dealt with before they become a problem. This could be a failing disk, a service falling over or a security alert, to name but a few
- Managed patching and maintenance: your software and systems are kept current and healthy to reduce the risk of them failing in the first place
- Scheduled, proactive reviews: regular check-ins are carried out that look ahead for potential sources of risk, rather than only responding to what’s broken
- A named account manager who knows your setup: someone is accountable for your environment, rather than a rotating cast of individuals who don’t know the setup and are less able to mount an effective response as a result
The Hidden Cost of Reactive, Break-fix Support
Some SMEs baulk at the prospect of paying for proactive support. While the initial outlay can be higher, it is quickly dwarfed by the hidden cost of reactive support. Here are the reasons why something that may look cheaper usually isn’t:
- Downtime while you wait: every hour of system downtime while you wait for a fix means people being paid but unable to work
- The same problems popping up again: break-fix usually treats symptoms without addressing the root causes, meaning you encounter the same issues over and over again with associated cost each time
- No roadmap: reactive support often amounts to firefighting rather than planning for a better future situation, meaning it remains a cost
- Ad hoc bills: unpredictable charges make it hard to budget, especially when the rate of problems varies. Compare this with a predictable monthly cost that is much easier to plan around.
In short: while break-fix may look cheaper on the surface, if you look beyond what you pay directly - at downtime, recurrence, not planning ahead - the costs quickly mount.
Proof that Proactive Support Works
This isn't just a promise - it's a measurable business impact, and here are the numbers behind it.
- First response (how quickly we acknowledge and start working on an issue once it’s raised): 98% - that’s the vast majority of issues picked up fast
- First-line clear (the share of issues we resolve straight away without escalating): 88% - the large majority resolved on first contact rather than being bounced around
- ~1400 tickets per month - to give context to the scale of the figures above
- Customer satisfaction - 96% - the tangible outcome from our customers
Proactive support is a standard we hold oureslves too, and which we track continuously to ensure the best supprt.
In Conclusion
The difference between proactive and reactive support is in the problems you never hear about, the downtime that doesn't happen, and the costs you avoid. While reactive support may look cheaper, because you only see what you pay directly, it doesn’t take into account costs associated with standing still and firefighting.
Proactive support flips the script: fewer incidents, predictable spend, and someone who knows your setup and is accountable for keeping it healthy. If you want to know more about how proactive support can benefit your business, book a free consultation today.