9 things your school IT provider should be doing for you and one thing to do if they are not – Part 2
Mon 26 October, 2020
Now for the second part of our blog looking at how school IT providers should be looking after you. If you are not sure what you should expect from your IT provider or if you are unhappy with the service they provided during COVID, then this is the blog for you.
6. SCHOOL IT ROADMAP, REVIEW & IT DEVELOPMENT
Many IT providers simply sit there waiting for you to contact them for help or when you are looking to develop your schools IT. But a truly great IT provider should be able to support you in a far more active way. As experts they should be able to provide recommendations and advice on how to improve your school’s IT for the long term.
That is why we conduct regular audits from our IT support consultants so your IT networks stay up to date in a cost-effective manner. We’ll help you with forward planning and recommendations to develop and maintain cost-effective IT systems for your school.
7. CLEAR MONTHLY REPORTS
Do you feel like your IT provider tells you too much? Or not enough?
As an educator, you will be well aware that communication is key to any good relationship, the right level of communication that is. Too much and messages get lost in the noise or the jargon. Too little and you feel left in the dark or worse are unaware of critical issues. This is why we believe that IT providers should have open communication for when an ad hoc problem occurs, alongside a regular communication method to summarise the ongoing situation.
For us we feel the best way to do this is with a single monthly report, which shows you how well your IT is performing. Our schools appreciate the accountability of reporting, as well as the opportunity to plan further ICT support from IT replacements to improvements.
8. OFSTED PANIC BUTTON
You might not think that your IT provider has anything to do with your school’s OFSTED report, but with a few simply support mechanisms it can make all the difference. So, when you get that OFSTED call, are your IT providers on hand to help you prepare?
When our clients get the dreaded OFSTED phone call, we visit for a whole day to work alongside their team and make sure all systems are running optimally. Even when things are going smoothly, Soft Egg will always be there with ICT support, working in the background to make sure your IT performs not just well, but outstandingly.
9. IT CONSULTANCY AND EDUCATION EXPERTISE
There are many IT providers out there, and many of them have extremely experienced IT technicians, engineers and support staff. But without industry specific knowledge, their ability to provide not just a good service but an outstanding service will always be limited.
We believe that the specific IT issues faced by schools require support from those who are not simply great IT providers but who are also experts in education IT.
Learning should be the focus of all of the services and software that a school purchases, particularly when they are investing money into IT. To ensure that schools have the best quality advice when making major decisions regarding education technology, we employ both trained teachers and trained IT consultants to work as a team to provide a holistic view of your school’s IT. We believe that this combined approach is what makes an effective school IT consultancy.
One thing you should do if your IT provider isn’t outstanding
If your school IT provider hasn’t been giving you a level of service which not only reduces IT problems but also helps you to develop and plan for the future, then there is only one thing you can do…
Book a free IT audit with us and find out how well your IT is really working.