Managed IT and the Service Departrment

For many dealers, the prospect of adding managed IT to their company is a logical next step. For the sales department, it means adding a new talk track and developing some specialists to help close the business.

It does give a dealer the ability to better position themselves to manage and retain their current customers. It may also provide a competitive advantage in the sales process. However, a typical copier and printer service department will face significant challenges in supporting managed IT.

Separate or Integrated… or Partnered

The first step in moving into managed IT is to decide how you are going to handle IT support. Is it something that will be managed and operated through the service department, or will it be a separate department? Will you handle all customer support internally, or will you outsource some or all of the support?

This is a decision that will vary by dealership. If you currently have a help desk operation, provide all of your own internal network support and currently support third-party applications, it may be that you can successfully support your client’s IT infrastructure as well.

Typically to provide the complete support package, you will need to have network engineers, 24-hour help desk support, and a staff that has computer hardware and networking backgrounds.

Continue reading this article in the free Member's Area or at ENX Magazine.   https://www.enxmag.com/twii/service-management/2018/02/managed-it-and-the-service-department/