When entering a new IT support contract, transparency is very important, as it helps build a trusting relationship between the parties. Learning that your agreement has hidden costs can damage this trust, often leaving people feeling taken advantage of.
IT providers often fail to clearly define or state certain expenses when you buy into IT support, creating hidden costs. They may hide technicalities in the small print of a contract, or apply situational charges that leave you paying for issues beyond your control.
If you’re a small business with a limited IT budget, these charges can catch you off guard and be detrimental if you can’t pay them.
So what costs specific to this sector should your business look out for?
After-hours support
Not every business operates between 9 am and 5 pm, and IT disruptions don’t discriminate by time.
It’s often the after-hours disruptions when you need proactive IT support to minimise damage. However, if the service isn’t clearly clarified, this support- while vital- may rack up costs for downtime you weren’t aware of.
Alternatively, these charges may come from failing to define operational hours within the support contract. This can be an issue stemming from miscommunication on both sides.
Customer: May fail to establish that round-the-clock support is what they expect from the service.
Service provider: Service provider: may not clearly define the fact that the timeframe for contracted services is during limited operational hours.
While it can be frustrating to be on the receiving end of these charges, it’s important to define service hours before signing onto the contract. This clarity allows each party to better understand what the other needs from them, helping improve the working relationship.
At Eventura, our support team is available from 8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. By maintaining consistent support hours, you’ll always know when support is available and that there are no additional charges within those hours.
On-site fees
Similar to trade work, many IT support businesses may charge for an on-site callout. While technicians can perform many IT services remotely, some issues, especially hardware-related ones, require them to attend on-site. This can be for diagnostic purposes or to fix the issue itself.
On-site work also takes technicians away from supporting other clients.This potential loss of revenue is understandably the basis for the additional fee; if it isn’t made clear to you beforehand, it may leave a negative impression of your service provider.
Even for unavoidable issues, such as hardware updates and mandatory software upgrades, you may still be charged if your IT support partner doesn’t cover them. Desk visits, travel time, and mileage may incur additional fees, even after the minimum call-out fee that most support teams charge.
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We’re proud to offer remote and on-site support to all our customers. Your IT support covers the solutions you need, and the ones we promise. We won’t waste time with remote solutions for complex problems; if the issue requires onsite support, we can be there the next day.
License fees
Many IT service providers can set your team up with the software licenses they need to complete their daily tasks effectively. These may also include backup tools and antivirus software that keep your business safe against cyber security threats.
This is a key reason why you understand the scope of your support partner’s services before signing their contract. While businesses may offer ‘cyber security’ as a seemingly comprehensive service, this may just mean installation, training and basic device encryption.
Some businesses may offer software as part of a packaged service, but it isn’t always guaranteed. Know the scope of your contract, and ensure you have the protection and support your business needs.
We offer a range of SaaS packages designed to support the way your business operates. Pricing is tailored to your organisation’s requirements, ensuring you only pay for the software and services you actually need.
This approach provides full transparency and flexibility, so you know exactly what you’re paying for before committing to a contract. For more detail on SaaS pricing, visit our Sage comparison page or contact our team.
How your business can spot hidden fees
There are a number of questions you can ask a service provider before signing on that help you to identify potential hidden costs before it’s too late.
- What exactly is included in the monthly fee?
- What is explicitly excluded?
- What is billed hourly?
- What triggers premium rates?
- Which tools and licences are extra?
- What happens when we leave?
Many IT support companies organise free audits and meetings with potential clients to understand their needs. This helps define the scope of the support, clearly establishing which services are included and which require additional fees.
During this stage, we encourage you to ask the questions above. They cover a lot of ground, specifically the various areas where hidden fees can occur. This ensures you don’t miss any areas where hidden fees could appear in the future.
Our role
We understand how important transparent pricing is for our customers. We provide a wide range of content that breaks down the costs of the tools you may include in your IT support package.
What’s more, we also include feature comparisons with similar tools, so you know exactly what is included and how many additional features there may be.
Furthermore, we offer optimisation reviews and audits for a range of our products and services, such as Sage. Our team has a comprehensive understanding of the platform’s features. This means we can identify what your business needs from an IT provider and what you want from your IT support partner.
Whether your business needs assistance with cybersecurity, communication, cloud hosting, data backup, or any of our products, Eventura can provide the proactive support you need to run your business efficiently.
