Things to think about when changing TPMs

Changing TPMs? Consider how best to protect your IT equipment and your budget

Is it time to change TPMs? You’re not alone. Before you renew with your current provider, it’s worth considering whether they are offering you the best value for money and the level of service you deserve.

In many cases, the decision to change comes down to high costs and/or slow response times. If you’re paying too much and still not getting swift answers to your problems, it can be incredibly frustrating. It is essential for any company to keep their data centre up and running. That’s tough to do when your TPM isn’t there when you need them (and you’re still paying through the nose for their support).

It doesn’t have to be that way. While there are subpar TPMs out there, you’ll also find third party support providers dedicated to rapid responses to your needs and affordable rates. Support 247 falls squarely into that group.

What should you know about our rates and how they compare to our competitors? We’ll explore that and more in this post.

OVERALL COST OF SERVICE

OEMs : Yes, you can purchase extended protection through your OEM. However, you need to move quickly (before the official end of service life announcement). You also need to be prepared to pay a lot for the modest support that you get in return. If you have allowed your cover to lapse they will normally force you to pay for the gap before you can renew.

Other TPMs : While there are certain third-party maintenance providers out there that are on the up and up, it’s all too easy to make the wrong choice. You could end up paying high costs, suffering from slow response times, and not having access to the expert engineers you need when a problem strikes.

Support 247: At Support 247, we beat OEM prices by around 40% to 90% - occasionally even more! In most cases we beat We usually beat the competition by 10-15%. Plus, we offer access to the same calibre of engineering talent you’d find with the manufacturer. In fact, we hire from the same talent pool to ensure that we’re able to deliver prompt, high-quality service each and every time.

QUALITY OF SERVICE

OEMs: With the manufacturer, you have access to expert engineers that deliver great service. With that being said, OEM extended warranties are barebones, so you don’t have access to a very wide range of services. That makes sense since manufacturers would rather upsell you to new hardware than provide the service and support necessary to keep your current equipment running at peak efficiency.

Other TPMs: The challenge with choosing the right third party maintenance provider is making sure that you actually get what you pay for. Many different variables go into this, but some of the most important include the following:

• RESPONSE TIME It doesn’t matter how much expertise a provider’s engineers have if the response time is too slow. The longer you have to wait for a response, the longer it will take to rectify the situation. Depending on the problem, you could be haemorrhaging money every minute, and if it takes 24 hours just to reply, you’ve probably already lost more money than you’re paying for the service in the first place.

• RESOLUTION TIME Response time is one thing. Resolution time is something else altogether. How long will it take for the TPM to send an engineer to your location (if that’s required)? How long will it take the engineer to repair the problem? Is your TPM provider actually capable of providing spares in the same response time? What happens if the equipment itself needs to be replaced? Here’s where many TPMs pad their bottom lines: if they’re not able to resolve the issue with a “reasonable best-effort,” they’ll credit you 10% of the equipment’s value, and you’re on your own. That’s in spite of paying for their service and support initially.

• SERVICE LEVELS Most TPMs offer one or two tiers of service. You’ll get more customization here for your money than you would with an OEM, but it’s still pretty close to a one-size-fits-all solution for your money.

Support 247 : With Support 247, the situation is drastically different. Our team has deep OEM experience, so you get the same level of service quality you would expect from the manufacturer. However, we’re able to deliver a much wider range of services since we’re not focused on upgrading you to the latest and greatest IT technology to pad our bottom line.

How do we compare to other third party maintenance providers, though? At Support 247, we pride ourselves on offering faster response times than the competition. Our service representatives typically answer in just seconds , will assign an experienced engineer to your account in just minutes , and can deploy a field engineer out to your facility in as little as four hours depending on your service level agreement. However, even our lowest service tier comes with a Next Business Day response time.

In terms of resolution times, we far exceed our competitors. With over 20 FSL s ( Forward Stocking Locations ) throughout the UK and Ireland, you’re never far from one of our parts depots, and one of our engineers can be at your location in mere hours. Combine that with our 24/7 or 9 am to 5 pm Help Desk and monitoring, and our four customizable service level agreements, and you can clearly see that we deliver more bang for your buck.

THE CHOICE IS CLEAR: SUPPORT 247

When it comes to value, you’ll get the most from Support 247’s third party maintenance options. We don’t try to cram you into a one-size-fits-all box-like OEMs, and we offer more options than you’ll find with other TPMs, all for lower prices than either can offer. Our industry-leading engineers, customisable service level agreements, and dedication to being there when and where you need us help reduce the total cost of ownership for your IT hardware while also improving your overall ownership experience.

If you want to find out more about how Support 247 can help your company, please contact us here.