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I Am New to This Industry. Here Is What I Have Learned About What Clients Actually Want.
I Am New to This Industry. Here Is What I Have Learned About What Clients Actually Want.
I joined the IT industry just over a year ago. Before that I worked in marine supplies, then in chemical distribution. I do not have a technical background. I cannot tell you the difference between a GPO and a VLAN without looking it up.
But here is the thing: neither can the business owners I speak to every day.
And that is exactly why I think being new to this industry is an advantage, not a weakness. I see things the way our clients do. I do not understand the jargon either. So I focus on the only thing that really matters: what is the outcome and why does it matter to your business?
What I have heard in 30 first appointments
In my first year I have sat in around 30 first appointments with business owners who are considering changing IT provider. Every one of those conversations has taught me something. And the thing that stands out most is how similar the frustrations are.
The words change slightly from meeting to meeting, but the themes stay the same: slow response times, recurring issues that are never properly fixed, no visibility into what the provider is actually doing, and jargon instead of plain English.
And underneath all of it, the same feeling: nobody seems to care.
These are not technology complaints. They are human complaints. People want to feel heard. They want to know someone is looking after them. They want to be able to pick up the phone and speak to a real person who knows their name and their business.
What clients actually want from IT Support
After 30 of these conversations, I can tell you that business owners are not looking for more technology. They are not asking about tools, platforms, or acronyms.
They are looking for five simple things:
Someone who responds quickly and keeps them informed. Not a ticketing system that acknowledges receipt. A real person who says “I am on it” and means it.
Someone who fixes things properly, once. Not a temporary patch that buys a week before the same problem comes back. A proper fix with a proper explanation of what happened and why it will not happen again.
Someone who explains things in plain English. Business owners do not want to feel stupid for not understanding IT. They want a provider who meets them where they are and translates the technical into the practical.
Someone who knows their business, not just their systems. The best conversations I have are with business owners whose eyes light up when I ask about where their business is going. Nobody else has asked them that. Their IT provider certainly has not.
Someone who actually cares. This is the one that comes up every single time. Not in those exact words. But the sentiment is always there. They want to feel like they matter to the people managing their IT. They want a relationship, not a transaction.
What I have learned from the other side
Before I worked here, I was a client. In my last role, the IT issues I had on my first day were still there when I left. Nobody cared enough to fix them. I know exactly what that feels like: the frustration, the workarounds, the eventual acceptance that it is “just how things are.”
You stop expecting better because you have never seen better.
Now I sit on the other side, and I read our customer reviews every day. The words that come up most are not “technical” or “fast.” They are “helpful,” “friendly,” and “sorted.” That tells you everything about what people value. They value being treated like a human being by another human being who gives a damn.
I am not a 20-year veteran of this industry. I am not going to pretend otherwise. But I talk to business leaders every day who are dealing with the same frustrations I used to deal with. And I can tell you honestly: it does not have to be like that. Good IT support exists. It is run by real people. And the difference it makes is not about the technology. It is about the experience.
One thing to try
If you are reading this and nodding along, try one thing.
Ask your team to rate your current IT support out of 10. Don’t explain why, just ask.
Then look at the answers.
If the average is below 7, you already know something needs to change. And if you are not sure what good looks like, that is a conversation we are always happy to have.
Visit our Sh*t IT support hub or download our 15-question checklist. It helps you evaluate your current IT support across the areas that actually matter to your business, not just the technical ones.
