It took Eric less than five minutes to get the conference room screen working and that was enough to make him the office's unofficial IT guy.
Now, whenever Outlook won't open, a shared folder goes missing or someone's laptop refuses to connect to the Wi-Fi, Eric gets a Teams message asking if he has a minute.
Eric works in sales, by the way.
For a small business, having someone good with technology can be convenient. But Eric still has customer proposals to finish, clients to follow up with and deadlines to meet. Every time he stops to help a coworker, his own work has to wait.
Here’s what that unofficial promotion could be costing your business and why it's worth rethinking who handles IT problems.
1. The hidden cost of 'Hey, can you help me with something?'
An employee is in the middle of putting together a customer proposal when a coworker stops by because she can't access a shared folder.
What should have been a quick question has now turned into 20 minutes of checking permissions, searching for answers and trying different fixes.
Now two employees have lost time. One has been waiting to access her files, while the other has to figure out where they left off on the proposal.
Three requests like that each week would take an hour of the helpful employee's time. Over 50 working weeks, that's 50 hours spent troubleshooting instead of completing the work they were hired to do.
And that's before accounting for the time employees spend waiting for help or the effort it takes to get back to a task after an interruption.
That "free" IT help is coming out of someone's paid workday.
2. Your go-to employee is taking on more than you realize
It's hard to turn down a coworker who needs help, especially when everyone expects the same person to have an answer.
One day, it's a quick question about Outlook. The next, they're helping a new hire get access to Microsoft 365 and the shared folders they need. Each request seems minor enough on its own, so they keep saying yes.
Before long, IT support has become an unofficial part of their job. The responsibilities keep growing, though their paycheck hasn't received the memo.
Their actual deadlines haven't moved either. And because most requests come through casual conversations and Teams messages, managers may have no idea how much time is being spent helping others.
Over time, that lack of recognition can become frustrating. An employee who once enjoyed being helpful may start feeling taken for granted, especially when the extra responsibilities go unnoticed. If that frustration continues, they may begin looking for opportunities elsewhere, leaving your business at risk of losing someone it depends on.
Plus, if that employee is on leave or tied up in meetings, coworkers may have nobody else to turn to when technology problems arise.
Your most dependable employee shouldn't have to be everyone's backup plan.
3. Give technology problems somewhere else to go
Employees should be able to help one another without being held responsible for everyone else's IT problems. A clear support process can take that pressure off and make it easier for everyone to get the help they need.
Here are four things worth putting in place:
- Give employees one place to ask for help, whether it's a dedicated email address, help desk, or support portal. Make sure everyone knows where to report an IT issue instead of tracking down the coworker who's good with computers.
- Make sure someone follows through: Reporting a problem shouldn't mean wondering whether anyone is looking into it. Employees should know their request has been received and who is responsible for handling it.
- Pay attention to repeat problems: If several employees keep having trouble accessing the same shared folder or signing in to Outlook, look for the underlying cause instead of treating every request as an isolated incident.
- Introduce the process during onboarding. Show new employees how to request IT support from day one so they don't have to rely on whichever coworker happens to know the answer.
For businesses like yours, an outsourced IT service provider can handle everyday support, maintain systems and investigate recurring problems without the expense of hiring a full-time IT employee.
Your best talent deserves better support
Having employees who are willing to step in and help is an asset to any business. But their willingness shouldn't mean they're always the first person called when technology acts up.
That's where we can help. We handle everyday IT issues, investigate recurring problems and give your employees a reliable place to turn when they need technical support.
Your team can focus on customers, projects and the work they do best, without having to double as the office's IT department.
Schedule a 10-minute discovery call to discuss how your business currently handles IT problems and how dedicated support could help your employees get more time back for their own work.
Call us at 913-948-6849 or visit our website https://micronetkc.com/discoverycall.
