Apple hires...

Consider carefully exactly how much IT support you need. This depends on how much IT expertise you have in-house, how important it is to keep systems running smoothly, and how much you can sensibly afford for a support contract.

Services to consider include:

• Installation and configuration - will you need the supplier to install and configure hardware, and possibly also software, so that it's fully functioning and ready to use?
• Training - will your staff require training on the system?
• Telephone support - will your staff require telephone hotline support, and during what hours? Does the supplier provide a helpdesk? Do they have a guaranteed response time? Will you be paying per call, or a fixed sum? Are you restricted to a single caller, or do you have to pay more for them to accept calls from different members of staff? What percentage of problems does the supplier resolve on the first call - a first-time fix? Is this support provided from the UK or overseas? If it is overseas-based - does this impact upon when it is available because of time differences?
• Email support - will email support be adequate for some or all of your needs? What's the supplier's guaranteed response time for email messages?
• Online support - does the supplier offer real-time online chat or other support technology? Is there a peer support forum where other users can suggest fixes?
• Site visits - does the supplier provide on-site support? If so, how much does it cost?