“We provide 24/7 support” is the most meaningless phrase in IT marketing.

What does that actually mean? Someone answers the phone? Someone who can fix problems is available? Call center takes messages and forwards them Monday morning?

Big difference.

Potential client told me about their “24/7 support” experience. Production line went down eleven PM Friday. Called their IT company’s emergency line.

Got someone who could reset passwords and reboot servers remotely. But their problem was integration between ERP system and production equipment. Person on phone had never seen their setup, no idea how to fix it.

Took until Monday morning to get someone who could actually solve the problem. Cost them weekend of downtime.

That’s not 24/7 support. That’s 24/7 phone answering.

What 24/7 Support Actually Means

Level One: Someone Answers

Someone picks up the phone when you call. They can take information, create a ticket. Maybe do basic stuff like rebooting servers or resetting passwords.

This is what most IT companies mean by “24/7 support.” Better than voicemail, but not much.

Level Two: Remote Problem Solving

Someone with actual technical skills available to work on problems remotely. Can access your systems, diagnose issues, fix things that don’t require physical presence.

More useful, but limited to problems that can be solved remotely by someone who may not know your specific environment.

Level Three: On-Site Response

Someone can come to your location if needed. For problems requiring physical access or hands-on troubleshooting.

Rare and expensive. Most “24/7 support” doesn’t include this.

Level Four: Environment-Specific Expertise

Person helping you knows your specific systems, business processes, critical applications. Can solve problems quickly because they understand your environment.

This is what you actually want. Also much more expensive to provide.

Why Real 24/7 Support Is Expensive

The Economics Don’t Work for Most Small Businesses

Providing real 24/7 technical support is incredibly expensive. Need multiple skilled technicians available around the clock. People who know each client’s environment well enough to solve problems quickly.

For most small businesses, cost of real 24/7 support would be more than their entire IT budget.

So IT companies provide limited 24/7 support and hope you don’t need advanced stuff outside business hours.

What You’re Actually Paying For

Most small business IT support is designed around business hours with emergency coverage for critical issues.

Person available at 2 AM can handle basic problems and escalate serious issues to be resolved during business hours. Fine for most businesses most of the time.

Problems arise when you have critical issues that can’t wait.

Wondering what your “24/7 support” actually covers? The details matter more than the marketing promise.

Industry Differences

Manufacturing Operations

If production runs multiple shifts or 24/7, you need IT support that matches operational schedule. Downtime at 2 AM costs same as downtime at 2 PM.

Manufacturing often has critical systems requiring specialized knowledge to support properly.

Healthcare

Patient care systems can’t wait until Monday morning. Electronic health records, medical devices, communication systems need real 24/7 support from people who understand healthcare IT.

Financial Services

Market hours, trading systems, compliance reporting. Financial services often have time-sensitive IT requirements that don’t respect normal business hours.

Professional Services

Most law firms, accounting practices, consulting companies can survive IT problems outside business hours. Their 24/7 needs are much more limited.

Questions to Ask About 24/7 Support

Who Actually Answers the Phone?

Call center in another country? Local technician? Someone who knows your systems?

Closer the person is to your actual environment, more useful they’ll be.

What Can They Actually Do?

Reset passwords and reboot servers? Remote access to diagnose problems? On-site response if needed?

Make sure capabilities match your actual needs.

What’s the Escalation Process?

When first person can’t solve your problem, what happens? How long to get someone who can help?

For critical issues, escalation time matters as much as initial response.

What’s Considered an Emergency?

Server down? Email not working? Single user can’t print?

Make sure your definition of emergency matches theirs.

Alternative Approaches

Tiered Response

Basic 24/7 phone support for emergencies, with escalation to advanced support during extended hours like 6 AM to 10 PM.

More coverage than business hours only, less expensive than full 24/7 technical support.

Industry-Specific Support

Partner with IT company that specializes in your industry and provides extended support for critical systems.

Higher expertise level, usually only for specific business types.

Hybrid Internal/External Support

Train internal staff to handle basic problems outside hours, external support for complex issues.

Good for businesses with some internal IT capability.

Equipment Redundancy Instead

Design systems so single failures don’t take down critical operations. Redundant servers, backup internet, failover systems.

More expensive upfront, reduces need for emergency support.

The Real Cost of Inadequate After-Hours Support

Lost Revenue

If business operates outside normal hours, IT downtime directly costs money. Production stops, sales can’t process, services become unavailable.

Employee Productivity

People working late or weekends can’t get help when IT problems occur. Lost time waiting for Monday morning support.

Customer Impact

If customers expect 24/7 availability, IT problems outside business hours directly impact customer experience.

Competitive Disadvantage

Businesses that can resolve IT issues quickly have advantage over those that wait for business hours.

Making the Right Choice

Assess Your Actual Needs

Do you really need 24/7 support? What are consequences of waiting until business hours for most problems?

Understand What You’re Buying

Don’t just look at marketing promises. Understand exactly what coverage you get for your money.

Match Support to Business Impact

Critical systems that can’t be down need better coverage than nice-to-have applications.

Plan for Escalation

Even if you don’t need full 24/7 support, have plan for getting help quickly when critical issues occur.

Most businesses don’t need true 24/7 technical support. But you should understand what you’re actually getting and whether it matches your real needs.

The marketing promise of “24/7 support” is easy to make. The reality of providing useful after-hours technical support is much more complex and expensive.

Make sure you know which one you’re paying for.