Electronics are an integral part of every business’s life and as we all know they have a habit of breaking from time to time. Many of the components needed in business carry a high price tag and having them break unexpectedly can leave any SMB scrambling to find the funds to replace their equipment. Having them under a warranty program gives owners peace of mind that they won’t be receiving any unexpected costs and can ensure that they can utilize the device until they are ready to upgrade down the road. What many SMB’s choose to use is the manufacture’s warranty program, without realizing the hidden benefits of utilizing a third-party maintenance contract.

Benefits:

• Costs less than the manufacturer – Most people would think that the manufacturer would be giving the best deal on extended warranties, but many providers charge more because their goal is to sell more new products, so they want to incentivize the customer to upgrade each year rather than extend the life of their current product.
• Extended equipment lifecycles – If you buy a printer with a 1 year manufacturer warranty included, then the company is generally hoping you will upgrade after that year time, meaning if it breaks 18 months later you will end up buying a new device. But many SMB’s don’t need to upgrade that often, giving them cost savings by extending the warranty past the end-of-life support allowing them to use it as long as it functions for the business.
• Single support contact – With so many electronics and equipment being used by SMBs it can be a pain to have to contact a new support team every time a device breaks. By using 3^rd party warranty programs, every device is now under one company’s warranty program, allowing a quicker easier support system.
• Software support is also available – Software is a key component in the IT world and having a problem with the program you’re using can be just as bad as having a problem with the hardware. 3^rd party warranty providers often have help desk support that can help you with most programs used among SMBs. Having software support all in one area gives you the benefit of not being passed around. Nobody likes calling for support only to be told that they need to call another number because they don’t deal with certain issues.