Training employees on basic IT troubleshooting means teaching them simple skills to identify and resolve common technology issues without immediately calling for outside help. This can include tasks like reconnecting a VPN, restarting a frozen application, or checking if a device is properly connected to the network. For Canadian small and mid-sized businesses, empowering staff with these basics reduces unnecessary delays and helps keep daily operations running smoothly.
Why this matters for Canadian SMBs
Every minute your team spends waiting for IT support to fix a minor issue is time lost on productive work. In a typical 20–100 person company, even small interruptions can add up to significant downtime, affecting customer service and deadlines. Additionally, quick troubleshooting can prevent issues from escalating into bigger problems, such as data loss or security vulnerabilities. For example, if an employee knows how to verify their VPN connection before accessing sensitive company data remotely, they reduce the risk of exposing information over an unsecured network.
A practical scenario
Consider a Canadian consulting firm with 50 employees who often work remotely using VPN services. One morning, several employees find they cannot connect to the VPN. Without basic troubleshooting knowledge, they immediately contact IT support, creating a backlog of requests and delaying urgent client work. However, if those employees had been trained to check their internet connection, restart their VPN client, or confirm their login credentials, many could have resolved the issue themselves. Meanwhile, the IT team can focus on more complex problems, improving overall responsiveness.
Checklist: What you can do now
- Ask your IT provider: Do you offer employee training on common IT issues? What topics are covered? How often is training updated?
- Review your IT support agreement: Does it include clear response times for critical versus minor issues? Are there guidelines on when employees should escalate problems?
- Implement simple internal guides: Create and distribute easy-to-follow instructions for common tasks like VPN connection, password resets, or printer troubleshooting.
- Encourage a culture of first-level troubleshooting: Promote basic problem-solving before contacting IT, but ensure employees know when to seek help to avoid security risks.
- Regularly test employee readiness: Conduct brief quizzes or simulated scenarios to reinforce troubleshooting steps and identify training gaps.
Next steps
Basic IT troubleshooting training can improve your team's efficiency and reduce downtime, but it should complement—not replace—professional IT support. Speak with a trusted managed IT provider or IT advisor to discuss how best to integrate employee training into your overall IT strategy, ensuring it aligns with your business needs, security requirements, and compliance obligations.