How Long Should IT Issues Take to Fix? Realistic Expectations Explained

When a printer won’t print, a server goes quiet or the email system decides to take an unscheduled holiday, the immediate question from the boardroom is: how long will this take? As a UK business owner with a team of 10–200 people, you don’t need a lecture in networking — you need clear, realistic timelines so you can plan work, billing and, crucially, calm people down.

Two useful distinctions: response vs resolution

First, separate the two things people often confuse. Response time is how quickly your IT support acknowledges the problem and starts triage. Resolution time is how long until the issue is fully fixed. A call answered in five minutes doesn’t help if the proper fix takes three days, but a fast response does buy you better communication and initial containment.

Typical timelines — simple rules of thumb

Every business is different, but after supporting several SMEs across London, Manchester and the South West, these are realistic expectations you can use when discussing SLAs or hiring an engineer.

Minor user issues (passwords, small app quirks)

Response: within 15–60 minutes. Resolution: minutes to a few hours. These are the 80% of tickets that don’t need a parts order or deep investigation. Good remote support and documented procedures make these quick wins.

Hardware faults (PCs, printers, single server drives)

Response: 30–120 minutes. Resolution: same day to a few days. If an engineer needs to visit you, factor in travel and parts availability. Local availability of spares can shave days off the timeline — keeping common spares on-site or with your support partner helps.

Network outages and Wi‑Fi problems

Response: 15–60 minutes. Resolution: a few hours to a couple of days. If it’s a broadband issue with your ISP expect delays outside your support team’s control; if it’s internal infrastructure, an experienced network engineer can often restore service faster with a temporary fix while working on a permanent solution.

Software bugs and integrations

Response: within hours. Resolution: days to weeks. Bugs that involve third‑party vendors, custom code or complex integrations take time — you need root-cause analysis, testing and staged rollouts to avoid creating more problems.

Security incidents and data breaches

Response: immediate (minutes to an hour). Resolution: days to several weeks or more. Security events are a different animal. Containment must happen first, then investigation, remediation and evidence preservation. Depending on GDPR obligations and whether the ICO must be notified, timelines expand because you’re dealing with legal and regulatory requirements as well as technical recovery.

What slows things down (so you can avoid it)

Some common, avoidable causes of long fixes:

• Poor documentation and missing inventories — engineers waste time finding what’s where.
• Lack of backups or old backup processes — recovery becomes painstaking if data is scattered.
• No escalation path — junior staff try things that delay a proper fix.
• Poor communication — staff repeat the same information to multiple people instead of a single point of contact.

How to set sensible SLAs for your business

SLAs should reflect business impact, not tech romanticism. For many firms of 10–200 staff, a reasonable approach is:

• Critical systems (telephony, core servers, payments): 1-hour response, business-hours or 24/7 resolution targets depending on risk.
• High-impact (organisation-wide email, network access): 2–4 hour response, same‑day or next‑day resolution target.
• Low-impact (single-user issues): 1 business day response, 3–5 business days to resolve.

Be precise about what counts as “critical.” If your team can’t invoice because of a downed system, it’s critical. If three people can’t access a nicety app, it isn’t.

Cost vs speed — you can’t have both (but you can choose)

Faster support costs more: retained engineers, 24/7 cover and on-site spares all carry premiums. If you want cheaper, accept slower fixes or stronger contingency plans (better backups, clearer workarounds). Many UK firms trade a small ongoing fee for a guaranteed fast response, which saves money overall by reducing unplanned downtime.

Practical steps you can implement this week

• Create a simple incident priority matrix so staff know what to report and how urgent it is.
• Maintain an inventory of critical hardware and a list of serial numbers and warranties.
• Agree communication expectations: who gets updates, how often, and by what method.
• Keep recent backups and test restores — a backup that hasn’t been restored is just a nicely packed box in the attic.
• Run a quick tabletop exercise with senior staff to rehearse responses to outages and security incidents.

FAQ

How quickly should my IT support answer an urgent issue?

Ideally within 15–60 minutes. The goal is fast triage and clear communication. If your support keeps you waiting for hours with no update, that’s a sign you need a different SLA or better escalation.

What’s a reasonable SLA for a small UK office?

For most 10–200 person firms: 1-hour response for critical issues, same‑day or next‑day fixes for high priority, and a few days for lower priority. Tailor these based on how downtime affects revenue and reputation.

Are security incidents always slow to fix?

They can be. Containment is quick, but investigation and remediation take time because of evidence preservation and legal obligations. Fast action and good preparation limit the duration and cost.

Can I speed things up without paying a lot more?

Yes—by improving preparedness: better documentation, tested backups, defined priorities and clear communication. These reduce the time engineers spend hunting and let them act faster when things go wrong.

Final thought

There’s no single answer to “How long should IT issues take to fix?” — but there are sensible expectations you can set. Fast responses and short resolutions usually come from planning: clear priorities, tested backups, and the right level of support for your risk. For many UK businesses, spending a little on preventative measures and clearer SLAs saves far more in lost time, damaged credibility and frayed tempers.

If you’d like fewer interruptions, lower costs from downtime and the credibility of predictable recovery times, start by reviewing your priorities and SLA choices this month — it’s the kind of small step that buys time, money and calm down the line.