When you’re in the market for hiring managed IT services, it can feel like an overwhelming responsibility since it has massive implications for your business. Hiring the wrong organization can hurt your company’s bottom line and do more harm than good. We curated a list of what to look for when hiring managed IT services. Each step will examine industry best practices to make your outsourcing experience efficient and effective.
Here is what you should look for when hiring managed IT services:
Industry Experience
Today, many IT companies specialize in various services and areas, providing businesses with extensive expertise. However, an IT company with direct experience in your industry may be more beneficial when it comes to meeting your business’s needs. For example, it doesn’t make sense to hire an IT company that specializes in the retail space when you run a SaaS organization. Often people will make the mistake of hiring a company outside of their industry to save some money, but it can end up biting them in the long run. A company with experience in your sector can forecast industry issues and help support best practices. Chances are, if the IT company is in your industry, they’re working with other companies like yours and can offer tried and effective solutions.
A Positive Track Record
Researching the company’s history is one of the most overlooked steps in hiring a managed IT service. Looking at references is important in rating how well the company can maintain and beat expectations with its services. Company websites, social media, and review platforms like Yelp can be fantastic resources to gauge service quality and reputation. However, another key consideration is how long the company has been around. Hiring a company that will grow with your business is extremely important, as consistently finding new IT companies can be costly and ineffective in the long term. Company culture can also be another factor that plays a role in the discovery process of the company’s track record. When partnering with a business and giving them the crucial role of managing your IT, it’s important to mesh and work together, which involves having similar goals and work ethic.
Top-Notch Customer Service
Every business has different requirements, so finding a managed IT services company that can support your organization’s needs is key. For example, do you need the IT work completed in-house, or can it be outsourced? Do you need on-location support for any of your services? It would help if you asked these questions when interviewing companies that provide managed IT services. Often, managed IT services offer a dedicated account manager to each client. This account manager is usually the go-to person if any questions arise. Therefore, it’s a good idea to consider using an account manager before entering into a contract. You should also ensure there’s a reasonable SLA response time. For instance, dedicated account managers may need to reply to all inquiries within an hour during standard business hours.
Service Expertise
Most companies advertise technical expertise with their services but may only have limited employees who can work on your equipment, leaving you waiting hours for help. Understanding the IT company’s service expertise and limitations is essential for your success. You don’t want to get into a long-term contract with a company that can’t service all your equipment and software needs. Offering diverse support across multiple operating systems (Linux, Windows, macOS, etc.) is also helpful. ‘
Before entering into an agreement with a managed IT services organization, you should request a list of their capabilities and services. For example, you may have to hire another contractor if a service provider can’t support an Ubuntu operating environment. But, it’s almost always more cost-effective to have one managed IT services provider that can support all your organization’s needs. And not only should they be able to support your organization’s needs, but they should also be able to do so while considering industry best practices.
Favorable Contract Terms
Whenever you sign legal documents, you should make sure they leave you room to make changes without financial penalties. Your business can change, so you want to partner with a company that can adapt to your evolving needs. Most IT companies offer plans ranging from day-to-day consulting to full 360 IT services management.
A Proactive Approach
Managed service providers (MSPs) should proactively find issues in your network to prevent outages that can halt your organization’s operations. A company that won’t just answer maintenance tickets but will help you battle IT problems with you is important for any business that needs to stay online. An IT company investigating issues before they arise will also work on optimizing your current setup and identifying efficiencies.
Additional Warranties
When you’re in the negotiation stages of purchasing an IT provider, it can be useful to gather information on their warranties and use it to your advantage. An IT provider with solid warranties can help you save money if something goes haywire. Keeping IT providers on top of their service-level agreements is also imperative for your business. If services lack support or metrics are not achieved, you should be able to retrieve recoup fees. In addition to their warranties, you should also look at any cancelation terms provided. Understanding cancelation terms can help you get out of contracts without paying exit fees.
A Final Glance at Hiring Managed IT Services
You must do your due diligence before hiring a managed IT service company. MSP providers can play a very important role in your business and should be available to grow and scale as time goes on. Some companies don’t research the IT providers’ backgrounds and contractual agreements enough and may pay the price later. When you find a good MSP provider you want to move forward with, ensure you draft the contract favorably to get the maximum value from the relationship.