Hire the wrong IT service and you could be out of business overnight.
Why risk hiring the wrong company, when you could do some research and hire the right one?
Don’t pick just anyone for your business IT support services. You need to know how they operate, how they can help you when you need it most, and how they can help you succeed.
Not sure where to start? Here are the top questions you should ask an IT company before you hire them.
Different IT companies may specialize in different services. Some may offer managed desktop services, cloud services, or mobile services.
Depending on your industry and your business’s specific needs you may need all or only some of these services. Or you may need them on a much larger scale than the company can provide.
Some IT companies act as jack-of-all trades and work across a broad spectrum of industries. Others may have plenty of experience in one industry but little or no experience in another industry.
For highly regulated industries such as the healthcare and financial sectors, a data breach or failure to comply with HIPPA regulations can be a very costly mistake.
Let’s say you are working in a heavily regulated industry. A good IT service provider should be able to help your business stay compliant.
One way of doing that is through a cybersecurity audit. An audit can identify the vulnerabilities in your organization, as well as provide methods of resolution. It’s much more affordable (and easier) to prepare for a security threat before it happens, as opposed to waiting for one to happen and then responding.
Sometimes an IT company may offer a lot of different services. But if they are a smaller company, they may not have the internal staff, which means they may outsource some of their services. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s important to note.
Be sure to ask them what services they outsource and why. There are some services you may not want to be outsourced, especially if it deals with sensitive data.
Arguably one of the most important questions you can ask an IT provider is what exactly is included in your contract, as well as the cost of those services.
Your provider may charge extra for additional device support or for mobile device support. Some won’t support software from other companies.
An onsite visit could cost more than you think if mileage and travel time are included.
Perhaps you already have an existing internal team of IT staff. Ask them how they will work with or supplement your existing staff. An IT managed service provider should always have a good answer for why you shouldn’t do it solely in-house.
Your IT company shouldn’t hold you back. Before you sign a contract ask them how they can help you scale. They should have an answer for how it can be done, what equipment would be needed, and how long it would take.
Do they provide dedicated account managers? An account manager will act as a liaison between you and the company. One of their goals will be to keep you satisfied.
One way they can do that is by acting as a single point of contact. If you have questions you can go to them, and they can get to know your business and your unique needs better over time than having multiple contacts would. You should have at least one single point of contact.
You will need help. Maybe your question will be a minor one, or maybe it will be a serious issue. Either way, you need to understand what comes next.
Ask what happens if you need help, and what the process looks like. Who do you or your employees contact? What is their help desk process like?
What does an on-site visit entail? How long would it take to get a response?
No one likes thinking about the worst-case scenario, but it’s important to ask these questions upfront so there are no surprises later.
An SLA, or Service Level Agreement, is a document that defines what services are offered and what the standard for those services should be. It should set the overall objectives for the services being provided, as well as describe the services and what standards should be put into place.
A good SLA should also include a financial consequence for the service provider, as well as the right for you, as the customer, to terminate the agreement if the service becomes that terrible. Hopefully, it never comes to that, but if it does, at least you have the right to terminate your contract early.
Finding the right business IT support services is not something that should be rushed. Take your time and find the right partner for your business, or you may end up regretting it.
Techspert will gladly answer any questions or concerns you may have. Techspert Services has been providing state-of-the-art managed IT services to businesses throughout the U.S for 10+ years.
Contact us today to find out what we can do for your business.