Although most IT providers will offer a helpdesk, they all run differently. They have different processes, staff and leadership. This is why it’s important to know how to choose the right IT provider for your business.
The right IT provider for you may include having similar views on business and a similar sense of business maturity. When these aspects align with your business, you can rest assured knowing they will have you covered in the right way.
Here are a number of things to look for in an IT provider before making your final decision.
How to Choose the Right IT Provider for Your Business
Support
Receiving immediate, anytime support from your IT provider is essential for running a successful business. Confirm that the support responsiveness is guaranteed and that you’ll be working with technicians – not voicemails.
When calling support, you want to make sure someone technical is actually answering the phones. There is no bigger headache than speaking to someone non-technical and being put into the ‘queue’ and anxiously await a return call. To test this out, call their helpdesk and see if you get through to a real support person. When you have a serious network issue, you want to talk to somebody so you know they’re aware of your problem. This is also true for less serious issues that can be fixed very quickly. Quite often someone will need their password reset in order to log onto their PC, the last thing you want is to wait all day because it’s not an emergency that affects many people.
Furthermore, confirm they have a guaranteed response time to your support requests. You will want to have confidence in the fact that your problem is being looked after in a timely manner. This can sometimes include after-hours technical support. Ask how they handle network issues that happen after hours – How to choose the right IT provider for your business? Make sure they have employees on call who can answer your calls or even come on site if needed.
Remember, many IT providers will claim to have great customer service. Make sure they back it up with a guaranteed response time and after hour support.
It is also important to find an IT provider that has an in-house help desk. Many IT providers will outsource their helpdesk to other companies or even overseas. Make sure the IT provider you choose has an in-house helpdesk to ensure you get the best support for your business.
Lastly, a good IT provider will meet with you once per quarter to go over your network and see if there are any other technologies your business should be aware of. These quarterly business reviews will present the ability to talk about the service you’re receiving and where you want to see improvement.
More reasons of how to choose the right IT provider for your business coming up, but first:
Services
Many IT Providers will offer diverse services. Although these ranges of services are quite important, knowing the specifics on how these services will benefit you is truly essential.
Having a backup and disaster recovery plan is vital. Make sure they recommend both an onsite AND offsite backup system. Also, find out how often they test your backups. How often do they do a full test restore of your data? Do they back up your data before performing any type of project or upgrade? All these questions should be addressed when picking your IT provider.
Once these topics have been covered it’s recommended that hardware be discussed. Is it provided? What is their average markup? Is it cost plus? Is it readily available? Find out if hardware is kept in stock. This will really come in handy if you ever need a lap top, desktop, server, switch, or firewall ASAP rather than waiting a day or two.
After discussing all the core services offered, see if there are other, non-IT services that can be beneficial to your organisation. Many IT providers possess other technologies that you may not Even think of like telephone systems, surveillance, website development, etc.
Reliability
So you have now aligned yourself with a credible IT provider that seems to offer the support and services your company requires, but are they going to be reliable? Quickly confirming a few key offerings can verify this.
Will they monitor your network 24/7/365?
Your company is constantly on the go and your services should be too. Around the clock monitoring ensures your provider stays on top of potential network issues. This allows the provider to solve problems before you even know they’re a problem. However, if things do go wrong, providers should protect you with indemnity insurance. This will protect your organisation in the event your provider causes your network to go down or lose data. Make sure their insurance is adequate, as well as see if any claims have been made by the IT provider.
Lastly, Security is undoubtedly a major concern of yours. Your IT provider and their employees have access to your network, passwords, and confidential information. Disgruntled employees can pose a threat to the integrity of your credentials. Ask the provider how they protect that information and make sure you feel peace of mind with your final decision.
Choosing an IT provider is not a decision you want to take lightly; And how to choose the right IT provider for your business takes careful consideration. Make sure you know they are the best fit for your business before signing on the dotted line. If you ever have
any questions, feel free to call us anytime on 01273 806211.
For over 10 years, Ingenio Technologies has provided highly responsive IT support solutions for small and medium businesses in Sussex, Kent, and Surrey. We work proactively with businesses who recognise that selected use of new technology improves efficiency and greatly reduces the time staff spend on IT issues.
Our clients benefit through lower IT maintenance costs, happy and productive employees, and computer networks that work the way they’re supposed to. Along with our valued integrity, we are very proud to have a 98% client retention for the past 5 years and counting.