If your business has reached the point where you know you need outside IT support, whether due to growth, the loss of a key IT employee or concerns about vulnerability in your network, you have an important decision to make. Choosing the right IT service company for your business is an important step on the path of your company’s continued success; choosing the wrong company, however, could create additional headaches and ultimately be more of a hindrance than a help.
So, how do you know you’re picking the right company to partner with for your company’s IT support? Focus on the provider’s expertise, service and support. Let’s look into each of those a little bit more:
Expertise
What are the service provider’s specialties and certifications? Do they have experience in your industry, and with similarly-sized organizations? Finding an organization that is experienced in your industry is especially important if your industry has its own rules and regulations for IT security.
Does the company have experience working with the type of hardware, software and peripherals you use? If not, they may not be the best fit to help your company proactively address its IT needs.
Service
What kind of response time can you expect from the IT service company? Look for a company that offers a guaranteed or promised response time when issues arise.
A speedy response time is not the only thing you should look at, however; you need to make sure the company you partner with offers quality support. A speedy response is great, but only if it serves to address the original problem without worsening or creating new problems. Look for a company with a track record of happy customers.
Finally, what kind of support do they offer? Look for a company that offers support in a way that will be helpful for you and your employees, whether that is phone support or email responses.
Support
What kinds of services will be covered under your support contract with the company? Some service companies offer very limited support while others offer support for just about any type of IT service need you can think of.
Do you need help with network design, network security, ongoing monitoring, data backup and recovery, web hosting, server storage, or something else? The best support for your company will fit your business and your anticipated needs.
If your business has reached a point where you need to partner with an IT service company, congratulations! Having a dedicated IT service company in your corner will help position your organization for continued growth. Any reputable IT service provider should willingly provide answers regarding how their firm’s expertise and experience align with your company, what type of service they can offer you and your employees, and how they will meet your needs on an ongoing basis.
