Introduction
Employing a professional business IT support company is therefore not a simple decision that can greatly affect your company’s operations and effectiveness. The selection of the best IT services partner is a very complex process which involves the consideration of many factors, from the level of security expertise to the communication skills.
Key Takeaways
- Take into account the technical expertise as well as the customer service skills.
- Inquire on the time of the response for each degree of the support tickets.
- Inquire regarding cybersecurity expertise.
- Due to the rise in data and internet traffic, cybersecurity has become one of the most crucial and challenging concerns in today’s digital world.
- Inquire if they have the experience of dealing with the field you are in.
Also Read: Top 5 Small Business IT Support Companies Melbourne [2024]
13 essential rules to consider when hiring an IT support firm
Use these 13-rules guide to choose an IT support company that is transparent, reliable, and knowledgeable about your business.
Here is the list:
- Limit Your IT Support Requirements
- Address the Issues of Research Provider Experience and Specializations.
- Ensure the security and compliance features are implemented properly.
- Assess Technical Support Responsiveness
- Scrutinize Service Level Agreements
- Assess the references and goodwill of your current and past vendors.
- Evaluate the communicational and collaboration skills.
- As far as you are capable, Give First Priority to Local Providers.
- Find out the prices and hourly rates.
- Require Ironclad Confidentiality Agreements
- Check Insurance Coverage
- Scrutinize the Company’s Financials
- Standardize the Vetting Process
Limit Your IT Support Requirements
Before you begin searching for a service provider, you should first clearly identify the IT support and services that your business needs so that you can evaluate the providers properly.
Consider factors like:
- Day-to-day IT issues, including hardware/software problems, computer installation/configuration and other IT related issues (such as email setup) we need assistance with.
- A network and security services will be needed (for example, backup service, antivirus protection, firewall management, etc.).
- IT projects that you have to finish (like, new software implementation, network upgrades, etc.).
- Industry-specific technical demands from the IT point of view (retail POS system management, healthcare IT compliancy, etc.).
Address the Issues of Research Provider Experience and Specializations.
When researching potential IT support companies, look for
- The industry experience (e.g. 5+ years of serving businesses in your particular industry)
- A comprehensive range of technology competences and business necessities (network engineering, cloud services, cybersecurity, etc.) along with cutting-edge IT which is advanced.
- Referrals and testimonials from actual cases and client reviews that substantiate the company’s credibility through successful project implementations.
According to a Spiceworks study, the majority of businesses (96%) consider the expertise and specialization of the IT provider as an important factor when making the hiring decision. Limit your scope of search considering people with the right qualifications and experience who will fit your needs.
Ensure the security and compliance features are implemented properly.
Data security is critical, so evaluate each provider’s security qualifications:
- Are their data protection measures (encryption, backup/recovery, antivirus, etc.) robust enough?
- Do they take care of the HIPAA and PCI DSS requirements that you have to comply with?
- What are their security protocols: the steps through which malicious activities are identified, withheld, and responded to?
According to the 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report from IBM, the average cost of a breach is $4.35 million for a company. When choosing an IT partner, security must be on the list at the top.
Assess Technical Support Responsiveness
It’s vital your IT provider delivers excellent technical support when issues arise:
- What is their technical support availableness? The best is the round the clock emergency support.
- Do they provide services such as phone, email, pop-up dialogue windows, and remote access and on-site support?
- What is their average servicing time when it comes to support calls, emails, or tickets? Do not choose the firms that have long waiting periods.
- In the case of calls/e-mails concerning initial support, how much information do the helpers provide? How useful do they seem to be?
Scrutinize Service Level Agreements
Take care during your evaluation process to evaluate the SLAs that are provided. Be sure agreements contain:
Clear Expectations:
- A specific IT services/ responsibilities that are based on your business needs
- Some examples are scheduling, completion, budget and resource estimation.
Service Quality/Reliability Standards:
- For instance, deterministic entries such as server downtime that has the maximum time, the minimum internet speed, etc.
- Ensured minimum network/system availability (99%+ uptime)
Response Times:
- Flash flooding, fires, medical emergencies and other maximum issues, high priority and routine tasks have the same response times.
- A remediation progress for response times failed.
Credits/Penalties:
- Put it clearly that the SLA terms not fulfilled will mean compensation, service credits or other penalties.
Assess the references and goodwill of your current and past vendors.
A company’s word of mouth and reputation about their skills and abilities alone won’t do. Thoroughly check:
- Google, Yelp and other review platforms are the most common places that people post online reviews.
- Happy clients usually leave direct references (call/write to former clients about their experiences) in order to let potential customers know how their business is doing.
- The participants could easily get familiar with the enterprise’s name and logo in the market due to the use of credible review sites such as Gartner Peer Insights.
- Social media pages for further inquiry.
As Gartner claims, peer recommendations and vendor validity verification which are the primary selection criteria are the most common reasons for businesses to choose IT service providers. Cue Organize here.
Evaluate the communicational and collaboration skills.
Your IT company will become an extension of your team, so open communication and seamless collaboration capabilities are essential, including:
- Having salience points and status update protocols.
- Project management software that puts teamwork on the front seat with shared task management.
- The technical documentation and the practices of knowledge sharing.
- Cultural fit is also important. Clear communication is crucial as well.
As far as you are capable, Give First Priority to Local Providers.
While remote IT management has improved, a local provider (within 30 miles) offers advantages:
- Prompter on-site emergency troubleshooting and support
- We would give people a chance to express their problems through more hands-on service and by making it more through face-to-face interaction.
- At a more advanced level there is understanding of local rules, facilities and risks
Find out the prices and hourly rates.
IT support pricing varies significantly, so gauge each company’s costs:
- Are managed service providers charging on monthly or yearly basis with the long-term deals included? Perhaps, for one-time projects but not long-term or resource billing?
- Will you keep control through user/asset pricing on a per basis? The big question is: Unlimited support for not-for-profit?
- What is standard delivery time compared to expedited/fast shipping?
- What about the price, is it similar to the other bids and your budget?
Computing Technology Industry Association(CompTIA) in its own research discovered that 73% of SMBs agree that cost is the main point of negotiation when managed IT services are being purchased. It is necessary taking into account not only the first offer.
Require Ironclad Confidentiality Agreements
Your provider will access sensitive systems and data, so demand stringent confidentiality including:
- Staff members are given their own non-disclosure agreements with confidentiality clauses which continue to be effective even after the contract is terminated.
- A corporate non-disclosure agreement would ensure the company would remain with client data confidential.
- Tight provisions on data gathering, storage and use are needed.
- Well-defined data breach procedures that are in line with the regulations, are extremely important.
Check Insurance Coverage
It could be a marketing mistake if something goes wrong and you cannot tell the truth.
Verify extensive insurance policies protecting your company:
- General liability insurance includes the Active presence of the insurer’s representatives to prevent on-site incidents/accidents.
- Professional liability coverage in case of large-scale data breaches or errors.
- Cyber liability insurance if security of data is breached
- Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance policies encompassing mistakes and neglect of duty.
Scrutinize the Company’s Financials
Though very seldom, IT companies sometimes close down abruptly.
Protect your business by validating:
- Actual cash positions, revenue growth and profits that could be considered a sign of a more stable financial position.
- Companies in this category have enough resources to hire and retain top IT professionals and their tools.
- No lawsuits, bankruptcies or other warnings in the last few years.
Standardize the Vetting Process
Creating a request for proposal (RFP) or request for quote (RFQ) forces IT companies to answer the same key questions in a manner you can easily compare.)[:The geographical remoteness of Antarctica provides a unique and pristine natural environment that few other regions can match.
