Can You Trust Your New Outsourced IT Support Provider?

Moving to a New IT Support Provider

Moving to a new IT provider can be a nerve-wracking experience, particularly if your current relationship has gone sour.  Finding a new provider you can trust is key to keeping your business on the right technical path.  You certainly don’t want to end up worse off than you are now.  But what should you be looking for?  And how should you benchmark IT providers to understand if they are trustworthy and experienced?

Seek Comfort In Accreditations

Did you know that renowned IT brands provide accreditations for top IT firms?  If you’re not confident about measuring up an IT firm yourself, let the experts do it for you.

Take Microsoft. Their rigorous accreditation scheme allows IT companies to demonstrate their technical abilities and commitment to providing specialised, up-to-date customer solutions. Firms can secure either silver or gold status in competencies like Cloud Platform Management by completing exams and gaining customer references as testament to their capabilities.

Accreditation means you can rest assured that the company is qualified to assess your business goals, identify a solution that meets your business needs while ensuring you become more agile and efficient.   And they’ll help you take advantage of the cloud, opening up a new world of opportunities for business and revenue growth.

Microsoft partners will also have 24-hour access to enhanced Microsoft support which means they are best placed to provide you with reliable assistance.

Product Partners

If a person’s worth can be measured by the company they keep, so an IT firm can be measured by its partners.  Look for organisations that partner with reputable providers.  Market leaders like Microsoft,  Dell and Sage are well-known brands who won’t allow their trusted name to be tainted by poor IT firms.

Gain Insight Through Testimonials and Case Studies

Finding out what it’s like to work with an IT company is crucial in your quest for the perfect provider.   Getting good customer references is essential and if a new outsourced supplier is not willing to give them stay clear.

Better still, if your potential new supplier is willing to let you speak to one of their customers, you know they are confident in their service and that they foster strong client relationships.

It’s also worth checking out their website for case studies so you can get a feel for the size and type of business they work with and the solutions they implement. This will also give you insight into how they work and whether their business culture will be right for you.

Proof Of Processes With Open Reporting

IT can feel like a dark art at the best of times.  Which is why finding an IT partner who makes their performance transparent with regular, understandable reporting is a must.

When meeting new providers, find out how often they report and what they report on.  If their standard offering isn’t suitable for your business, see whether they’re willing to adapt their methods to reflect your needs.  Good providers will be only too happy to work with you to create a bespoke report that supports your business.

Only Sign Up To A Transparent Agreement

Sleep walking into a support contract that ties you into an imperfect service is more common than you might think.  The best providers lay out their conditions in transparent terms so you know exactly what to expect.

Those who are most confident in their ability to deliver won’t tie you into long term contracts.  Look out for providers whose performance is good enough to allow their customers to give just one month’s notice.  Their customers stay because they choose to.

Check Out Their Values

If your last IT provider needed to be constantly chased or only spoke to you in meaningless geek-speak, you don’t want history to repeat itself.  Take a look at the company’s values.  Avoid those that focus solely on the technical solutions they can offer and put a gold star against those who put people and business at the heart of their offering.

Find Solutions That Can Be Suitably Scaled

Pairing with a one-man band might be fine when your business is small but if you start to expand you need a company that can keep up with you.  To be able to service your business’ needs, both now and in the future, an IT provider should provide technical solutions that scale with your company, up or down.

Ask upfront how much it will cost to change IT support levels and how long this will take to implement.  This is a common part of IT provision so a good provider should be able to give you this information without any problems.

How Do We Do iT?

At San-iT, we’ve on-boarded hundreds of new clients over the years.  Our tried and tested approach is as much about the people, the business and the process as it is about the technology.  Communication is key to what we do and we always keep clients up-to date with progress.

Working with San-iT is like having a trusted technical advisor within your team.  We work in a completely transparent manner building great relationships with clients at all levels of the organisation, including director level.  And we’re always looking at how we can help our clients push their businesses forward with the best use of IT.

For more details on how we could help you, contact us on 0800 084 2575 or at  info@San-iT.co.uk.