Do you know how easy switching IT service providers can be?

Most people think that once they sign up with an IT service provider, they’re stuck for the long-haul. But here’s the thing… if your IT Service Provider isn’t meeting your needs, you’re not tied down to them. 

In fact, you can switch IT service provider fairly easily, as long as you take the right precautions, follow the correct protocol, and overall, be strategic in the way you handle the transition. But you might be wondering if you really NEED to switch IT service provider. 

If you’re not sure if it’s time to switch IT service provider, take a look at the following checklist to help you determine whether or not you need to make a change… 

Are they responding to your support requests in a fast manner? This is critical to ensuring your staff members can work productively, and of course, avoiding costly downtime. 

Are they responding to your teams' support needs aligned to their priorities? Waiting hours or days to critical workload issues instead of minutes when required is very costly. 

Do you get random and not forecasted invoices, that you have to deal with? Having a strategic plan/roadmap is greatly beneficial. Avoid random invoices by having a strategic plan in place.  

Are you able to contact them after-hours or on weekends for critical issues? Or are you only able to ask for assistance with technology issues during business hours? You don’t want to be without support – ever. 

Are they communicating frequently with you? You should be sitting down on a regular basis to talk about your technology strategy, budget, and any improvements you can make. 

Are you receiving regular reports and documentation? Aside from receiving reports regarding your network health, performance, and security, you should also have access to all important documentation to remove your risk if your current IT provider was to fold.  

Are they able to resolve issues properly the first time around? This is critical to keep your staff productive, but sometimes, a lack of training and/or experience with specific technologies can result in challenges in resolving issues. 

Are you constantly finding extra fees or charges on your bill? You need an all-inclusive, managed offering that covers everything. Even if something isn’t covered, it should be discussed in-depth with you instead of being a surprise. 

Are they backing up your data and testing it on a regular basis? They should be talking to you about the frequency at which they’re backing up your data, and more than that, how often they’re testing those backups. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

What should I look for in a new IT service provider? 

If you’re still reading at this point, that means you’ve decided you do, in fact, need to switch IT Service Providers. Now, you want to avoid a situation where you’re not happy – yet again – with your new IT company. This means you need to do your due diligence and make sure you’re finding an IT Service Provider that will truly exceed your expectations. Here are our recommendations: 

Know What Matters Most 

Primarily, there are a few factors you need to pay attention to. When you are looking around, focus on the following: 

Will they perform a quarterly strategic technical meeting to create and manage a road map and strategic IT plan? 

Do they have resilience within their teams? (Not reliant on one person)  Have they worked with others in your industry?  Do they currently hold any relevant certifications?  What do they know about the regulations you must comply with?  Do they offer all of the services you need?  Will they provide you with current clients to speak with? 

Speak To Their Current Clients 

If they provide you with their current clients as references, make sure you’re asking the right questions: 

Do they meet your Teams’ priorities and get back to them in a timely manner?   Do they charge you extra for anything, and if so, is it discussed beforehand?  Do they prevent you from experiencing any sort of virus infections?  Do they offer after-hours and weekend support?  What do their quarterly strategic meetings look like and what value does the output/plan bring to you? 

Feel Free To Ask Questions 

Don’t hesitate to ask questions about any aspect of their offering, including the services and how they’re provided, their onboarding process, and their response times to issues.

The entire purpose of meeting with an IT Service Provider is to figure out if you’re comfortable enough to sign a contract with them. 

Get started with an IT service provider that exceeds expectations now. 

If you’ve decided that you’re ready to make the move, get in touch with our team of technology experts.  Focus Technology Solutions is a forward-thinking, full-service IT Service Provider dedicated to helping businesses prosper in the digital age with transformative technology solutions. We make our clients more efficient, productive, and of course, more profitable. We deliver full lifecycle solutions – from project inception and planning to deployment, ongoing support, and maintenance. 

You can expect us to answer all your questions openly and honestly, and naturally, we’d be happy to give you the names and contact information for some happy clients to chat with about our services.  

Delivering managed technology services and strategies to SMEs across the UK is our sole focus at Focus Technology Solutions.

We work closely with leading software developers, so our expertise covers the complete range of business software applications.  This equips us with a unique skill set combining technical and business knowledge.

Book a no-obligation discovery call here or speak to one of our tech experts on: 01942 835912 or email: [email protected]