Navigating the market to find the best outsourced IT support options and ensuring you get the most out of the relationship is going to be two of your top priorities. As such, understanding what to expect from the organisation that you go for and what to look out for in a contract is vitally important.
Just in case you have some pressing questions, we’ve compiled a list of things you should look out for and come to understand when analysing the fine print of any IT Support contract:
1. Outsourced IT Services – What are you being offered and why?
No business owner likes to be surprised by unexpected add-ons and costs when they go to check their invoice at the end of the month. As such you should pay very close attention to the services you are paying for and how exactly they are going to benefit your business. This can be a very useful exercise that should be reviewed at regular intervals with your outsourced IT provider.
2. System Maintenance Procedures – How will the services be managed and maintained?
This is where managing expectations meet reality. Understanding how the IT company you’re choosing is going to handle the day-to-day running of your IT operations as well as when to expect maintenance checks is a vital element in achieving peace of mind. You should also be able to check-in as and when needed.
3. Operations and Systems – Can they comply with appropriate IT standards?
Handing over your IT support and systems to an outside company is going to bring with it a series of questions. One of them need not be whether they are complying with regulatory guidelines. An experienced IT service provider is going to understand the latest policies and best practises and will be able to demonstrate how they can help you comply.
4. Onboarding – Do you understand the process?
Asking for a plan in writing will ensure that both you and your chosen IT company are on the same page. Both parties will understand what is happening and when, removing the unnecessary burden of what can be a highly stressful period of change and transition. This can also serve as a trouble-shooting period to hammer out any current issues before the systems are set in place.
5. Response rates, reliability and availability – Who are you going to call?
Knowing who to call, for what, and when is incredibly important when you find yourself in the midst of an IT disaster, be it within normal working hours, out-of-hours, weekends or bank holidays. Having direct access to all key people at your outsourced IT partner will enable you to rest easier knowing your IT company has your back and that you can escalate issues as and when needed.
Once these nitty-gritty bits have been dealt with, the next phase will be developing a solid communication plan between your business and your chosen IT partner.
- Gaining clarification on what type of communication you expect from your outsourced IT support provider will help you feel that you are both a part of the process but not completely dependent.
- More often than not your IT support provider will need to communicate with more than one colleague within your business. Ensuring urgent requests and calls are going to the right person/department will significantly reduce wasted transfer times.
- Discussing how to get in touch with you or any required colleague within your business is another important factor to consider which is not constricted to just phone calls, meetings, emails and service tickets. For major issues, you may want to receive post-op debriefs whilst smaller issues can be summarised in weekly or monthly reports.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a small or large business, having outsourced IT support is a great resource to have under your belt. Besides the obvious benefit of a fully functioning and effective service that will inevitably be more economical than maintaining an in-house IT team, you will also benefit from a premium service, highly experienced engineers available 24/7/365 and the latest industry-leading technology.
If you’d like to discuss outsourcing your IT needs, feel free to get in touch via telephone at +44 203 034 2244 or +1 323 984 8908. Alternately, you can contact us online. We will be happy to help you overcome your IT challenges. Our friendly team will help guide you through your options and will help ensure that you get the right IT Outsourcing contract for your organisational needs. We have engineering bases in the United Kingdom, Europe and Southern California and our group of highly experienced engineers are available 24/7 to assist and ensure that your business’ IT infrastructure is running seamlessly.
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