You’re busy. You have a business to run and that’s enough on your plate without having to worry about the IT infrastructure. But when you find yourself in need of IT services, you want the best possible managed IT services provider to take care of things. A good managed IT services provider will take some of this burden off your plate by helping you with:
Choose a partner, not a vendor
When you choose a managed IT services provider, you’ll have to decide whether to use an MSP or a VAR (value-added reseller).
A VAR is a vendor that does not provide any of the core technology but instead sells solutions built on top of other vendors’ products. They are essentially used to provide value-added services like software integration, customization, and branding. On the other hand, an MSP is more than just your average vendor; they offer complete manageability across devices and applications—and they’re well-versed in managing everything from PCs to servers to networks without requiring extra training for their customers’ staff members.
The difference between these two options comes down to who’s providing support for your business: If it’s just one person on staff doing all the work herself with help from a few remote engineers when needed — then she needs an internal team member (your IT manager) helping her out every step along the way
Go with the company that makes it easy to do business with them
When choosing an IT services provider, it’s important to remember that it’s not just the technology you’re purchasing. You’re also getting access to the people who will help you use that technology. As such, when you select a managed IT services company, be sure to look at how they make it easy for their customers to work with them.
The best way for a managed IT service provider (MSP) to make doing business with them as simple as possible is by having great customer support — but this isn’t enough on its own. In order for customers to feel truly valued and respected by their MSPs, they need access not only to effective support but also self-service solutions where they can find answers themselves or reach out directly with questions without needing an intermediary first. That means creating intuitive FAQ pages on your website where common issues are addressed in plain language so that customers don’t have trouble finding what they need when there are questions about billing or new features being offered by the MSP. Another thing MSPs can do is offer live chat functionality so that users can connect instantly without having to wait around until someone else comes online; this also lets users know whether someone from the company is actively working at any given time—which means there won’t be any surprises if/when someone does get back with them!
Align your goals together
When you’re evaluating managed IT services providers, it’s important to make sure that your goals are aligned with theirs. Your goals should be measurable, achievable, realistic and relevant. They should also be time-bound.
For example:
- You want to reduce the number of incidents caused by a particular application. This is a specific goal that’s attainable over time if managed properly by an experienced team of experts.
- You want to implement new applications within a budget and under deadline constraints without compromising security or performance for your business’ customers or employees. This is an ambitious goal with several moving parts—but it shows how aligning objectives can lead to better results when everyone works together towards achieving them in harmony!
Find a firm that is proactive, not reactive
What does it mean to be proactive rather than reactive? Proactive means that the IT company can predict issues before they happen, and work with you to prevent them. Reactive means that their job is only to solve problems after they occur.
Reactive is better than nothing, but proactive is better still. It’s one thing for an IT company to fix your computer or server when it crashes; it’s another for them to proactively monitor your network and anticipate what might cause problems in the future so that they can do something about it.
The reason why being proactive matters is because it shows that the company cares more about your business than just their own bottom line—the firm will look out for ways in which they can help improve your overall operations as well as make sure everything keeps running smoothly on a day-to-day basis.
Do they speak your language?
Choosing a managed IT services provider isn’t as easy as picking one based on price or proximity. You should consider the following:
- Does this company understand your industry? Do they have experience working in your industry or with companies similar to yours?
- Do they understand your business goals, culture and size? Can they provide the right level of service for you and your needs, given that information?
- Does this company understand technology, including what’s currently being used at your organization and how it will change over time (as well as new technologies coming onto the market)?
Speak their language
The first step in finding an IT service provider is to find one with whom you feel comfortable. The key to this is communication—the more you can communicate with your managed IT services provider, the better.
The second step is being able to communicate clearly and effectively. This means speaking their language and not speaking down to them or expecting them to speak down to you just because they’re technicians rather than “real people” like yourself.
It also means knowing what questions are appropriate and which ones aren’t; for example, it might be insulting if a technician asks how much money you make when trying to determine whether or not he needs additional training on new software applications (because that could imply that he isn’t capable of learning on his own).
Finally, it’s important not condescend techs by assuming they’re stupid just because they’re technicians rather than “real people.” This may seem like common sense but we’ve found most people don’t follow this rule when dealing with technical support personnel
Credentials matter
You’re probably wondering if you should choose a managed IT services provider who has certifications. The answer is yes, and there are two different types of certifications that you should look for:
- Engineer or technician certifications. Most technicians are familiar with the latest technology and can fix your computer when something goes wrong, but an engineer is trained to implement new technologies and help businesses like yours use their existing IT infrastructure more effectively.
- Vendor neutral certification. This means that the person who provides your managed IT services has been tested on all major brands of hardware, software and networking equipment so they don’t have any bias toward one brand over another when making recommendations to you about upgrades or replacements.
Have emergency protocols in place
While a managed IT services provider can help you with your network, it’s up to you and your team to come up with an emergency plan. A backup plan is also necessary in case the worst happens.
In the event of an emergency, have a protocol in place for how all employees will get notified. You should also decide who will be responsible for communicating updates from IT or MSP personnel when applicable. This person should be someone who has access to information about what’s happened—someone like CIO or CTO if those roles exist within your business—and they should know how to communicate clearly with other key staff members and teammates as well as clients who may be affected by outages or delays.
Managed IT services should take some of the burden off your plate and make it easier to focus on your core business objectives
Managed IT services should be able to help you focus on the most important aspects of your business. They should allow you to avoid costly mistakes and security breaches. They should also keep IT downtime at a minimum, as well as data loss, overspending and more. Maintaining an effective managed IT services provider can do all of this and more!
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand the importance of having an outsourced managed IT services provider. By following the six tips outlined above, you can ensure that your business is getting the best possible service at a reasonable cost.
If you are interested in a managed service provider but are looking for more information, contact us for a consultation at [email protected]