How To Choose an IT Support Provider or MSP

Not sure how to choose an IT support provider or MSP for your business? These questions can help you make the right decision. And don’t forget to download our Choose IT Support Checklist.

Having to choose an IT support provider can be a daunting task. There are many to choose from and they are far from equal—often in ways you may not even know to ask about. But the time, effort and expense you will save with a high quality IT provider (or partner) makes it a worthy endeavor.

How To Evaluate Potential IT Support Partners

Take it one step at a time and use these questions to help:

1. Does the company provide a list of IT services that align with your needs? Do those services seem like a core part of their business or more of an afterthought?
2. Does the company website provide transparency into the business and showcase their team? Do the employees look happy? IT can be a stressful job, and you don’t want burned out or disgruntled employees managing IT for your business!
3. Is the company able to list any relevant certifications or partnerships that support their ability to successfully deliver on services? (e.g. If you are looking for a managed service provider (MSP) to build/support a Microsoft environment, is that MSP a certified Microsoft partner? Do they have engineers with relevant certifications?)
4. Is the company able to easily describe their pricing structure and service fees? Is there a minimum contract price? Can they provide a pricing estimate based on the size and complexity of your company (with out-of-scope costs factored in)?
5. For all out-of-scope work not related to the service agreement, will they include a description of available services and any related pricing?
6. Can the company describe their level of success meeting service-level agreements and provide examples?
7. Can the company describe the organizational structure of their help desk support and staff? How well-positioned is the company to support call volumes of 50 or more trouble tickets per month?
8. Does the company provide security training to clients as well as their own employees? 
9. How does the company address a breach and/or cyber attack? What cyber security measures do they take in case of attack? Have they helped their clients build customized versions of these plans in the past?
10. Can the IT company or MSP provide the following for client references and at least one reference from a company of similar size to your own? 
    • Name of company
    • Referral contact information
    • Industry type
    • Length of client/partner relationship

The Good, The Fast and The Ugly (Cheap) IT

In the world of managed service providers there is a wide disparity in the quality, speed and cost of services.  This is especially seen with service industry organizations like plumbing, electrical and information technology. There is a term often used that defines the type of service an organization provides and that term is “The Unattainable Triangle”.  Let’s take a look at each of the three points on the triangle and the type of service they represent:

• The  first of the three points is known as “Good” and represents the quality of the service you are signing up to receive.
• The second point is referred to as “Cheap” and represents the lowest cost provider.
• The third point is known as “Fast” and represents the speed at which the service becomes available and can be resolved or completed.

Let’s be honest – a good, cheap and fast IT services provider is not going to be easy to find (or even exist at all). At best, your IT services provider may be good and fast but they won’t be cheap. This leaves only two viable options for “good” service.

1. Good and Fast (won’t be cheap)
2. Good and Cheap (won’t’ be fast)

So how can you guarantee the best scenario for your business and get good service and resolutions in a timely manner?  In truth no provider can guarantee a resolution time.  Simply put, there are a great many different types of support issues that happen and while the timeliness of responding to those issues is important, it’s how a provider responds to an issue that is even more important. 

You should ask your prospective provider to define the process their organization uses to resolve mission critical issues. Considerations and follow up questions:

1. Is every support call worked by your lowest tier support person or are support requests routed to higher level staff based on the severity, time sensitive nature, and complexity of the issue?
2. What is the average wait time to resolve a mission critical issue?
3. What are your internal minimum time requirements for a tier 1 technician to work a ticket before escalating to Tier 2 or higher technical staff?
4. Do you have a single touch resolution metric that your organization strives for?

Narrow Down Your IT Service Provider Choice

Based on the answers you receive to the questions above and the discussions you have with referred clients, you can narrow your search to just a few IT companies. It’s not easy to choose an IT support provider or MSP.

The provider should do everything possible to make the transition seamless for your company and staff. If properly selected, the IT support provider you choose can help you map out your organization’s short-term and long-term tech needs.

Know When IT’s Time to Switch

Change is not always easy, but it may be time to switch if your current MSP or IT support provider is struggling to move your business forward. Knowing the signs to look for can help you make an informed decision:

• Increase in cost with no improvement in service
• Slower response time than usual
• Out of touch with the latest in technology
• Unaware of recent changes to compliance rules and regulations
• Increase in data breaches and weak firewall support
• Reactive to cyber issues or threats instead of proactive monitoring and support

Don’t settle for lackluster IT support and put the security of your business at risk. Know when it’s time to begin the search for a provider that best aligns with your company’s IT goals. There are a wide range of IT support providers to choose from with a wide range of services to offer. No two MSPs or IT support providers will operate the same. It’s always best to do the necessary research and find an IT partner that will improve the quality of service for your business.

Make the Right Decision for Your Business

After you complete a series of interviews and narrow your search to only a few options, the decision becomes easier to make. The right MSP is one that acts in the best interest of your company in terms of growth, productivity, relationship building and profitability. The last thing you want from an MSP is a difficult working relationship that offers low-end support and high-end expenses. An excellent IT team should be transformative to your business in all the right ways. 

>>Download the free Choose IT Support Checklist 

The managed services provider (MSP) you choose should leave you questioning why you didn’t make the switch sooner. Let us show you how easy it can be to choose an IT support provider. Contact us or book a meeting today and let’s talk about your IT needs.