If you’ve been with the same Managed IT Service Provider for years, you may be wondering if you’re still getting the best service. Is the grass greener somewhere else? If you haven’t noticed any issues and are happy with the costs and flow of communication, changing your server might be more hassle than it’s worth. But if you’ve started to have serious concerns about your IT service provider, it may be time to walk away.
Is it Time For a New IT Service provider?
If you’re lucky, you’ve noticed warning signs of a lacking IT service before disaster strikes, not after. The time to switch isn’t after you’ve lost data or customers, but as soon as you start seeing warning signs that you’ve outgrown your IT service provider. A reputable IT consulting company should be able to offer some guidance, but in the meantime, here are some red flags that every business owner should watch for:
Hard to Contact
Have you noticed increasingly longer wait periods between the time you submit a ticket and the time you hear back? Are you finding that you are the one notifying your IT tech of high-priority issues like internet outages or server failures? Are you the one checking in with your IT service provider because you haven’t heard from them in so long? If so, there may be a problem. Perhaps they lack the right technology to properly monitor your systems, or they may just be short-staffed. Regardless, these kinds of breaks in communication can hurt your business and lead to lapses in service.
Too Small for Your Growing Business
A good IT provider should serve as a trusted advisor that understands your general business goals. They should hear out your concerns, ask questions about your technology needs, and focuses on ways to improve your productivity and profitability. Not only should they talk the talk, but be able to walk the walk. This means that as your business grows your IT capabilities should adapt and grow with you. Having an IT service provider that is flexible and capable enough to handle your evolving needs is crucial for a growing business.
No Recovery Plan
Your IT service provider should have a recovery plan in place for your IT. This business continuity plan will ensure that any outages or natural disasters do not slow your business down for long and will not result in any major data loss. If they don’t have something like this in place, you should be very concerned.
Lax Monitoring
Your IT service provider should identify and repair small problems before they become big problems for your business. If you are constantly calling them to notify them of problems, the process has reversed. It is their job to monitor your server and network to quickly identify such issues.
No Transparency
Your IT service provider should be completely transparent in terms of billing, repairs and open issues. The sophistication of most ticketing systems makes it easy to track the status of issues going on with your IT. If you notice unexplained service charges or upgrades that you didn’t agree to, it’s time to talk to them about what’s going on. An IT service should offer greater consistency and peace of mind, not less.
Managed Service Provider
Managed IT services don’t just hide your IT mess, they clean it up. Implementing the right tools, experience, and practices their goal is to organize every aspect of your IT infrastructure. Expert IT services also provide your company with a competitive edge by maximizing efficiency, increasing the speed of your technology, and improving customer communication.
An Absolute Necessity
All businesses benefit from a strong IT infrastructure and expert managed service provider. While IT often operates in the background, without it your company’s success could be in jeopardy. Every move your business makes is affected by IT. Not only does it help improve innovation, but it also affects all your transaction activities, including communications, marketing, and sales.
Contact Us to find out how your business can grow when your IT service provider is always one step ahead.
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