Evaluating Possible IT Providers
But, if you use a structured approach to evaluate potential IT providers, you can speed up the process and end up with a good relationship that helps your business grow.
Here’s how to carefully check out IT companies to make sure they can meet the wants of your business.
Some ways to research IT providers
Collecting data is the first thing that needs to be done to evaluate IT companies. Here are some good ways to do research:
Reviews Sites
You can find a lot of information about IT providers on sites like Google, Trustpilot, and forums that are specific to your business. Read what people have said about how reliable, responsive, and good the service company is. Keep in mind that reviews can be helpful, but they might not always give you a true picture of what the company can do.
Case-studies
Case studies give you an idea of how well the provider did in past jobs. They tell a story about how the provider dealt with certain problems and the answers they put in place. Find case studies that are related to the services you need and the business you’re in.
Customer Reviews
Testimonials from present and past clients can be very helpful. From the client’s point of view, they show what the service does well. If you can, get in touch with these clients directly to learn more about their experience with the company.
Questions You Should Ask Possible Providers
After you’ve done your homework, the next step is to talk to possible IT service providers. Things you should think about are these:
- What kind of experience do you have with companies in my field?
- Could you give me a full list of all the services you offer?
- How do you decide how to prioritise talking to clients and managing projects?
- What is your plan for keeping data safe and following the compliance laws?
- Could you give me more information about how your prices are set?
- How well do your services grow with my business?
- What’s your plan for dealing with downtime and service disruption?
The answers will tell you if they have the right skills, how they run their business, how they handle important issues like security, and how well they can change to meet your needs as they change.
Red Flags and Breaking the Deal
Good signals from the questions above are important in the selection process, it’s also important to spot red flags. Some of these are:
Lack of Transparency: It’s a red flag if a provider isn’t open about their methods, prices, or team’s qualifications.
Bad Communication: If it’s hard to get in touch with the provider or if they take a long time to reply at first, it could mean that communication will be a problem in the future.
One-Size-Fits-All: Every business has different IT needs. If a provider offers a general solution without understanding your specific wants, they probably won’t be able to give you good service.
Negative feedback trends: It’s normal for people to complain once in a while, but getting negative feedback over and over again about the same problems can be a red flag.
No Clear SLA: Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are very important. Maybe you can’t trust a service company that doesn’t give you a clear SLA,
The Big Question
To find the right IT service, you need to do your research and make sure that their values and skills match your own. You can choose an IT service company that will not only meet your current needs but also help your business grow in the future if you do good research, ask the right questions, and watch out for warning signs.
In terms of research, one very specific question you can ask is this: I want to align my IT infrastructure, software and hardware with my business goals. Can you give me a specific example of how you have helped one of your clients change from dealing with IT support issues to helping them achieve a business objective or goal?
If you get back a generalised answer, dig deeper – what software was used, what hardware – what was the outcome for the customer?