Keeping their IT infrastructure running at full capacity is a priority for most London businesses, making it no surprise to find that the trend of outsourced support for IT services is only growing with every year. As managed service providers (MSPs) become more popular worldwide, your business may be considering making the switch.
But are you truly ready to take that next step? As you might imagine, transferring your IT services to be managed by a 3rd party operation isn’t a simple process, and your business needs to have a solid game plan before carrying out this critical decision.
So, if you already understand what an MSP does and where it can fit into your business, it is time to start your search. As you look for the right partner, ensure you consider these following tips to find the best provider possible.
1. Know Their Experience
You wouldn’t hire an employee who doesn’t have as much experience in your industry — the same goes for your managed service provider. A quick Google search can yield an array of crucial decision-aiding information, with experience being amongst the top of the list.
You’ll want to know the answers to these questions:
- Is the MSP an industry player with years of experience, or are they relatively new?
- Does it seem like they’re focused on longevity?
- How many clients have they worked with so far?
Keep in mind that an older MSP isn’t guaranteed to provide better service — a newer team can easily be your best option as long as they hit the following points.
2. Understand Their Customer Support
The market doesn’t wait for anyone, which means your business can’t afford costly downtime due to a detrimental IT issue. To keep ahead of the game, you need a managed service provider who is transparent about their response times and have the specifics laid out clearly in your contract.
3. Find Their Client Reputation
Reviews are more than a marketing trick; they can be the difference between a good MSP and an excellent one. Fortunately, most managed service providers worth your money will be happy to provide you with multiple references and client reviews.
Also, ensure the testimonials that you’re searching for are from clientele similar to yourself. A good or bad review from a company that operates nothing like your own business isn’t of much use!
4. Double-check Their Growth Flexibility
With how fast businesses are growing throughout London, it’s not enough to search for an MSP who can only meet your current needs — you’ll need flexibility in the future, too. Most providers have the ability to grow their service alongside your expanding requirements, but it’s still a good idea to double-check their capabilities. You don’t want to go through the hassle of switching IT companies because your current partner can’t match your needs.
5. Know What You’re Getting
The final and most important piece to keep in mind is actually knowing what you’re paying for! Like the businesses they serve, managed service providers can come in all shapes and sizes. You should have a perfect understanding of their capabilities before signing any contracts.
Here are some basic questions you should be asking to get a better picture of the MSPs abilities:
- Is the workforce large enough to handle multiple clients at once without their service declining?
- Do they offer a 24/7 helpdesk or monitoring service?
- How will they track and inform you of things like support tickets, service reports, etc.?
- Do they oversee all IT services themselves, or will some of it be outsourced?
Making Your Final Decision
There’s a lot that goes into finding the right managed service provider, but by following the above considerations and examining your own needs, the search doesn’t have to be a painful one. A reputable MSP should know exactly what businesses require when it comes to supporting their IT infrastructure.