How To Find A Good IT Support Provider For Business Owners

If you’re reading this, then,chances are, you’re looking to outsource your IT function to a third-party provider.

Choosing the right one for your company can be challenging.

IT, afterall, is critical to the functioning of your business.

It would be best if you chose a reliable, trustworthy, and communicative provider. 

 To make finding a good IT support provider more difficult, there’s an overwhelming number of options out there.

If you look on Google, you’ll find website after website.

Often, these websites are filled with technical jargon that is hard to understand, making it difficult to know if a provider can really meet your needs.

 You shouldn’t give up your search,however.

A great IT provider can bring numerous benefits. IDC found that using an outsourced provider can reduce costs by 24%and increase productivity by 42%. 

 Let's look at the process of finding IT support.

Below, we explore essential things to look for in an IT support provider and questions you should ask before signing anything on the dotted line.

Think about what you need From Your Business IT Support Provider

 As a starting point, you’ll want to think about the type of support you’re looking for.

If you’re not sure,that’s ok.

A good provider will offer you expert advice.

Some thoughts to get you started are below: 

 •             Have you invested in cybersecurity? 

•             Where and how do you store your data? 

•             Do you want to update your IT systems and applications? 

•             Do you own your hardware, or is it provided to you? When was it last updated? 

•             How many employees do you have,and do they use their own devices? 

•             Do your people work remotely? 

•             How have you dealt with IT issues thus far? 

In answering these questions,you’ll get an idea of where your IT support should be directed.

An IT support provider can be as involved as you want them to be.

Depending on your needs,they can completely manage your infrastructure or only work for you on an ad-hoc basis. 

How to narrow down your search For Your Business IT Support Provider

Experienced IT Support Provider

Look for a provider that has experience working in your specific sector.

For example, if you’re a medical company, you don’t want to work with an IT services provider that has only worked with retailers thus far. 

 This is because different industries tend to have different compliance requirements and tend to usedifferent pieces of software.

You want an IT provider that will understand your business challenges and help you solve them through technology. 

A Credible IT Support Provider

Where possible, look for customer reviews - or ask for customer testimonials - to get a deeper understanding of how credible and trustworthy this organisation is. 

 You should also look for evidenceof certification.

You’ll want to work with certified technicians who have deep experience of working with the platform you use (Mac or Windows). 

Budget Planning

IT support will be an additional cost, but it doesn’t need to break the bank.

A good provider will be upfront about their prices and work with you to design a program that matches your budget.

 Proactive Business IT Support

 Look for an IT provider that offers proactive support.

Rather than just reacting and putting out fires, they should help you to find new efficiencies and boost productivity through technology. 

 A free IT system audit

 Your IT provider should begin engaging with you via a free IT audit, where they look at your internal systems and then make recommendations. 

 The interview phase

 After going through these steps,you should have narrowed down your potential IT providers.

If you’ve still got to choose between a few, consider asking them the following questions.

 What locations do you cover?

 While you might never need your IT support person to visit your actual office, they should be within a driving distance if you need on-site help.

Ideally, your IT support provider will be in the same region as you. 

 What is and isn’t covered in the IT support contract?

 Before you sign anything on the dotted line, you want to ensure that your contract meets your exact needs.

Ask for granular information about what is covered in the agreement and what isn’tand ensure the services you need are included. 

 Things to look out for include help with cloud setup and support, server support, network support, and desktophosting. Moreover, don’t forget security.

Your provider should help you with building your company’s defences through endpoint protection, anti-virusupdates, and employee training. 

 Do you have any guaranteed response times?

 If you need urgent IT support, you want to know that you can count on your IT provider to respond quickly andefficiently.

Ask them if they have a guaranteed response time. 

 Let’s take your IT to the next level! 

 Our team can help you with all of your IT support needs.

If you need help with IT support, give us a call today!Let’s have an obligation-free chat to determine how we can help you. 

Call 1300 991 030 or reach out online.