Do You Know How Easy Switching IT Companies Can Be?
Most people think that once they sign up with an IT company, they’re stuck for the long-haul. But here’s the thing… If your IT company isn’t meeting your needs, you’re not tied down to them.
In fact, you can switch IT companies fairly easily, as long as you take the right precautions, follow the proper protocol, and overall, be strategic in the way you handle the transition. But before we go into that in more detail, you might be wondering if you really NEED to switch IT companies.
CHECKLIST: Do I Need To Switch IT Companies?
If you’re not sure if it’s time to switch IT companies, take a look at the following checklist to help you determine whether or not you need to make a change…
- Are they responding to your support requests in a fast manner? This is critical to ensuring your staff members can work productively, and of course, avoiding costly downtime.
- Are you able to contact them after-hours or on weekends for critical issues? Or are you only able to ask for help or assistance with technology issues during business hours? You don’t want to be without support – ever.
- Are they communicating frequently with you? You should be sitting down on a regular basis to talk about your technology strategy, budget, and any improvements you can make.
- Are you receiving regular reports and documentation? Aside from receiving reports regarding your network health, performance, and security, you should also have access to all important documentation.
- Are they able to resolve issues properly the first time around? This is critical to keep your staff productive, but sometimes, a lack of training and/or experience with specific technologies can result in challenges resolving issues.
- Are you constantly finding extra fees or charges on your bill? You need an all-inclusive, managed offering that covers everything. Even if something isn’t covered, it should be discussed in-depth with you instead of being a surprise.
- Are they backing up your data and testing it on a regular basis? They should be talking to you about the frequency at which they’re backing up your data, and more than that, how often they’re testing those backups.
- Are they meeting all aspects of the service level agreement? Lastly, you should feel like they’re meeting all aspects of the service level agreement – from the response time to pricing to uptime guarantees and everything in between.
RECOMMENDATIONS: What Should I Look For In A New IT Company?
If you’re still reading at this point, that means you’ve decided you do, in fact, need to switch IT companies. Now, you want to avoid a situation where you’re not happy – yet again – with your new IT company. This means you need to do your due diligence and make sure you’re finding an IT company that will truly exceed your expectations. Here are our recommendations:
Know What Matters Most
First and foremost, there are a few factors you need to pay attention to. When you’re looking around, focus on the following:
- How long have they been in business?
- Have they worked with others in your industry?
- Do they currently hold any relevant certifications?
- What do they know about the regulations you must comply with?
- Do they offer all of the services you need?
- Will they give you a few current clients to speak with?
Speak To Their Current Clients
If they’ll give you a few of their current clients as references, make sure you’re asking the right questions:
- Do they meet your service level agreement?
- Do they charge you extra for anything, and if so, is it discussed beforehand?
- Do they prevent you from experiencing any sort of virus infections?
- Do they offer after-hours and weekend support?
- Do they take a proactive approach that prevents downtime?
Feel Free To Ask Questions
Don’t hesitate to ask questions about any aspect of their offering, including the services and how they’re provided, their onboarding process, and their service level agreement. The entire purpose of meeting with an IT company is to figure out if you’re comfortable enough to sign a contract with them.
Get Started With An IT Company That Exceeds Expectations Now!
If you’ve decided that you’re ready to make the move, get in touch with our team of technology professionals. OnPar Technologies is a cloud-first, full-service Microsoft partner that’s dedicated to helping businesses prosper in the digital age with transformative technology solutions. We make our clients more efficient, productive, and of course, more profitable. We deliver full lifecycle solutions – from project inception and planning to deployment, ongoing support, and maintenance.
You can expect us to answer all of your questions openly and honestly, and naturally, we’d be happy to give you the names and contact information for some happy clients to chat with about our services. After all, we understand being hesitant after having a bad experience with a technology support company.
Click here to get started or call us at 919-926-9619.