What to look for when choosing an IT Solutions Provider? Part-1

What to look for when choosing an IT Solutions Provider? Part-1

IT is important to run a business, so finding the right IT Solutions provider is vital. Hiring the wrong company can waste your time and money. I am not explaining why IT Solutions are important for your business, but I am helping you to find the best service provider. Below are the questions to ask yourself and from the company you are considering before hiring.

* How well did they communicate?: Who answered your call? A real person or an answering service? Whenever you run into an IT related problem, a real person must be there for assistance.  I mean, did the IT solutions provider handled you through a “Leave a message” service, when you were calling for assistance? Well, a team of IT experts should answer the helpdesk line.

* How well did they respond?: In a case of any IT systems failures, you need quick assistance. A top-class IT Solutions provider keeps an assigned expert for each company they handle. That assigned IT expert would resolve issues through support tools or by arranging an on-site visit. So, instant response is a thing to look for.

* How well did they explain their service?: Did they answer all your questions? Did they listen to you well? Some companies make their clients feel silly for asking obvious simple questions. Well, you hire an IT Solutions provider because you are not an IT expert. So, you shouldn’t feel silly for asking basics from the helpdesk line. If they do so, you are considering the wrong company.

* How well did they plan?: Once you hired an IT Solutions provider, they should offer services consistently to improve your system. Some companies wait until their customers run into a problem to provide services and recommendations. IT is a rocketing industry. So, if not supported regularly, you would be lost and miss the latest technologies, then what is the point of hiring professionals? It would be just a waste of money. A top-class IT Solutions provider would arrange for regular support meetings to help their customers. Helping customers on reaching their goals is a good sign of a genuine service provider.

* Their Transparency?: OK, you hired the IT Solutions provider and paid the money. What about the invoices you got? I mean, did those invoices cover everything you paid for? A good service provider should issue you monthly invoices that mention all services provided. Make sure they complete all the pre-requested services each month. The company you hired should include all the completed jobs on the monthly invoice. Only then you can track their service.

* Who pays for their mistakes?: It’s the responsibility of the IT Solutions provider to complete all the projects on time. What if they fail to do? Did you have to pay for their mistake? But, why you have to pay for their incompetence? Accountability builds trust. Once you paid for monthly projects, it’s their responsibility to complete on time. If they fail, you don’t pay. They can’t ask you to pay either.

* Are they only reactive?: It’s the responsibility of the IT Solutions provider to update systems on a regular basis. The IT infrastructure in a business runs non-stop, 24×7. So, the company you hired should provide a complete real-time monitoring system. Customer oriented service provider watches their customer’s network continually to ensure your system running well without any issues.

Hope my article is helpful. Anyway, this is not the complete list. There’s a continuation of this article (What to look for when choosing an IT Solutions Provider? Part-2.) Please read that as well.