Over 627,000 small businesses are started each year in the United States. Before you can open your doors, you have to make sure that everything is in order, from filing articles of incorporation to hiring your staff. When you’re just getting started, though, you can’t have a robust staff that includes IT support employees.
One great way to get around this is to look into contracting with IT support services companies. An IT service company provides all of the necessary services you would receive from a dedicated employee at a much smaller cost. How do you find the right one for your business, though?
Read on to find out!
1. Look Locally
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The first way to refine your search for IT services for your business is to look into your local options.
In an ideal world, all IT issues could be solved with just a few clicks of a mouse. In reality, some issues are so complex that they require people to actually come to your office to solve them. This means that hiring a local IT management company is essential to ensuring that you’re always up and running.
2. Are They in Your Field?
You know that you couldn’t hire someone who has always worked in accounting to be a marketing exec. Why would you hire an IT company that doesn’t have any experience with companies in your specific industry?
There are many benefits to hiring an IT company that has experience in your industry. They have experience with the issues that companies like yours regularly encounter, and they know how to tackle them without much downtime. In addition, they know how to optimize your company’s systems to perform the functions you need them to.
3. What About Your Company Size?
When you’re doing your search for an IT service company, you’ll undoubtedly come across many different companies. They might have experience in your field and be in your area, but are they equipped to handle a company of your size?
IT companies handle services for a wide variety of companies at a time. That means they have to have the capacity to handle your needs on top of the needs of all the other companies they service. Be sure to inquire about their capacity to handle a company of your size when meeting with representatives to see if they’re truly a good fit for you.
4. Do You Work Well Together?
Hiring an IT support company requires going through a lot of specifications, but there are other non-technical items that you need to consider. The most important of which is determining whether you work well together.
What kind of customer service do the representatives provide? How do they respond when you ask for help, and how willing are they to come on-site for emergencies? Do they assume you just need to turn your computer on and off again?
All of these factors will make a difference in your overall satisfaction, and they should be explored before you sight on the dotted line.
5. Can They Work With Your Systems?
Different IT support companies have different capabilities. That means that some may not have the ability to work with the systems you use on an everyday basis. For example, if your servers don’t operate on Windows, some companies may encounter some issues working with them.
The same is true for the types of computers and operating systems you use. Many IT support companies work primarily with Windows. If your office is fully equipped with Apple products, then that might be an issue.
Be upfront with the representatives about your servers, computers, and operating systems. It might help you narrow down your search.
6. What Is Their Response Time?
As a business owner, you know that every second your system is down means that you’re losing dollars. You need an IT support company that can get you back up and running as soon as possible and not hours or days later.
Ask the representatives from potential companies how long it takes for them to get back to you when you have an issue. If they need to come on-site, how quickly can they be there? All of these factors are critical, especially when your entire system is down.
7. Can They Scale Up?
One of the biggest goals any business owner has is for their business to grow over time. If you want to do that, then it’s important to question your candidates about their ability to scale up their services should your business grow.
The best companies should not only be able to scale up, but they should be able to provide the same level of service, if not better, as your company grows. Doing this before you sign the contract will save you from having to go through this whole process again if you grow to a size a company can no longer accommodate.
8. What’s in the Contract?
You’ve narrowed down your search to a handful of candidates. Your next step is going to involve reviewing the contract you have to sign. If possible, ask for the contract ahead of the signing so you can have your legal counsel go over it.
At a minimum, you should avoid things like block time and monitoring. When these items are in a contract, it is possible that the IT firm could create issues with you just to make some extra cash.
Ideally, your firm should take proactive steps to avoid issues altogether. They should also offer support on how to avoid things like phishing. If services like this aren’t in the contract, then it’s probably time to move to the next candidate.
Are You in Need of IT Support Services Companies?
When you start scouring the internet for IT support services companies, you might feel overwhelmed by the number of options available. Thankfully, if you refine your search based on these eight tips, you’ll find the best IT service company for your business. Before you know it, you’ll have all the support you need to make your business a total success!
Do you want to learn more awesome ways to transform your business into a success? We can help you out with that! Check out the rest of our blog for tons of business tips to keep you ahead of the curve.
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