If your business relies in any way upon email services or a computer network then IT operations represent a large part in how productive your business is and how sound your clients see your business to be. For bigger companies, drop in to the mix an on-site business server, VOIP phone systems or automated back-ups then your choice of IT partner becomes a fundamental element in keeping yourself in business.
Modern businesses rely on IT for almost every aspect of their day-to-day operation. Networks facilitate services and operations, email and phone systems connect businesses to their customers, any disruption to any part of this structure can result in productivity grinding to a halt.
Selecting the right IT support partner is not an easy job with many significant factors to take in to account. Below are some key factors that should be included in your selection process.
Response
it is a simple fact that at some stage things will go wrong. No system is ever perfect and regardless of the work that you have put in to minimise failures, there is always the chance that something will go wrong with your system. Whatever the reasons for this failure, how an IT partner deals with the issues and how rapidly they respond to it are vital factors to be considered. It is crucial that your IT support company can respond quickly and effectively to any issues in the event of an emergency. This may well be the important difference between a major problem to your business and a small inconvenience that your clients may not even notice.
How these emergency issues are dealt with by your IT partner will divide the good IT companies from the Bad ones.
Level of Service
With luck, the likelihood of your IT partner needing to deal with these emergency issues will be an uncommon occurrence with it being far more likely that the day-to-day services you receive will be an indicator of the level of their service. Don't be sold short on this area, a good IT partner that wants to foster a long lasting relationship will supply services beyond just reacting to the minor support issues faced by your your business and employees. Your partner should be able to provide training for you and your staff, ensuring that you are using your systems, correctly, efficiently and to their full capabilities. They should also be able to present sound advice on areas where your business IT infrastructure can be streamlined or improved and how it can be developed in the future.
Flexibility
If yours is like most businesses then you are most likely hoping that it will continue to grow, so make sure that you choose an IT partner that is flexible enough to match their services to support your requirements as your business evolves. Building a good working relationship with your IT support partner is fundamental to ensuring that you don't need to chop and change IT companies.
Experience
Look for a company that has been around for a few years. There is often a rapid turnover of IT support companies with new businesses setting up and others folding all the time. Regularly the companies that don't provide a good level of service don't last long. Look in to the history of several IT support companies before making your selection, read testimonials and online reviews and if possible speak to their existing clients. Experience of dealing with IT issues and getting systems back on track with minimal interruption is a factor that shouldn't be overlooked.
Value
The cheapest choice isn't always the best value. It is always tempting to go for the cheaper option and some times this is ok but make sure that the services that you will receive cover all of your IT requirements. Don't just assume that because you have found an IT company offering the services your require within your budget that you can't do better. Always compare several IT companies, like for like. Keep in mind that cheap doesn't always mean value.
Modern businesses rely on IT for almost every aspect of their day-to-day operation. Networks facilitate services and operations, email and phone systems connect businesses to their customers, any disruption to any part of this structure can result in productivity grinding to a halt.
Selecting the right IT support partner is not an easy job with many significant factors to take in to account. Below are some key factors that should be included in your selection process.
Response
it is a simple fact that at some stage things will go wrong. No system is ever perfect and regardless of the work that you have put in to minimise failures, there is always the chance that something will go wrong with your system. Whatever the reasons for this failure, how an IT partner deals with the issues and how rapidly they respond to it are vital factors to be considered. It is crucial that your IT support company can respond quickly and effectively to any issues in the event of an emergency. This may well be the important difference between a major problem to your business and a small inconvenience that your clients may not even notice.
How these emergency issues are dealt with by your IT partner will divide the good IT companies from the Bad ones.
Level of Service
With luck, the likelihood of your IT partner needing to deal with these emergency issues will be an uncommon occurrence with it being far more likely that the day-to-day services you receive will be an indicator of the level of their service. Don't be sold short on this area, a good IT partner that wants to foster a long lasting relationship will supply services beyond just reacting to the minor support issues faced by your your business and employees. Your partner should be able to provide training for you and your staff, ensuring that you are using your systems, correctly, efficiently and to their full capabilities. They should also be able to present sound advice on areas where your business IT infrastructure can be streamlined or improved and how it can be developed in the future.
Flexibility
If yours is like most businesses then you are most likely hoping that it will continue to grow, so make sure that you choose an IT partner that is flexible enough to match their services to support your requirements as your business evolves. Building a good working relationship with your IT support partner is fundamental to ensuring that you don't need to chop and change IT companies.
Experience
Look for a company that has been around for a few years. There is often a rapid turnover of IT support companies with new businesses setting up and others folding all the time. Regularly the companies that don't provide a good level of service don't last long. Look in to the history of several IT support companies before making your selection, read testimonials and online reviews and if possible speak to their existing clients. Experience of dealing with IT issues and getting systems back on track with minimal interruption is a factor that shouldn't be overlooked.
Value
The cheapest choice isn't always the best value. It is always tempting to go for the cheaper option and some times this is ok but make sure that the services that you will receive cover all of your IT requirements. Don't just assume that because you have found an IT company offering the services your require within your budget that you can't do better. Always compare several IT companies, like for like. Keep in mind that cheap doesn't always mean value.
About the Author:
Essential Business Technologies is an IT Support London company with a 20 year history of providing exceptional IT services to a broad range of businesses. We make technology a power tool that increases your business's profitability, productivity and operations. IT Services London.
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