In this article, we will discuss how our innovative & trusted IT company in Salinas can help your business implement technology best practices to mitigate security risks and reduce downtime.
Your IT setup has transformed drastically this year – and the technical revolutions of 2021 aren’t about to slow down for it either.
But if your current IT company is failing to evolve, adapt and react to these changes, might the problem lie with your current Managed IT Provider?
Your company technology infrastructure is a complex beast, demanding stable hands to keep it tamed. But if you’re constantly being set back by the following slouches of service, it might be time to assess how well managed your IT really is under your current Service Provider.
Your Problems Keep Recurring
A Managed Service Provider is the beating heart of any infrastructure, and everything that keeps your technology ticking comes back to ongoing proactive maintenance. Updates, troubleshooting, connection issues: these are the things your provider should be keeping an eye on and fixing behind the scenes. In fact, the most noticeable thing about a good MSP is that you barely notice them at all!
If you’re constantly contacting your provider with the same old technical troubles, it’s likely that the problem is far more deep-seated – and may lie at their feet, not yours.
They’re Reactive, Not Proactive
It’s not just now that your IT provider should be catering to you – it’s also the future of your company. As well as technical support as and when you need it, your provider should be considering the future and growth of your company.
As such, they should be anticipating any projected changes, or actively monitoring the growth of your company. If your every major change is followed by a frantic call to your provider, they’re not quite fulfilling their end of the service – and at worst, are just a glorified helpdesk.
They’re Never There When You Need Them
Speaking of frantic calls, let’s not forget response times: they matter. This is more than just the time it takes to answer your calls, however; it’s about how quickly they can take you from a problem raised to a problem solved. If you’re constantly needing to reach out for an update on your technical support request status and service history, they’re not only wasting your time, but the time of their other clients too.
If you’re looking for a new IT managed services provider, ask them about their service desk setup. At Adaptive Information Systems, we match each client to the service desk we feel best suits their business needs. Not only does this mean they’ll speak to the same team of staff every time, it also means we’re up to date with our clients’ situation from the moment we pick up the phone.
They’re All Upsell, No Upkeep
Alarm bells should be ringing if your current IT provider’s answer to an ongoing problem is to keep selling you new solutions. Don’t get us wrong – there are times when nothing other than an all-new technology platform is the answer, and we at Adaptive Information Systems will tell you so if we think there’s a solid case for it. But if you’re piling tech on top of tech to fix a recurring problem, your MSP isn’t upkeeping – they’re upselling.
If your IT provider advises you to keep throwing money at an issue, then they haven’t only matched you with an inappropriate setup, they’ve failed to hold up their end of the service agreement. If their solution continues to drain you of resources, then there’s only one business benefitting from this partnership and unfortunately, it isn’t yours.
Your Billing Is Unpredictable
An IT managed services provider isn’t just for getting your technical infrastructure in order. It should also be helping you manage workflows, processes and of course, budgets.
Part of this is having a structured, understandable pricing scheme that makes managing your monthly budgets predictable.
If you find that your service plan is introducing unfamiliar new costs every month, or you’re falling for financial ‘gotchas’ within your services contract fine print, your Managed Services just got that much harder to manage. A decent provider will cover any shared responsibilities openly and honestly, and if they don’t keep your costs consistent then they’ll at least provide a pricing scheme that makes it that much easier for everyone to predict.
They’re Just Not on Your ‘Level’
It’s a small one, but it makes a world of difference. Follow your gut – does your provider understand you, your goals and your business?
Ideally, both you and your IT managed services provider want a strong, long-lasting relationship where the two of you grow to work stronger together. If they don’t show an interest in your business, don’t form personable relationships with your Senior Managers, and can’t seem to match their solutions to your values, needs and aspirations, you might question how dedicated they are.
You want your IT managed services provider to be dedicated, and they want their relationship with you to be long-lasting and prosperous. If they can’t prove either of those values, could you maybe find a provider that can?
A successful 2021 might mean finding a successful IT Managed Service Provider – especially if you’re looking to make big changes and modernize your technology setup. We’re here to help.