Technical support, more formally called managed IT services (MSP), makes sure you have a consistent reliable partner to handle your IT needs. With an MSP, they assume all of the responsibility for 24-hour monitoring and maintenance of your IT system.
Once you’ve decided to outsource your technical support to an MSP, what should you look for to make sure they are performing to expectations?
- Rapid Response: For technical needs, your MSP should have a fast response time and clear process and ticketing system in place for handling inquiries. Questions to consider are how long it takes them to respond? If an issue will take longer than a few hours or a day, do they communicate the delay and why? How fast are most issues resolved? If you require onsite support, is that handled promptly as well? Is the technical support you receive provided by well-trained and experienced technicians? Are their employees certified in the services and products they offer such as Microsoft?
- Service Level Agreement:Your MSP should provide a guaranteed service level agreement that details the services provided, 24-hour network monitoring, response times and all other critical details of your contract.
- Secure IT Environment:A reputable MSP will make sure you never have to worry about malware, hacks, viruses and stolen confidential data. They will use the most updated and best technologies for data security. In the event that a security breach does occur, because it can even with all of the right precautions in place, your technical support firm will have protocols and processes in place to handle it quickly and effectively.
- No Long-Term Contracts: Many MSPs will pin you down to a multi-year contract. Good for them, not so much for you. Technical support IT companies like MyTek who want to earn and keep your business, will offer month-to-month contracts with no penalty for leaving with an out clause of 30 to 60 days. If you’re not happy with your MSP, you should have the right to leave at any time without penalty.
- Proactive Management: Many technical support MSPs operate on a break/fix model rather than providing proactive support – such as the right monitoring and security – which will reduce the number of break/fix tickets and save costs.
- Is a Strategic Partner: A strong MSP partner will not only provide the day-to-day technical support but will also be a strategic partner. They will help you plan for expenses such as server or computer upgrades, assist with budgeting for IT needs and services your company requires and help you identify services you can write off as operating expenses. There should be no hidden fees in your contract or gotcha surprise expenses.
MyTek, an Arizona managed IT services company, has helped many organizations migrate and successfully leverage Teams. Contact us to learn more.