Trust – finding an IT partner that is best for your business

The market is flooded with businesses offering to give you the best deals for supporting your business; but if you are a new business starting out do you know who really has your business’s best interests at heart?

In essence, your IT support partner should feel like an extension of your own team, providing you with seamless support and access to advanced technical expertise.

Here are three top tips for finding a partner that will provide you with the service you really need:

  • Industry Accredited Partnerships: Any reputable IT service provider will have strong partnerships in place with leading technology providers such as Microsoft and HP. There is simply no way for them to provide you with the latest technology through reputable channels without these.
  • Testimonials: Existing customers are your best source of information. They can provide you with unbiased viewpoints regarding the partner’s core skills and services levels, helping you to gain insight into what sort of service you could expect. A company should be able to produce a list of these on demand.
  • Clear cost structures: Many companies balk at laying out their support cost structures, and have many hidden ‘add-on’ costs that ramp up your bills extensively. If your prospective company is not willing to provide both their support cost structure and terms and conditions upon request then you should be very cautious.

Although it may seem daunting, these tips are pretty much industry norms so it is just a matter of having detailed conversations with your prospective partners, and evaluating the information they give you. You can also request a ‘opt out’ clause after the first few months in case they are not delivering the level of service you expected.

If you have some questions about business support, or just want some general advice, feel free to give us a call.