Investing in IT support services is highly beneficial, but often Chester companies settle for an inadequate service because they’ve worked with the same IT support provider for a while.
But how do you know when to make the change? And once you’ve decided to move on, how difficult is the process going to be?
Switching IT support providers isn’t as simple as giving the new company your digital keys and calling it a day – there are potential risks and challenges that you will need to work through. Since this is such a big change for your business, we’ve compiled a step-by-step guide for changing your IT support provider, just to make things easy for you.
Step #1: Defining Your Reasons For Wanting To Change
If you are considering moving from your existing provider, we recommend you thoroughly examine your reasons for wanting to move so that you are sure to end up with a company that actually meets your needs.
Some common reasons for wanting to change IT support providers are:
- Poor service and failure to meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
- No 24/7 monitoring or support
- High price and not enough value for money delivered
- Differing service or technology requirements
- Provider is too big or too small (doesn’t match the scale of your business)
Once you’ve established your reasons for leaving, it’s time to reassess what you need from an IT support provider moving forwards.
Step #2: Evaluating Your Future Needs
It isn’t enough for your current provider to merely meet your present needs. They need to be able to scale up the support offered to your company as it grows. Thus, ask yourself the following questions to gauge whether a provider is likely to fit your business in the next stage of its growth:
1) Can they provide 24/7 support? There comes a point when your company needs constant monitoring to ensure no systems crash overnight or on the weekend, and your IT support provider needs to be able to spot and correct these issues as and when they happen.
2) Are they driving innovation? Businesses often outgrow their service providers. As your company grows, your priorities may shift from keeping your costs down to the quality of service and technological requirements. Make sure your provider has the necessary expertise and skills to keep your business moving forward.
Step #3: Risk Evaluation
Moving to a new provider can be disruptive for your business, so it’s essential to fully understand the risks and costs associated with making the shift. Look at your reasons for moving and make sure your new Chester IT support provider will deliver where your current provider is lacking.
Next, scrutinise the contract you signed with your current provider. They might stipulate that they are under no obligation to help your new provider make the switch. Transferring and integrating into systems can be challenging without the cooperation of the outgoing provider, so it’s something to bear in mind ahead of time.
Pretty much all risks can be mitigated and worked around. However, it can take a great deal of time and effort to do so, and you need to assess the risk that poses to your productivity.
Step #4: Research
The success and ease of your transfer to a new IT support provider depends on several things. However, a lot rests on the company you’ve decided to work with going forward. Before committing to a new service provider, assess their ability to embed their services and work with your company in the future.
Some companies choose to do a partial transfer of outsourced functions, making a move slightly easier. But this does result in a multi-provider environment. This setup can work, but it’s good to be aware that, once again, it takes time and effort to get everything to run smoothly.
Switch To Corp Networking to Receive Top-Tier IT Support
Switching your IT support provider is an important process that shouldn’t be taken lightly. However, it’s worth the effort if it means your provider can better meet your current needs and grow with your business! Plus, if you’re switching to us here at Corp Networking, we have extensive experience managing transitions, meaning they are as hassle-free as possible.
We start the process by holding knowledge transfer sessions with key stakeholders to become familiar with your business. This procedure includes examining the processes, technologies, infrastructure, and skills currently supporting your IT systems. Next, we construct a plan for transferring the systems and assign a dedicated project manager to the task, ensuring a seamless continuation of the critical services that support your business activities.
Once you’ve made the switch, you can expect a high-quality service, with IT solutions designed specifically for your company and its requirements.
If you are ready to make Corp Networking your business’s IT support provider, contact one of our team members today to take the first step in a seamless transition.
