ourcing your IT help desk can save your company a lot of time and money, but you want to be sure you make the right choice.
So you’ve done some initial research and decided that it would be best if your company outsourced your IT department to an experienced third-party company, instead of bringing your own team aboard. That is an excellent decision for many small and medium-sized businesses, and can have lasting ramifications on the health of your company. There are a few steps that every company should take before deciding which company to work with that can help to make the entire process run much more smoothly, and ensure a better result. Take these steps into consideration before choosing which IT help desk you would like to work with.
1. Outline Your Currently Used Technologies
In order to choose a company that has the experience and expertise in the technologies that your company uses, you should have a comprehensive list of the technologies that your business uses available to you when evaluating. This will help you to get an idea of which companies have experience delivering support for the technologies that your company uses on a day-to-day basis. This ensures that you work with a company that can provide support, no matter what the problem is.
2. Find a Company that Specializes in Your Technologies
Determine which technologies your company uses the most and which most often run into issues. Then, try to find a company that specializes in working with those specific technologies. This will help to make sure that they will be aware of issues that the technology commonly experiences, and the solutions required to fix those problems. A company that specializes in the technology that you choose will be able to provide a better service.
3. Outline Your Current Processes
In order for a new IT team to fit seamlessly into your company, it is important that they are able to understand how your company operates. What processes within your company will have the new IT injected into them? What processes must they be familiar with to help your company to the best of their ability? Start by outlining all of your current processes to ensure that they can inform you about what processes will need changes to include them, and better understand how to work well with your teams.
4. Create In-House Backups of All Data
Although any IT company can help you to back up your data, it is never a bad idea to create an in-house backup of all of your data before beginning, so that you have a point that you can return to down the road. Then, speak with the new IT management company about how you can set up the right processes to ensure that all data is backed up on a regular basis moving forward. There is never a bad time to start backing up your data and creating in-house backups will help you to secure your data before changes to your IT processes are made.
5. Take Your Time Making a Decision (If Possible)
If you are not in the middle of an IT emergency, it is always a good idea for you to take your time and really evaluate which companies are going to bet the best fit for you. A great idea is to hire several companies for simple one-off jobs and see how they interact with your team and deliver their service. This will give you an idea of whether they will be a good fit and allow you to give them feedback so that they can tailor their service for an ongoing engagement.
There are many steps that should be taken before hiring an outsourced IT help desk company. If you are interested in making the jump to an outsourced IT team, but are unsure of where to begin, please contact us today to schedule your 100% risk-free consultation with our trained IT experts.