From easy, affordable access to a wide range of technical expertise to more time to focus on running your business, IT outsourcing is a practice that carries many benefits. This is especially true for SMEs, who often require numerous IT support functions, but lack the breadth and depth of infrastructure to justify the cost of setting up a dedicated in-house IT team.
It goes without saying that we’re keen to advocate the benefits of IT outsourcing here at Provident IT, but we will admit that the experience isn’t always plain sailing. Some IT support providers struggle to assist their clients beyond basic management and support functions. Others are disincentivised to provide proactive maintenance by pricing structures that make post-break support more lucrative. And some simply struggle to explain the benefits of technology in plain English, leaving clients struggling to decipher confusing technical jargon.
If any of this sounds familiar then you may be using an IT support provider that doesn’t have the will or capacity to properly manage and support your IT. In time, this could result in slow, laggy systems that leave your team demoralised, customers frustrated, and your data subject to unacceptable risk.
To help you fully determine whether your current provider has what it takes, here are 5 signs your IT support provider is letting your business down.
Recurring Faults
If you’re business is being plagued by recurring IT faults it likely means your IT support provider is failing in their basic duty: to provide secure, stable systems and infrastructure that your business can rely on. They should be proactively scanning your environment for defects and vulnerabilities, ensuring fixes are applied before minor issues are allowed to snowball into disruptive episodes of downtime.
Intermittency of any kind – whether caused by faulty networking equipment, misconfigured software, prohibitive security settings or a slow internet connection – can be immensely frustrating. Such issues could leave your team struggling to meet deadlines, result in sales falling through and develop into a loss of customer trust over time.
It’s also important to consider whether recurring faults could be symptomatic of a potentially more serious issue: poor patch management. Failure to properly update your software and operating systems is the sign of a provider with a lax approach to data security, something that cannot be tolerated in an age of widespread digital threats.
Little to No Strategic Insights or Guidance
In today’s digital economy your IT provider should be a source of technical wisdom: someone you can turn to for advice and who’ll offer their technical insights unprompted in order to steer your IT to better outcomes.
While it’s natural for providers to charge extra for complex project planning, a degree of consultancy should be included as part of your support agreement. They should be willing to recommend cost effective alternatives to the tools you’re currently using, leveraging industry insights to help save your business money. They should be offering unprompted guidance on cyber security best practice, ensuring all the security controls at your disposal are being properly exploited. Additionally, they should understand your business well enough to be able to recommend solutions that would better address your workflow challenges and make your team more productive.
If your IT support provider is incapable or unwilling to help you improve and develop your IT, then you should consider switching provider for the good of your business.
They Don’t ‘Get’ Your Business or Your Industry
When used strategically, technology can be an extremely impactful vehicle for business success. However, if your IT support provider hasn’t taken the time to understand your business and has little knowledge of the industry you operate in, then they’ll likely struggle to help you evolve and innovate.
This is particularly true of sectors that carry unique challenges and constraints, such as highly regulated industries like healthcare and finance. If your business delivers financial services for example, sector experience will help them manage and develop your systems in line with the requirements of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and PCI DSS; a task that could prove an uphill battle for a provider with little prior knowledge.
Similarly, you want a provider that can relate to the daily realities and workflow pressures businesses like yours experience, as well as an understanding of the goals and aspirations common to businesses in your sector. Without this vital knowledge your provider won’t be able to translate technology to improved business outcomes, leaving you with IT that’s poorly aligned with your objectives.
Lacklustre Communication
Communication is key in any business relationship, particularly in relation to IT support where a lack of dialogue can lead to costly errors and a breakdown of trust.
Should an issue arise, your provider should be on-hand to offer prompt 24/7 support, with emergency requests answered in a matter of minutes as opposed to hours. They should also be checking in with you regularly to ensure you’re aware of any actions they’ve taken or any issues that could present a problem going forward. Additionally, if you or a member of your team need advice or guidance, your IT partner should act as a friendly, approachable font of knowledge, readily available to proffer advice on any pressing issue.
If your IT provider is slow to respond, unapproachable or simply hard to get hold of then you’re unlikely to benefit from the partnership in any meaningful way and it may be time to switch.
Poor Value for Money
In the vast majority of cases, outsourcing IT support provides exceptional value for money compared to operating an in-house team. Yet a small minority of providers leave their clients feeling short-changed by delivering a minimal service at premium prices.
For optimum value, it’s best to sign up to a contract that offers a comprehensive set of managed services for a fixed monthly fee. That way you’ll avoid costly hourly charges for services that are essential to the smooth running of your infrastructure. These charges can often apply even in cases where a provider markets their offering as ‘all-inclusive,’ so it’s important to examine the small print before committing.
Poor value can also manifest when a provider is unwilling to tailor the agreement around their clients’ circumstances, resulting in them paying for service elements they don’t need. This can be further exacerbated by long contract lengths, that lock customers into multi-year commitments, with no option for early termination.
If any of the above strikes a chord, then it may be time to explore look elsewhere for your IT support and see how your current provider stacks up against more cost-competitive alternatives.
Your Success is Our Success We’re a young, fun, and enthusiastic bunch of down-to-earth people that strive to relieve our clients’ IT headaches. We do love to engage and create enjoyable relationships with our clients, but, ultimately, we’re here to help your business to run smoothly and securely. Our team has many years of experience in IT Consultancy, Website Development, Email/Web Hosting, Server Builds/Installations/Maintenance, Network Issues, and IT Security… and more! Contact us now to find out how we can help you.