With the changing digital landscape for businesses, you may be thinking about outsourcing your IT services. There might be a few worries on your mind when looking into providers because after all, it’s a big investment. Here are the top reasons businesses hesitate to outsource their IT solutions and what to look for in a good provider.
1. You’re Worried About The Cost
You may be concerned about the cost of managed IT. However, when you compare these costs to the amount of money, time, and resources it takes to hire internally, it becomes clear that managed IT might actually be the more cost-effective option. In addition to a salary expense that could exceed the yearly cost of managed IT, hiring internally would involve:
- Finding and hiring the right candidate willing to stay long-term.
- Providing resources in-house for them to continually learn new skills as the market develops.
- Training them on your business’ servers, programs, and tools.
- Other employment-related expenses including benefits, insurance, vacation time, and overtime.
What Should I Expect with IT Support Pricing?
IT services are not all the same, and they don’t all have the same price tag. However, you can check out an estimate of managed IT pricing in our blog about it here: How Much Does Managed IT Support Cost? It’s also important to note what you get with the added cost. Added benefits include expert IT support, experienced techs trained on troubleshooting your business’ unique tools and programs, and access to IT consulting to give your business an edge in cybersecurity and productivity.
For more information on how to manage your IT budget, read our blog Top 5 Tips for IT Spending.
2. You Want Immediate Assistance
You may be worried about the time it will take to resolve issues, especially pressing ones that take away from productivity or even security. No one wants to wait for hours in a call queue for a real person to pick up and help you. For this reason, you may be hesitant to outsource your IT to an outside company.
Look For Great Customer Service and Reviews of Outsourced IT Services
The customer service you get when you outsource IT should be timely, friendly and helpful. There is more that goes into quality IT support companies than techs that understand complex technical issues. You’ll want to look for IT companies with great reviews from happy clients. These will show the companies that prioritize hiring personable representatives who have patience and a great deal of expertise to assist you.
3. You Need Someone That Knows Your Business Processes Inside-And-Out
A common reason businesses don’t outsource IT is that they want in-house IT managers who can gain a better understanding of their unique systems, customers, operations and other needs. This is partially true, since no two businesses are exactly alike and have the same IT needs.
Someone well-versed in your industry helps, too. This is relevant, especially for industries like healthcare and legal that deal with sensitive information that makes cybersecurity very important. However, a good managed service provider will get to know your business top-to-bottom from the start. It can be worthwhile to look for a provider that has other clients in your industry, so they understand what types of IT services you might need.
4. You Want Control Over Your Business's Capabilities
Outsourcing IT makes it so an outside vendor is responsible for resolving technical issues with your server, unified communications or other technology. This might make you hesitant to outsource since you might prefer to hone your business’ technical capabilities under one roof. True, outsourcing IT takes away the in-house knowledge and innovation an IT expert can provide. However, outsourcing IT can result in a much more efficient workflow, as more of your resources can be focused on regular business operations.
The right IT partner should be aware of your goals and needs for these business processes. They will sync with your interests to move the ship in the right direction as an extension of your team.
A Wide Range of Expertise
The great thing about companies specializing in IT is that good ones will hire and train only the most customer-focused and talented IT professionals for various roles. For example, with a small or one-person in-house IT department, you are limited to the experience of that tiny team.
IT Service Providers Source Top Talent So You Don’t Have To
Every business owner knows that finding qualified candidates is time-consuming and arduous, especially if your business is located outside of a major city. An IT solution provider can source talent from larger and more specialized pools of candidates. A good IT team will consist of friendly, educated, experienced and overall well-qualified individuals.
This is a great advantage for you because these IT teams are already well-versed in common issues that businesses like yours come across. This includes common needs for cybersecurity, unified communications, productivity solutions, and more.
How To Find a Managed IT Service Provider That Is The Best Fit For You
Discovery calls are a great way to decide if a managed IT provider is right for you. During these meetings, pay attention to their philosophies on customer service, which goes beyond knowing how to solve technical problems. This will reveal how well your businesses will work together to solve issues as they arise. Read about questions to ask IT companies in our blog: 10 Questions to Ask Before Committing to a Managed Services Provider.
Although remote work has become more prevalent and necessary since the COVID-19 pandemic, you may still want someone in-house to ask questions about your IT. After all, it’s easier to walk down the hall to someone’s office than to call them, right?
Think of it like getting an oil change for your car.
Sure, you could do it yourself instead of taking it to an auto shop. However, you’ll also need to consider buying the right oil for your vehicle, having an oil drip pan ready, and a carjack. You’d also need to be able to physically crawl under the car to get it done. And what if it’s wintertime and too cold to do it yourself outdoors? IT management is a much more complex set of tasks than changing car oil, but it follows the same principle. Sometimes, it’s less of a hassle to outsource specialists who have the tools to get the job done right.
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