Choosing an IT managed service provider is an important business or personal decision, but one that is often overlooked by business owners and leaders. A good choice will allow your business to grow and avoid pitfalls; a poor one can waste your money on poor technology choices and open up dangerous risks. It is best to shop around and compare a few potential ISP’s before making that important decision.

Business Quality

1. What is the company’s culture? If you can, meet with the staff, not just the salespeople. Ask who will be your account/client services representative and have a talk with him or her. If you can reach someone easily and there is not a long waiting period for a response that’s also an important factor to consider.  Your Internet service provider should be competent, dedicated to solving problems, and responsive. In order to make that final decision, think about where you or your staff feel comfortable talking to the support team in sales, accounts or technical divisions.

2. What do their facilities look like? Do they have a real office? A business which is set 
up in a home or a warehouse is one with low overhead, but it could also mean limited resources and low staying power. One that presents itself as excessively luxurious may prove needlessly expensive over time, if not already. A business that looks professional is an encouraging sign. in a home or a warehouse is one with low overhead, but it could also mean limited resources and low staying power. 
One that presents itself as excessively luxurious may prove needlessly expensive over time, if not already. A business that looks professional is an encouraging sign.

3. How big is the staff? If your company’s needs are extensive, a large staff may be a better choice – the likelihood of trouble when a key person leaves or gets sick will be less. Alternately , a large company may be more interested in serving the needs of their large customers from a monetary perspective and then their smaller customers might be lost in the shuffle or be treated less urgently as they are paying less or not as needy.

4. Do they have references? A managed service provider can claim whatever it likes. You need to talk to their customers and find out whether they deliver on what they claims. If you can’t, that’s a disturbing indicator. Conducting due diligence by chasing down references and getting them to talk about their experience could take some time, but it’s well spent. Remember groups that complain about bad service might not always given accurate account as they are usually emotional and laden with error or lack of understanding of the situation from a technical point of view.

Technical Quality

5. What are their competencies? A managed service provider’s technical strengths should be a good match for your needs. It would help to know certifications and educational programs they use to keep their staff up to date on the latest tech.

6. What is out of their scope? You need to know what they can do and what they can’t (or don’t). This is especially important if you’re offered a fixed rate or inclusive price. Does the proposal include software patching, network monitoring, server upgrades, hardware installation, ISP issues, etc.? Is anything missing which is a deal breaker? Are some of the services extra-cost options? Always check on the website for stars which can be disclaimers which do not necessarily come up in normal conversation or for lack of questioning by the customer.

7. What is their disaster recovery/business continuity plan? This isn’t about how they can help you with disaster recovery, though that’s important. This is about how they will be able to recover if something catastrophic happens to their own facilities. A natural disaster can hit multiple businesses in an area. Until they’re up and running again, they can’t do much to help you to recover. What is their back up policy and do they have a call centre which is on inverter or generator. Do they have a national number  instead of a localised phone system which could be impacted during a disaster?

Service Quality

8. Will they help build your business strategy?  How committed are the staff to minimizing  your down time. What processes do they have to report faults and what is the turnaround time?  Can a line be reported to first tier provider through them? The importance of this question depends on how you think of the ISP’s role. If you just want them for support, you may be getting the short end.

10. What is included in the price?  If you’re being quoted a fixed rate, you need to get an itemised list in the contract and you have to be sure you understand what each item covers.  Ask questions about exceeding thresholds on any packages you have with the company and if so, how long before an upgrade is allowed or can be implemented. This is important in an emergency if the extra data, or capacity is needed at short notice.

9. How will they improve your company’s efficiency? You’re looking for more than just a “break-fix” service. If that’s all they do, it’s not managed services. You need to know what value they offer for long-term improvements in your technology. They should be able to anticipate and prevent problems so that you have fewer crises and less downtime.

10. How will the ISP reduce your company’s workload? The right answer to this question depends on your expectations and willingness to pay for them. What tasks do you want the provider to take over? Will it be a replacement for your helpdesk? Will it provide any maintenance or reporting. The communication with this company is key to your smooth running so this is a vital question when assessing if this is an efficient move or whether the ISP will save your staff time and effort.

11. How will they reduce your costs? Cheaper never means better but the big factor is less stress, more efficiency and quicker turnarounds with problems which affect the internet capacity at your busines. This doesn’t necessarily mean spending less money. If what you pay them comes back and then some in your ROI, that’s a saving. Ultimately, results are measured in money.

12. Are they able to scale? You need a provider that can keep up with your own growth plans. A provider that prides itself on its small-company culture might be fine for some kinds of customers, but one that even hopes for exponential growth should look for an ISP that can deal with the challenges of a growing environment or a business strategy which is expanding the company rapidly.

Changing  your ISP

13. What is their cancellation process? It’s not something anyone likes to think of, but your business’ needs will change, and the provider’s ability to meet them may change as well. The last thing that you want is to feel locked in if and when you need to change to another provider. And besides, offering a clean exit strategy is a sign of an honest business. Are their hidden costs to changing or swopping over services?This needs to be established in case there is a  breakdown in trust.