More and more companies are outsourcing their IT needs to third parties and managed service providers. This is obviously a very different model from using in-house IT professionals, and it’s advantageous in many regards. With that said, there are some growing pains. For instance: How do you evaluate your outsourced IT team? What metrics do you use to determine if they’re really doing their job well?
How to Evaluate an IT Team
Here are a few considerations we’d offer.
Customer service. First and foremost, ask yourself how your IT team makes you feel. Do you enjoy working with them? Do you find them to be responsive in answering your questions? Are they interested not just in technology, but in helping you be efficient in all your procedures and operations? Do you feel like you can trust them?
Communication. On a related note, how well does the IT team communicate with your staff? Do they keep you in the loop about what’s going on? Do they interact with your employees in a professional, responsible way?
Uptime. Something else to consider is the uptime of your business. Ultimately, you’re paying your IT team to keep your system up and running without any hassle. So, if you constantly have interruptions or system down times, that means your IT team isn’t doing their job!
Transparency. Does your IT team provide documentation for everything they do? Do they openly share problems and talk through potential solutions?
Accountability. Does your IT team follow through on the things they say they’re going to do? Do they keep their promises? Do they deliver?
These bullet points represent a few ways for you to think about your outsourced IT team—and to make sure you’re getting the kind of service you deserve. Make sure you hold your managed services team to a high standard of excellence!
Learn more about managed services from Salient Networks.