Choosing an IT support company is an important step for any business, whether you’re hiring one for the first time or looking to replace the support you currently have. It can be confusing and overwhelming, but if you know what questions to ask a potential IT company when you contact them you’ll be able to get a better sense of whether they are a good fit for your business. Here are a few questions to a potential IT company in order to pick the best company for your needs.
Do You Have Any Specialties? What Is Your Typical Client?
These questions will help you figure out whether a certain IT company will be able to provide your business with the right tools and software that are appropriate for your niche of service. The IT needs of a school can be much different from that of a large retail company. From security certifications to harnessing the advantages of cloud computing, it can be very advantageous that your IT company have experience with your field. You wouldn’t want to be the first retail shop that your IT company has worked with if they have only done government or education jobs in the past.
What Is Your Typical Response Time? Do You Have 24/7 Support?
It’s not a matter of if, but when. Disasters and data failures are an infrequent but unavoidable issue with any computer system. Having a quick response time from your IT company can help your business avoid long downtime associated with system failure. Although 24/7 support has become an industry standard among IT companies you want to be sure that you’ll be able to get the help you need right away, not be waiting in line behind a bigger or larger paying client.
Do You Have Proper IT Certifications?
This should go without saying for any IT company, however it’s always a good idea to check for proper certification. This is especially true if you’re a doctor’s office or educational facility that needs to comply with certain federal security standards such as HIPPA. HIPPA compliance is a very important matter and you’ll need to actively be able to prove that your security is up to par. It’s a good idea to ensure that your IT team is familiar with these security requirements and has the proper certifications to install them.
How Long Have You Been In Business?
This question will enable you to ascertain how experienced the IT team is and how established they are in terms of their longevity. You don’t want to hire a new IT team only to find out that they were unable to sustain their business and shut their doors, leaving you without IT support until you find a new company. This is also an important question in terms of experience level – it’s advantageous to hire a team that has the necessary experience in the field to handle a wide range of problems.
Can You Provide Me With Any References?
A good IT service provider will be more than happy to provide you with a few business references for you to contact if you want. You don’t even need to necessarily call them but having an IT team that is proud of the work they do with their clients is a big plus. You can also ask for any relevant case studies or past work examples they’ve done with clients similar to you. Should you decide that you want to reach out to previous clients, important questions to ask would be related to the quality of service, response times, as well as general likability.
What Is Unique About Your IT Company?
This is an interesting question to ask, but the better companies that are proud of their work will be more than eager to answer this. What makes them stand out from the pack? How are they different? Pay attention to the way they answer and it will tell you a lot about the company itself.
At AMA Networks we especially pride ourselves on our core values and client experience, and have been doing San Diego area IT support for over 20 years. We strive to give the best service and never try to oversell anything that your business doesn’t need or want. We believe this attention to our clients puts us head and shoulders above the competition. If you’re looking for an IT company for your business, give us a call today for your free assessment.