Top Questions to Ask a Toronto IT Service Company Before Hiring Them
What questions should you ask potential Toronto IT Service Companies before choosing one to work with your business or organization? Find the top questions here.
Over the last several years, an increasing number of small- and medium-sized businesses have been choosing managed service providers to handle their internal IT care. Similarly, large enterprises are turning more and more to managed service providers as well.
Why? First off, IT service companies can handle everything from cybersecurity and cloud management to new hardware installation and daily digital operations. Essentially, they’re a jack of all trades in the information technology world, and they’re always up-to-date on the latest trends — or they should be.
Second, an IT company‘s ability to handle your entire IT infrastructure means they’re taking over the maintenance and monitoring of your networks and digital systems so you don’t have to. This takes a tremendous weight off your shoulders and allows you to focus more on what really matters: Managing your business.
Finally, MSPs save you money. No matter how large your business is, you’ll always save money when you choose to hire an MSP over staffing an internal IT department. That’s because MSPs offer tiered levels of service; choose what amount of service and monitoring you want, and you’ll pay for those services and only those services.
How to Choose the Best Toronto IT Services Firm
If your business is considering hiring a Toronto IT company, you likely have several options in your local area (and it’s best to go with a local managed service provider over one who’s located hundreds or even thousands of miles away). Still, you need to know how to wade through the competition and select the best MSP for your business’s needs.
To aid you in this quest, we’ve outlined the following list of essential questions, which you should be prepared to ask at each of the interviews you hold with potential MSP hires.
Top Questions to Ask Potential Toronto IT Service Companies
• How will your managed service help our business “digitally transform” as soon as you begin working with us?
The best managed service providers will have done their research on your company before showing up to the interview. At the interview, they’ll have some idea of how they can digitally transform your business and improve upon your current approach to technology. Make sure potential MSPs have at least one or two ideas about how they can digitally transform your company for the better.
• What are your available pricing models?
MSPs should have at least two or three pricing models that clients can choose from. Keep in mind that if, when you examine the pricing models of a given MSP, you see that you would be choosing the highest level of service they offer, this may be a bad sign.
Why? Because it allows your company no room to scale up. You should be able to stay with an MSP as you your business expands and moves up their tiers of service.
• How are you going to prepare our company for the next disruption in technology?
In other words, when your industry is met with a large transition or change that must take place (loss of software support, new compliance demands, a new security threat etc.), what will your MSP do to make this transition as easy and inexpensive as possible.
• How will your managed service communicate with our company?
More specifically, you want to ask each managed service provider how they are going to provide transparency about IT issues without distracting you with unnecessary information. Generally speaking, MSPs should have a standardized method of communication that enables a suitable and appropriate amount of information to flow between you and them.
• How is your managed service able to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in technology?
As you will be handing over the reins of your business’s technology to your MSP, you need to know that they’ll be keeping up with your competition in terms of digital advancements. Ask how each potential MSP will do this; you may notice that MSPs who specialize in working with clientele who are in your particular industry are better at this than those who handle IT for a wide range of industries.
Remember that at each MSP interview, it’s up to you to ask the right questions. While the MSPs you are considering should be doing their homework, you should be doing your homework as well by making sure that your interview questions are comprehensive and far-during. Only this will ensure that you hire the best possible MSP for the benefit of your business.
