Many businesses find it hard to manage rising IT costs and complexity. For this reason, an increasing number of business owners are turning to managed service providers (MSPs). These providers can lower your IT costs by 45%–65%, but only if they can meet your managed services vendor selection criteria.
“MSPs cut costs and improve IT operations, but only if you choose one who aligns with your business needs.” – Bradd Konert – President of Gamma Tech Services
Your managed services selection criteria will vary based on your business. Alignment with your business needs to be key to a successful MSP partnership. That’s why it’s so important to understand how to zero in on these criteria so you can ask the right MSP qualifying questions.
If you’re not sure how to get started, this blog will offer tips for choosing your ideal MSP. We’ll discuss how to pinpoint your specific criteria and what you need to look for to ensure the MSP that you choose is a good fit.
How to Zero-in On Your Managed Services Selection Criteria
Determining the right selection criteria is the first step in choosing an MSP. Since your needs may vary based on your business goals, it’s essential to tailor your criteria accordingly. Here are the steps to accomplish that.
1. Assess Current IT Infrastructure
Begin by evaluating your current systems, software, and hardware to identify strengths and areas that need improvement. During this assessment, factors like power management should be considered since power outages cause 43% of major network problems. Thorough assessments ensure you address less obvious but critical risks in your infrastructure.
2. Identify Business Goals
Review your business objectives to see how they align with your IT strategy. Think about how technology can help you meet these goals and what role the MSP will play in that process. This step ensures that your IT investments support your long-term vision.
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Switch to Proactive MSP Support3. Pinpoint Your Essential Services
Determine which IT services are absolutely necessary for your day-to-day operations. A critical service is one that, if disrupted, would halt your primary workload. For example, if your business relies on a cloud server for customer-facing applications, downtime could result in customers being unable to access your services.
4. Consider Future Growth
Look ahead to how your business might grow in the next few years. Choose an MSP that can scale its services as your IT needs expand. Planning for future growth ensures that you won’t need to switch providers when your business gets bigger.
5. Set Budget Constraints
Define a budget that balances affordability with service quality. Going for the cheapest MSP may seem like a good deal, but it could lead to higher costs down the line if they can’t meet your needs. Focus on getting value, not just the lowest price.
How to Convert Your Criteria Into Questions to Ask an MSP
Once you have defined your selection criteria, translate them into effective questions. Useful questions help you gain insights into how well an MSP can meet your specific needs. Here’s how to transform your criteria into impactful questions.
1. Formulate Clear Questions
Create questions that directly address each of your criteria. Make them specific and open-ended so the MSP has to provide detailed explanations rather than simple answers. This will help you better assess their capabilities.
2. Ask For Feedback From Key Stakeholders
Consult with key stakeholders to ensure your questions reflect their operational needs. This input will help you determine whether the MSP can effectively support daily business operations.
3. Focus on Relevance
Ensure each question relates directly to your business needs and the MSP’s ability to meet them. Avoid questions that focus solely on technical features without understanding why they matter to your business.
4. Seek Insightful Responses
Design questions that explore how the MSP delivers its services and overcomes challenges. Avoid questions that lead to simple “yes” or “no” answers, and instead, look for explanations of their processes and how they handle issues.
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Technical Questions to Qualify an MSP – No Matter Your Needs
Regardless of your organization’s specific requirements, certain technical questions are essential for any business. Alongside the questions you determined based on your needs, make sure you add these questions to your list as well.
1. Ask About Their Security Measures
Ask the MSP how they protect their own systems and yours. Clearly, you need to be certain that they can provide adequate cybersecurity measures for your IT systems. However, don’t forget to ask how they protect themselves. This information is important because 29% of cybersecurity incidents start with third-party providers.
2. Ask About Their IT Support
Ask about the MSP’s response times, their availability for urgent issues, and when their support hours are. Be sure to confirm the skill level of their support team to ensure they can handle your technical needs.
3. Discuss Disaster Recovery Plans
Disaster recovery plans help you get back on track quickly after problems. Ask how the MSP backs up your data, how fast they can restore systems, and what their experience is with handling data loss or failures. Make sure they have a solid plan for getting your business running again.
4. Address Your Compliance Needs
If your business must follow specific regulations, ask if the MSP has experience with those standards. Find out how they help maintain compliance and how they stay up to date with any changes. The MSP should have clear processes to keep your business within legal and industry regulations.
Useful Questions to Ask During an MSP Discovery Call
A discovery call is your opportunity to understand the MSP’s operational culture and customer service. Preparing key questions can provide a clear picture of what to expect from the MSP. Here are some examples of questions that can help you learn more about your potential partner.
| Service Approach | How do you prioritize customer requests during busy periods? |
| How do you ensure consistent communication with your clients? | |
| Problem-Solving Culture | How do you handle situations when issues take longer to resolve than expected? |
| Can you share an example of how your team handled a challenging situation? | |
| Customer Engagement | How do you keep clients informed about ongoing projects or changes in service? |
| What steps do you take to understand a client’s specific needs before offering solutions? | |
| Team Dynamics | How is your team structured, and how do you assign points of contact for clients? |
| How do you promote a collaborative environment within your team? | |
| Customer Feedback | How do you gather and implement feedback from your clients? |
| How often do you check in with clients about their satisfaction with your services? | |
| Flexibility & Adaptability | How do you handle unexpected changes or urgent client needs? |
| How do you ensure your services adapt to the unique working styles of different clients? |
Start Your Search at Gamma Tech Services
Partnering with an MSP who can fully meet your needs is the best way to ensure long-term success. However, it’s also important to look for a provider with a proven track record for delivering high-quality services to other clients like you.
At Gamma Tech Services, we’re confident that our services include exactly what you need. So confident that we’re willing to provide a free consultation for a flexible 1-year contract with a 30-day opt-out clause. Try our managed IT services risk-free to see if we’re the right partner for you.
Contact us today to learn more.