It’s NOT like choosing a tie. If you are outsourcing your IT requirements, or thinking about it, getting the right managed IT service provider on board is crucial. Not only will they be taking on a system that is mission critical to your business, but they will need to understand how your business works. Finding the right Managed IT Support company really is a key decision and there are some fundamental things you should check when doing your homework.
The Basics of Choosing a Managed IT Service Provider (MSP)
Ideally, you’ll want a company that’s local to you, so if they do need to come out on site, you’re not going to have wait forever for that to happen. You probably want to get a company that is within 20 miles or so of your office. This is your call, however, as you’d be hard pressed to find an MSP that doesn’t offer remote support as standard, but it is something to consider for when that remote option just isn’t possible.
Of course, you’ll also want an IT support provider to have experience and proof that they are good at what they do. Most businesses these days run on Microsoft technology (the M365 suite of applications) or something like Google. You’ll want an IT Support Company that can manage the suite of apps and systems that your business uses. Look for relevant accreditations, such as Microsoft Partner.
Lastly, on the basics that is, you’ll want a provider that offers a range of IT solutions and services for your business, including IT support (obviously), cloud solutions, cyber security services and also business continuity. Most MSPs worth their salt will offer these services as standard – because these are the things that most internal IT teams provide for the business.
Refining your choice of MSP
Assuming you have found a couple of providers in your local area that meet the above criteria – that is the absolute minimum standard or level of IT support that your business deserves – you’ll next want to dig a little deeper. Getting this decision wrong – and it happens – could be costly for your business in more ways than one. So take your time, even if you are looking to move away from your current IT support company. You don’t want to get it wrong again.
Good IT service companies provide GREAT customer service
A company that is providing one of your business-critical systems, needs to provide business critical support and service. This doesn’t just mean prompt responses, 24×7 support, or well-oiled systems; great customer service also includes making the customer feel seen, heard and valued. A friendly voice (or typist) on the other end of that phone or email will make all the difference to your experience, especially as you are likely calling at a time when something has gone wrong and you need your IT company’s help.
Let’s face it – and none taken – but you’re not going to phone up your IT support provider to have a chat about the weather – are you? Even if they are as friendly as the PurpleJelly team. 🙂
So, if you have followed the “choose local” advice, set up a face-to-face meeting with them, and the wider team if possible, and get a feel for who they are and how they work. You’ll know from this if they are the team for you. After all, a wise person once said: “people buy from people”, and that’s because people work with people. It’s not simply a business delivering your service; that business is made up of people who are delivering that service.
Setting the right expectations for you and your business
Again this is pretty standard, but it’s interesting how many suppliers don’t take the time to understand the needs, and expectations, that their potential customer has. It’s really important here that any Managed IT Support company, you are considering working with, offers not only standard packages for you to choose from, but also can provide a tailored service that is perfect for your business.
Point to note here: there’s nothing wrong with offering or choosing a standard package. There’s a reason they exist and there’s a reason customers want them. It’s a standard set of services, for a set price, that may be just what you are looking for. Job done!
However, your particular business or situation may need a touch more flexibility than the standard offering, and you should consider it a red flag if your prospective MSP doesn’t offer a tailored option to suit your needs. Of course, this tailored option will most likely be based on one of their standard packages, but it will come with the flexibility and adjustments that make it just right for you. One other thing – tailored IT solutions, like most bespoke options in life – will likely cost you more. But another adage is: “you get what you pay for”.
Keeping your business data and information safe and sound
In this era of ever-increasing cyber threats and attacks, you need to know that the business handling your company’s data, servers and information, is going to do so in a secure and compliant way. This is a non-negotiable in our book. At PurpleJelly we take cyber security and compliance very seriously. Seriously. And so should you. You need to protect the data your business has, is built on, uses and shares on a daily basis.
So, ensure that any IT support provider you consider working with has a full set of cyber security offerings, and also has their own cyber security credentials, such as Cyber Essentials, to boot. It’s really not worth the risk to not make this a must-have.
OK, now some of the boring stuff (please keep reading – it’ll be worth it)

The following considerations should be standard when looking at any new supplier, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t include them in this post as things to think about when choosing your new Managed IT Service Provider.
- Have you looked at and compared at least two companies in your search for a local IT support provider?
- Do you know what their packages are and what their pricing structure is?
- Have you checked out ther SLAs (Service Level Agreements) and contract terms?
- Have you asked about their reporting and communication processes?
- What about other clients? Can you get a reference or two, or three?
In summary…
There are quite a lot of things to think about when choosing an IT support company for your business. As there should be. We’ll say it again – ideally, this is not a decision you want to get wrong. It can be quite painful. We know because lots of our happy customers have come to us from a previous IT support company that didn’t make them quite so happy. No names thank you.
So, if you want to give us a grilling – in the friendliest way of course – give us a call here at PurpleJelly on 01252 856 230 and we’ll be more than happy to take it on.
PS. If you think you have already found your perfect IT partner, it might be worth giving us a call anyway. We love what we do and we want to make sure you really are getting the support you deserve.