Most mid size companies need an I.T. implementation and support partner. Choosing one can be challenging.
First let me distinguish between what Auxilium does and what an I.T. implementation company does. Auxilium does not employ technical engineers so we cannot fix your server or configure your firewall rules - that's what you need a technical I.T. company for. Technical I.T. companies have to specialise in a small number of technologies - unless they have the scale of IBM. They cannot possibly be experts on Microsoft, on Google and on Amazon (the three big Cloud technology companies). The technologies are different so they would have to get their engineers trained on all three technologies which is very expensive. Each of the Cloud companies will put incentives (and barriers) to force them into choosing only one of them. This is why it is difficult to get an implementation partner to give you independent advice. They are probably good at the technologies they have chosen but it would be very difficult for them to recommend a technology that they cannot implement.
Auxilium is not aligned with any technology vendor nor do we employ technical engineers. We know how technology can be used to underpin a business strategy. We also have a very good knowledge of the I.T. industry and the players who make up that industry. We are often asked to recommend an implementation or technical support company.
If you are looking to choose your own technical support company, what should you look out for? Here are our top 5 tips.
1. A good cultural fit
Our number 1 tip is not price, its not their technical certifications it is a cultural fit. Can you work with them? Do they share the same value system as you have? Do you believe that if you were in trouble and you rang them would they react correctly? This is your gut feel. The problem is you will be probably be dealing with their Sales person. The person you need to talk to is their CEO. He is the person that sets the ethos for the company, not the sales person. Ask to speak to their CEO.
2. References
Get to speak to their references. They should be the same size business as yours. This is important. How a technical support company deals with large and small companies dictates where you come in their priority. They will always go the extra yard for the biggest customers. You need to know how they treat the customers of your size. Ideally they should have a similar technology stack as yours.
3. Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
Most technical support companies will offer a service level agreement - how quickly they will respond, what hours of coverage are they offering, how much proactive work will they do, how quickly will they get you back up and running if your I.T. is down. Ask if there are penalties if they fail to achieve the SLA. The question is not whether you will enforce the penalties, the question is whether or not they are confident enough in their service offering to put penalties into the contract.
4. Tender
Always get more than one quote for a support contract or a technical project. Create a short document on what your technology stack is. Be clear on what you want the responders to do - what technology are you asking them to look after, what response times are you looking for, how quickly do you expect them to restore service, what reference sites they have with your technology, how you intend to measure them. Send it to two or three companies - if you want a list of companies to send it to just ask us the question.
5. Value for money
Many people make the mistake of always choosing the cheapest tender response. The real question to ask yourself is which response will actually deliver the best service, which is the best cultural fit and then look to bargain that company down on price. If your systems are down and you cannot get your technical support company to respond, having saved €1,000 will be of little consolation to you. In any contract there has to be a profit. If you bargain the price too low the support company will lose interest in really supporting you. You want them to make money out of the contact - that way they will value your business.
Auxilium is not aligned with any technology vendor nor do we employ technical engineers. We know how technology can be used to underpin a business strategy. We also have a very good knowledge of the I.T. industry and the players who make up that industry. We are often asked to recommend an implementation or technical support company.
If you are looking to choose your own technical support company, what should you look out for? Here are our top 5 tips.
1. A good cultural fit
Our number 1 tip is not price, its not their technical certifications it is a cultural fit. Can you work with them? Do they share the same value system as you have? Do you believe that if you were in trouble and you rang them would they react correctly? This is your gut feel. The problem is you will be probably be dealing with their Sales person. The person you need to talk to is their CEO. He is the person that sets the ethos for the company, not the sales person. Ask to speak to their CEO.
2. References
Get to speak to their references. They should be the same size business as yours. This is important. How a technical support company deals with large and small companies dictates where you come in their priority. They will always go the extra yard for the biggest customers. You need to know how they treat the customers of your size. Ideally they should have a similar technology stack as yours.
3. Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
Most technical support companies will offer a service level agreement - how quickly they will respond, what hours of coverage are they offering, how much proactive work will they do, how quickly will they get you back up and running if your I.T. is down. Ask if there are penalties if they fail to achieve the SLA. The question is not whether you will enforce the penalties, the question is whether or not they are confident enough in their service offering to put penalties into the contract.
4. Tender
Always get more than one quote for a support contract or a technical project. Create a short document on what your technology stack is. Be clear on what you want the responders to do - what technology are you asking them to look after, what response times are you looking for, how quickly do you expect them to restore service, what reference sites they have with your technology, how you intend to measure them. Send it to two or three companies - if you want a list of companies to send it to just ask us the question.
5. Value for money
Many people make the mistake of always choosing the cheapest tender response. The real question to ask yourself is which response will actually deliver the best service, which is the best cultural fit and then look to bargain that company down on price. If your systems are down and you cannot get your technical support company to respond, having saved €1,000 will be of little consolation to you. In any contract there has to be a profit. If you bargain the price too low the support company will lose interest in really supporting you. You want them to make money out of the contact - that way they will value your business.
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