The market for managed IT service providers is very competitive, and you'll obviously want to get the best deal for your business. But that doesn't mean you should pick a provider simply because it's the cheapest. A key thing to keep in mind is that best value isn't the same as lowest price. Let's take a more in-depth look at why.
When you purchase a service contract, you're purchasing access to the skills, know-how and experience of people – and there's no point in going for the cheapest option if you're going to end up hiring a bunch of clueless amateurs who know nothing about modern IT. Maybe they'll still do their best and put in plenty of effort – but that's of little use to you if they can't solve your problem quickly and accurately.
If you look closely at what a really cheap IT provider offers, you'll probably find that they've cut corners somewhere. Maybe they try to get by with smaller support teams than their competitors, or don't have much experience. Some guy running an IT support company from his garden shed is simply not going to have the resources to provide the level of support you need – and may well fall over entirely in a crisis.
It might not show up on a spreadsheet, but a feeling of security is a very important part of having a specialist IT team safeguarding your assets and data. Throughout the company, people will feel happier and calmer knowing their systems are being cared for and knowing there'll be help when things go wrong. A cheap operation that doesn't provide peace of mind will lead to worrying and distraction – not good for productivity.
The more experience an IT company has in the support business, the more expertise it's likely to have built up over the years. That means a wider range of problems can be fixed quickly, smoothly and with a minimum of disruption. A company that only cares about the bottom line will probably employ inexperienced staff without the ability to get to the heart of a problem straight away.
Your reputation, that is! Cutting corners to save a few pounds on a service contract might seem attractive at the time, but it'll look very different if poor-quality support has led to you being unable to deal with customers and suppliers in the way they expect. The reputational damage of being seen as a business that cares more about cost-cutting than quality can be devastating.
At TMB Group, we aren’t the cheapest managed IT supplier, but we’re by no means the dearest, either. All our services are designed to provide maximum value for money and the best peace of mind, while remaining affordable. To request a quote, please get in touch!
Image source: Pixabay