If you’re outsourcing to a managed service provider (MSP), you’re probably doing so to save yourself some time and trouble. You expect that your MSP will deliver a level of service the keeps your IT environment simple and stop it from causing any business disruptions. When you’re paying someone to fulfill a role, it’s important you are able to assess how well they fulfill the role. 

Sometimes with specialized services, like those an MSP provides, it can be hard to assess how well they perform their job. But there is a simple way to tell if your MSP is falling short: listen to the office.

Here are some things you may overhear in the office that indicate your MSP isn’t getting the job done.

“How do I use [software]?”

Every business runs on software. Everything from instant messaging, email, file delivery, inventory tracking, and personal data collection is run through a plethora of different software. No matter someone’s role in the office, they have a set of software they will be interacting with regularly. And if they’re to do their job well, they need to understand how to use that software.

In fact, a recent study showed that companies who invest in training see a 24% higher profit margin than those who don’t.

The job of training on new software or major updates to existing software should be handled by your MSP. They will often handle the software integrations in your business, and the only way they can make sure you get value out of software solutions is to make sure you use them to their full potential. A great MSP will also create a training curriculum for future hires so they can hit the ground running with their workflow.

“How do we set up the computer for the new hire?”

Employee onboarding is a necessary, but tedious, part of business development. It’s made even more tedious what there isn’t a clear onboarding procedure in regards to technology.

Any MSP you partner with should not only give you a clear process for technology onboarding, but they will also do the onboarding themself. That means things like requisitioning the correct technology, installing and updating relevant apps, and making sure everything works on-site. All of this is to make sure your IT isn’t holding back the training and education of a new hire.

“Who do I talk to about my technology issue?”

If you’re using an MSP, you probably expect them to respond quickly when you have a problem. For example, if you notice that your server is running slower than usual, you’ll want to know why and how they can address it. Seeing as the average cost of IT downtime can stretch as high as $5,400, having an unresponsive MSP is less than ideal.

If your MSP is failing to jump to the tasks you’re paying them to complete, don’t hesitate to look elsewhere. At the end of the day, both your sanity and your bottom line depend on MSPs being responsive.

“This is the third time I’ve had [problem].”

It’s not reasonable to expect your MSP to prevent all and any problems. However, you should also expect them to analyze why an incident occurred and stop it from repeatedly happening in the future. If they’re failing to do that, you need to question whether they’re up to the task of keeping your business safe.

If you begin noticing a pattern of repeat problems, task your MSP with stopping this pattern. Should they fail to do that, you need to go elsewhere.

“I haven’t heard a response to my support ticket in days.”

Submitting a ticket, in and of itself, is something serious. It displays that there is a problem that can’t be solved by your company and it is impacting someone’s ability to work. Sure, sometimes these issues can be small — something like getting access to old login information. But sometimes these issues can literally stop one or more employees from doing any productive work until they are resolved.

That’s what it’s imperative that tickets at least have a speedy response. On average, customer service across all industries boasts a response time of 7 hours and 4 minutes. So that’s a good metric to start with.

If your tickets are sitting there for days without receiving a real human response, it shows that your MSP isn’t prioritizing customer service as much as they should be.

Make sure you get the best solution

In order for your business development to stay on course and ambitious, you need to keep your finger on the pulse of your staff. Being aware of the situations and challenges they are encountering are often the best resources when determining what solutions you may be lacking.

If your current MSP isn’t enabling your business growth, reach out today. We can find the right IT solution for your business.