Deciding to invest in an IT managed service is a big one, and I am sure you have all heard the horror stories and of course the successes. To help you with your decision, we thought it would be pertinent to waylay some of the myths and questions we have come up against when speaking to clients about how a Managed Service Provider (MSP) will work for them.

If you have come across any others, please do let us know and we can add them, send us an email at contact@intergence.com.

This seems to be a common misconception of using a Managed Service Provider (MSP). Businesses think they will get in your teams way, interfere where they may not necessarily be welcome, make changes and be altogether a nuisance.

It couldn’t be further from the truth; in fact, an MSP will work with your team to ensure you are all working together and not pulling in separate directions. They will get to know how your business interacts with your IT team and be an extension of your business; collaborating with your team and your suppliers.

When you are engaging an MSP, it is always worth ensuring you are getting the right services at the right cost beforehand. I think the best way to answer this particular concern is by asking how much would it cost if you didn’t hire an MSP? By this, I mean “the cost of doing nothing”. If you were to change nothing over the next 12/24 months what would this cost the business? An MSP such as Intergence could come in, look at your infrastructure, call centre capabilities, analytics (if any) and give you an instant ROI analysis if you were to move to an MSP.

This is where the potential client can help themselves with a bit of leg work and research. You need to understand what it is exactly you want to achieve and what you need from an MSP. I have found that most businesses come to us not being able to answer this question after saying ‘save money’. Don’t get me wrong we all want to do that: but you can waste plenty of money picking the wrong MSP. You will find that there will be an MSP who is for you, who covers off all the key metrics you want to address e.g.

Expertise in the industry you work in
Agile
24/7/365 capability
Customised SLAs & KPIs
Service-Credit Service Availability Protection etc.

Again, this is a huge misconception when it comes to bringing in a Managed Service Provider. A good MSP will work alongside your current team to support, learn and absorb the business practices. Here at Intergence, we encourage our service team to consult with our clients, discuss and agree on service levels and what delivery model is right for you. The Intergence team will equip your business with the latest skills and technology to help your business grow and flourish under expert guidance.

If you do decide to hire a managed service provider make sure to take full advantage of the additional support that will boost your IT department. A well-managed service provider will deliver your requirement and improve customer service satisfaction.

If you still need some help and advice, please do get in touch with us as we are happy to help. You can also download our ebook ‘Agile Service Management’ which has some great tips on engaging a Managed Service.

E: contact@intergence.com