Tel: 03333 200 222
Email: [email protected]

Evaluating Your Managed IT Service Company

21/08/2023
6 minute read
To ensure your managed IT service company meets your needs, establish clear communication channels, define expectations, regularly assess performance, and seek proactive solutions. Open dialogue ensures your technology remains a strategic asset for sustained business growth.
By, Hayley Dyer
Share

What is a Managed IT Service Company?

A Managed IT Service Company provides specialised services to meet business technological needs, offering proactive IT support, management, security, and cloud solutions. With a skilled team, they tailor services to client requirements, managing IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and technical support.

Why is it important to ensure your MSC is meeting your needs?

In today's digital era, a reliable Managed IT Support Company (MSC) is vital for businesses. However, choosing the wrong MSC can lead to inefficiencies. Understanding your business needs might result in misaligned services and wasting resources. A poorly matched MSC could compromise security, leaving you vulnerable to cyber threats.

Cyber attacks are on the rise, making robust security measures essential. The wrong MSC can also hamper productivity, causing downtime and slow responses. To prevent these issues, assess your MSC's capabilities, ensuring they match your IT needs. Regular communication, performance monitoring, and adaptable service options are key in selecting an MSC that aligns effectively.

Choosing the Right MSC

Selecting the ideal Managed Service Company (MSC) involves crucial considerations. Understanding your business needs and ensuring robust security is paramount. Making the right choice minimises inefficiencies, enhances security, and boosts productivity. This article delves into key MSC selection factors and the risks of a mismatched choice.

Researching Potential Options and Services Provided

Thorough research is crucial when selecting a Managed IT Support Company (MSC) for your business. Assess providers' track records, client feedback, and industry reputation to gauge reliability. Evaluate offered services, including equipment monitoring, system management, cloud solutions, and security services.


Monitoring maintains performance, while system management oversees infrastructure. Cloud services provide scalability, and security services safeguard data. Informed research enables an aligned choice for effective IT support.

Assessing Your Needs and Goals

Consider key factors when evaluating your requirements and goals for a managed IT support company. Analyse your IT setup for improvements, aligning technology with scalability, security, and performance. Gauge your IT support needs, deciding on services like 24/7 assistance or proactive maintenance while considering budget and operational significance.


Evaluate the range of services offered by the provider. Swiftcomm, for instance, offers diverse IT services. They utilise Microsoft Azure for secure cloud solutions, provide primary IT support, and allow external IT function management. This strategy empowers businesses to focus on strengths while experts handle IT.

Shortlisting Companies for Further Consideration

When narrowing down potential managed IT support companies, critical criteria's should be considered:

  1. Service Range: Evaluate comprehensive IT offerings matching your needs.
  2. Specialisation: Check if they're industry or tech-specific for tailored solutions.
  3. Expertise: Validate tech knowledge, cloud, and cyber security skills with certifications and case studies.
  4. Customer Satisfaction: Look for client feedback, testimonials, and positive experiences.
  5. Cost Transparency: Compare pricing structures for value within your budget.

By assessing these factors, you can shortlist options offering diverse services, industry specialisations, tech expertise, and proven client satisfaction. 

Comparing Contract Terms and Cost Structures

When comparing Managed IT Support Companies, meticulously evaluate each service provider's contract terms and costs. Scrutinise pricing models, service level agreements (SLAs), and associated fees to guarantee alignment with your budget and requirements.


Examine the flexibility of contracts, commitment durations, and options for scaling services. Opt for a pricing model—fixed fees, usage-based, or tiered—that resonates with your budget and underscores transparency in its structure.
Give priority to SLAs that mirror your needs concerning response times and uptime assurances—factor in potential supplementary expenses like on-site visits or hardware upgrades for precise budgeting.

Making Your Final Decision


Key factors merit consideration when finalising your choice of a Managed IT service company. Review contract terms, assessing flexibility, scalability, and commitment length. Scrutinise cost structures, including fixed fees, usage-based billing, and tiered pricing models, prioritising transparency to avoid hidden charges.
Confirm the company's capacity to meet your needs, focusing on service-level agreements with response times and uptime guarantees.
Account for potential extra fees like on-site visits or upgrades. You can confidently select a Managed IT Support Company aligned with your business requirements by thoroughly evaluating these aspects.

Working with Your MSC

Collaborating effectively with your Managed Service Provider (MSP) is pivotal for superior IT support. Explore tactics to optimise communication, establish explicit expectations, and harness the full potential of your MSP relationship.


Engaging with your Managed Service Provider demands proactive measures to heighten operational efficiency. Uncover the value of routine performance evaluations, pre-emptive issue resolution, and harmonising IT strategies with business objectives. Your MSP can deliver customised solutions propelling growth by nurturing transparent communication and mutual comprehension.
Incorporate their specialist teams, tap into security solutions, and explore cloud consulting to elevate performance. Elevate customer experience through a partnership fortified by proactive collaboration.

Establishing Clear Communication Channels and Rules of Engagement

Effortless collaboration with your managed IT service company flourishes through transparent communication channels and meticulously outlined engagement directives. Enhance this partnership by instituting preferred communication avenues such as email, phone, project tools, and a swift hotline for critical issues with your service provider.


Elaborate on comprehensive rules of engagement to crystallise expectations, response timeframes, escalation protocols, and primary contacts.
Regular updates and candid discussions amplify issue resolution and team cohesion, cementing a dynamic connection that propels shared objectives. This systematic approach with your Managed IT Support Company establishes a productive and enduring alliance.

Regularly Monitoring the Quality of Service Provided

Continuous evaluation of your Managed IT service Company's (MSC) service quality is essential for a successful partnership. Regular checks identify improvement areas, resolve concerns, and uphold top-tier service.
Prioritise response times – swift resolution minimises disruptions. Proactive monitoring showcases quality, curbing potential IT issues. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) clarify expectations; consistent adherence reflects commitment.
Accreditations like ISO 9001 or ITIL validate their practices. In summary, monitoring response times, proactive measures, SLAs, and certifications guarantees optimal support from your MSC, enhancing your partnership's value.

Measuring Performance Against Agreed-Upon Metrics and SLAs

Measuring your managed IT service companies performance against agreed metrics and SLAs is vital for ensuring expected service levels. Follow these steps:

  1. Define Clear Targets: Set business-aligned goals and metrics with your IT support partner. Document them in SLAs to create a performance baseline.
  2. Regularly Review Data: Monitor key metrics like response and resolution times, system availability, and customer satisfaction. Analyse trends and identify improvement areas.
  3. Conduct Periodic Assessments: Schedule quarterly or annual performance reviews. Evaluate metrics and SLAs, address concerns, and collaborate on enhancements.

Effective measurement ensures optimal service delivery and continuous improvement in your managed IT support partnership.

Getting Feedback from Your Internal Team Members Using Their Services

Gathering input from internal team members using Managed IT Support is pivotal. Their perspectives illuminate service effectiveness and alignment with company needs—direct users to discern areas for refinement, ensuring streamlined efficiency.
Feedback also gauges customer satisfaction and evaluates service fulfilment. Through surveys, meetings, and open channels, insights on response times, issue resolution, and contentment are collected.


Fostering open dialogue via check-ins, suggestions, and chats enables invaluable insights. Businesses align IT services with their needs through internal feedback, promoting collaboration and improvement. This collaboration spans service providers, service desk offerings, in-house teams, and a broad range of IT services.

Proactively Seeking Opportunities for Improvement or Expansion of Services Provided

By embracing innovation, managed IT service providers can ascend to industry leadership. Reinforcing cybersecurity with advanced measures like firewalls and intrusion detection addresses intricate threats. Adapting to cloud trends—offering consultation, migration, and management services—ensures client flexibility and scalability, particularly with services like Office 365 from a trusted cloud service provider.


Investments in team skills and certifications uphold technical excellence. Regular evaluations, feedback loops, and trend analyses facilitate enhancements. This proactive approach empowers managed IT support providers to offer superior solutions that align with client requirements, including business continuity and compliance in a regulatory environment.

Benefits of Having an Effective Managed IT Support Company in Place

The advantages of having a proficient Managed IT service company extend widely. Firstly, round-the-clock assistance curtails downtime, elevating productivity and customer contentment. Their expertise bridges knowledge gaps, aligning with technological progress—outsourcing curbs costs by negating equipment, infrastructure, and staffing burdens.
Flexible pricing models enable prudent resource allocation. The company's dependability, exemplified through proactive monitoring and security measures, ensures seamless operations. With a broad range of applications, software solutions, and disaster recovery services, a dependable Managed IT service company also paves the path for compliant business practices.
Ultimately, this robust partnership empowers businesses to thrive in the digital realm, unearthing growth possibilities and retaining a competitive edge while delivering top-notch customer service.

More from Swiftcomm

Efficient and Affordable Fixed Cost IT Support in Peterborough: Your Solution for Seamless Tech Management
In today's fast-paced business world, technology plays a pivotal role in the success of organisations, regardless of their size. As companies increasingly rely on technology to streamline business operations, enhance customer experiences, and gain a competitive edge, reliable IT support has never been more critical. In this blog, we will explore the world of fixed cost IT support in Peterborough—a solution that offers efficiency and affordability for support specialists while ensuring seamless tech management for businesses.
Full Article
right-chevron
Addressing Diverse Industry Challenges: IT Support for SME London
The thriving business landscape of London comprises a diverse array of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) spanning various industries, each with its own unique IT needs and challenges. From finance and healthcare to creative agencies and manufacturing businesses, the technology requirements can significantly differ. This is where IT support providers play a crucial role, offering tailored solutions to address the diverse industry challenges faced by SMEs in London. When it comes to IT support for SME London, these providers offer customized solutions that can help businesses thrive in this dynamic environment.
Full Article
right-chevron
grey-tick-icon
Trusted by 100s of businesses already
grey-tick-icon
Uniquely tailored approach
grey-tick-icon
Outstanding customer service
swift-tag

Talk with us

We pride ourselves on being an honest trustworthy business communications provider
phone-icon
Telephone
Call 03333 200 222 or if you would prefer us to call you.
Schedule a call
email-icon
Email
We love emails, to send us one use [email protected] or fill in our
Contact Form
chat-icon
Live Chat
Got a question? Our live chat is open and ready to assist
Chat Now
Contact a specialist
crosschevron-down