Growth is an inevitable and essential part of any relationship.
In both personal and business relations, it’s ideal to grow together, but sometimes you can’t help but grow apart, and it’s always a sad moment when you realize it’s the latter.
Such a thing can happen between you and your managed IT service provider (MSP). And when it does, it shouldn’t be hard to miss. Or at least that should be the case if you’ve removed those rose-colored glasses. If you’re still oblivious to the damaging effects of outgrowing your MSP, we’ll gladly snap you back into reality.
These telltale signs are not foreign to us at Intelligent Technical Solutions (ITS). They’re complaints we hear all the time from businesses who are looking to switch providers, and we’ve heard them a lot in our years of being in the industry. These are also things we try to avoid doing because we put great importance on growing with our partners.
In this article, we’ll share with you the most obvious signs that you have outgrown your MSP. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to walk out the door before the relationship causes more damage to your business. And hopefully, soon after, you find an MSP that can grow with you.
5 Signs That You Have Outgrown Your Managed IT Provider
There are a lot of ways for the problem of outgrowing your managed IT provider to manifest, but these are the most definitive signs:
1. Employees are Experiencing More IT Issues
Your employees are the driving force behind your business, so they must be able to perform their tasks comfortably and efficiently. Once you start hearing complaints from them regarding tech issues, whether hardware or software, you should start questioning your IT provider. They may be lacking the manpower to keep up with the many endpoints needed by your growing company.
Remember to listen and survey those lower in the organizational hierarchy. IT providers sometimes guarantee smooth operations for executives and managers to gain their favor and maintain the partnership.
2. Reactive Instead of Proactive Approach
Resolving IT issues as they happen is only one of the many responsibilities of your MSP. They should also be able to anticipate and eliminate tech problems, threats, and cyberattacks that may disrupt operations and jeopardize valuable data.
Failure to do this can cause an increase in costs, downtime and a higher possibility of being targeted by cyberattacks. And if this is the case, it’s better to drop them now and look for an MSP that will keep your systems healthy and fully functional all year round.
3. Long Wait Times for Support and Fixes
In relation to being just reactive or settling with the break-fix approach, it’s also alarming if the response and ticket resolution time has increased. This either means that your MSP has become neglectful or inefficient, or overloaded. Whatever the reason is, such a thing should not be happening.
A good MSP should be able to cater to your needs instantly. They should also be able to resolve issues within a reasonable time, hopefully without affecting daily operations. Anything other than this is unacceptable.
4. Outdated Programs and Services
As technology changes and advances, so should your business’ tech infrastructure, processes, and policies. And this is something that your MSP should be on top of. They should suggest new tools, better techniques, and strategic IT plans. Otherwise, you’re stuck with an outdated approach that could become obsolete sooner rather than later.
Learning about new trends and technologies in your industry and applying them to your business is essential to your growth. If they can’t do this, they are failing not only you as their clients but themselves as well as IT experts.
5. Doubt and Distrust have Set in the Partnership
Trust is the foundation of any successful partnership. If you feel you’ve lost the ability to trust your MSP, it may be time to move on.
There are many reasons for doubt to form and trust to disappear. They could have constantly let you down, they could’ve broken promises stated in the contract, or maybe you just feel that it isn’t a beneficial relationship anymore. Regardless of their shortcomings, know that you have the right to end your relationship whenever you want, especially when it has become detrimental to your business.
Looking for an MSP to Grow With?
A good business relationship should push you forward, not hold you back. Unfortunately, some do so well of a job helping you achieve your mission and vision that they get left behind, unable to catch up. So, if you’ve outgrown your managed IT service provider, you will notice the following signs:
- Employees are Experiencing More IT Issues
- Reactive Instead of Proactive Approach
- Long Wait Times for Support and Fixes
- Outdated Programs and Services
- Doubt and Distrust Have Set in the Partnership
It’s a bit harsh to say this, but when you’ve gotten the most out of your current IT provider and feel that neither of you can no longer benefit, it’s time to move on and find a better partner. But don’t rush into it. Study what qualities a good IT provider should have and make sure that they’re ready to stick with you through your business’ development.
Prioritizing growth is something we do at Intelligent Technical Solutions (ITS). And that growth applies to both our clients and our organization. Our experts are always on top of the latest technological trends and policy changes, so we don’t get left behind in this fast-paced world. If you’re interested in switching to our services, don’t hesitate to schedule a meeting with our people.
On the other hand, if you want to educate yourself more on how to switch managed IT providers, try looking at these articles from our learning center:
Article: What to Consider When Switching IT Service Providers
Article: 5 Problems When Changing Managed IT Providers (& How to Avoid Them)
Video: Everything You Need to Know about Switching IT Providers [Video]
