More organizations are leveraging strategic IT partnerships to increase agility and flexibility in the workplace. However, getting the best return on an outsourced IT relationship depends on finding the right partner. What’s the best way to compare and vet potential IT partners? Consult our list of 10 questions to help you pick the right IT service provider. Learn more here: http://ms.spr.ly/6000TW1kA

1. When you engage with
potential providers, make
sure they’re prepared to
provide you with a roadmap
for project rollouts and
service implementation. This
resource is essential to help
you monitor progress and
evaluate how your service
provider is performing
against goals and milestones.
Question 6
Do you have a
detailed roadmap?
Question 5
Has your service provider been fully vetted?
Your Managed Service Provider (MSP) will become an extension of your
team — and a reflection of your organization. Be sure you understand
your service provider’s capabilities and limitations.
Things to consider when evaluating an MSP:
Well defined goals will help you:
• Prevent miscommunications.
• Obtain unambiguous proposals.
• Avoid hidden costs.
• Set realistic timelines.
Question 3
How does your current solution stack up?
Before you bring in a service provider, take stock of your current state
and establish a benchmark to measure future performance against.
By measuring your company’s current performance against industry
standards, you’ll be able to identify opportunities for improvement.
Common benchmarks to note:
Cost per
ticket
Tickets per
user per
month
Tickets per
technician
per month
Mean
Time to
Resolution
(MTTR)
First-Call
Resolution
(FCR)
percentage
10 Questions
To Ask When Evaluating
IT Service Providers
Whether you want to get more agile, increase scalability for an
upcoming project or just provide extra support for your overworked
IT department, there are plenty of good reasons to bring in a partner
for IT services. If you’re currently looking for a provider, start by
considering your needs, including drivers for innovation, growth
and cost reduction.
Top reasons why businesses outsource IT:
Question 1
What’s your motivation for
finding a service provider?
Freeing employees to focus on core
business objectives
Access to skills not available in-house
Cost reduction
Greater flexibility in the use of resources
Improved ability to innovate
49%
46%
45%
39%
15%
Once you know your motivation,
you’re ready to get specific. Consider
what you want your IT partnership
to look like. Do you want your IT
provider to handle all your IT tasks
or just a small piece of the daily
workload? Are you looking for a
long-term relationship or is your
need only temporary?
Ideas on what to
outsource:
• End-user support
(service desk and on-site)
• Device provisioning and
maintenance
• Migrations and
deployments
• Unified endpoint
management
• Security and governance
Question 2
Which workloads will
you be outsourcing?
Question 4
Have you identified and
quantified your goals?
If your service provider has a clear
understanding of your objectives, they’ll
be better able to deliver results for your
business. Try to set goals that are well-
defined and specific — doing so will make
it easier for you and your service provider
to work together. If you can’t clearly state
your objectives, consider adjusting the
scope of the project.
• Do your organizations share similar values?
• Is the pricing structure transparent?
• Does the MSP have strong industry recognition, skills and
experience?
• Can the MSP meet the same security and compliance standards
as the in-house team?
• Will the MSP provide dedicated account managers and resources?
Sample roadmap
End-usersupport
Workplace Services: Modern Workforce
24/7 service desk Implement SLA-driven, demand-based, global service desk.
Live chat 15% adoption 25% adoption >25% adoption
Knowledge
management
Phase 1 for IT support: Increase FCR% — Phase 2 for end user: Foundation of self-service portal
Self-service portal 5% adoption 10% adoption >15% adoption
Single sign-on portal
Ability to layer in key applications for ease of access, reduction of
passwords
Password reset tool 2% ticket reduction 4% ticket reduction >5% ticket reduction
Account management
automation
Task reduction / condense new hire & termination time frame
Deskside support Transition deskside technician roles to MSP
Dispatch support Support small footprint facilities with on-demand dispatch model — Global
Software distribution
Self-service and ticket reduction | 1–2 % ticket
reduction
Chatbots
Self-service support stream | 5– 10% ticket
reduction
Incident prevention
Proactive endpoint
management
Governance and transformation — Foundation of program management and transformation
Integration Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Look for holes in the plan. Bringing
internal stakeholders into the
conversation early in the process
can help you avoid unanticipated
roadblocks and expenses. Plan for
risks now so you’ll be prepared to
mitigate them later.
Question 7
Does the execution
methodology
make sense?
Issues you may
encounter:
• Communication
difficulties
• Low user adoption rate
• Unexpected or hidden
costs
• Disruptions to business
continuity
• Data security and privacy
vulnerabilities
• Lower quality of service
than expected
Question 8
Are your Service-Level Agreement (SLA)
metrics realistic?
It’s important for you and your provider to understand the SLAs you want
to meet in the given timeframe. Your benchmarking exercise can help you
set strong, achievable SLAs. These will also help MSPs better understand
and meet your expectations.
Pro tips on SLAs
• Set SLAs that will close
performance gaps based on
benchmarks.
• Consider pairing SLAs with
satisfaction survey results.
• Ensure the SLAs align to
your business goals.
• Be prepared to change SLAs
as business needs evolve.
Question 9
Have you seen a
proof of concept?
Minimize risks by asking for
a proof of concept. This will
give you a chance to identify
and solve issues that weren’t
obvious in the initial proposal.
Proof of concept benefits
The success or failure of a project can often be linked back to the
quality of communication. Establishing lines of communication early
and clearly specifying roles and responsibilities should help you ensure
better outcomes. However you decide to proceed, make sure your
expectations are always clearly communicated.
Question 10
Have you established a clear system of
communication?
Communication is key:
• Put a process in
place for escalating
issues.
• Implement
collaboration apps
as needed.
• Provide training
for internal and
external teams.
• Communicate
regulatory and
security standards.
• Meet regularly
to track progress
toward goals.
• Invest in managed
adoption processes.
Source
Raconteur. (2018, May 3). Future of Outsourcing.
• Gather data to support your
business case.
• Refine the implementation
plan if needed.
• Chance to address
communication or support gaps
• Reduced risk to business
Build phase Run phase/benefits