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Finding the best IT Solutions company for your UK venture

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Date published: 9th December 2022

Modern technology can often be quite complex. It needs regular maintenance to run efficiently. All businesses, regardless of size, need a reliable IT infrastructure to address any occurring problems. Your company won’t operate as efficiently as it could without IT solutions services. Not to mention that cyberattacks have become more frequent and sophisticated, making it difficult to defend your business without the necessary knowledge and tools. In 2021, 39% of UK businesses and 26% of nonprofits reported experiencing some sort of cyber security incident or assault. Utilising the services of an IT solutions firm is essential to ensuring that your IT systems are as effective and reliable as possible, and there are specific factors you should look for to select the best one for your company. It’s important to note that in 2022, ransomware attacks cost an average of £1.08 million for businesses in the UK. Below you will find the most crucial advice for selecting the best IT Solution provider based on your business’ demands.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

> 1. They should be able to resolve your issues quickly and efficiently

>2. Go through their Client Reviews

>3. Find an IT Solution Company That Fits Your Budget

>4. Find an IT Solution Company in the UK

>5. Find a partner with qualified IT support specialists

>6. They’ve worked in your sector before

>7. They will check your company as well

>8. Their recognition, affiliations, and credentials are earned, not purchased

>9. They take their own security really seriously

>10. They have a detailed onboarding procedure that is documented

>11. They have a procedure in place for dealing with support tickets

>12. Opportunities for scaling for your IT support team

>13. Make sure that you have a good rapport

>Questions that will help you find the best IT solutions company for your venture

>Finding the best IT Solutions company may not be easy but

1. They should be able to resolve your issues quickly and efficiently

One of the most common expectations when partnering up with a local IT business is the fast response time, which we also encouraged you to consider earlier in the article. However, just because a company is based in the same area as you, it’s not guaranteed they can always meet this requirement. Time is of the essence if you require IT support; hence the longer it takes the IT solutions provider to respond to your query, the more productivity your business will end up losing.

On the other hand, it’s also not out of the ordinary for a business to claim their range of unique selling points (USPs) includes 24/7 infrastructure support when in reality, they shut their doors to their clients way earlier than that. But companies like TWC IT Solutions, with an on-site bike response team and a 10-minute SLA for any emergency, ensure your issues are always dealt with on time and in a professional manner.

Tips to consider:
1. The response times that some companies claim they provide are not always real.
2. Distance matters, so if your IT partner is located far from your offices it may affect their response times.

2. Go through their Client Reviews

When you start conducting your research to find the company you trust enough to hand over your IT infrastructure to, business directories should certainly be your go-to places. Client testimonials can not only help you learn more about the nature of your future IT provider, but through different project descriptions, you get a good overview of how your potential projects/requirements would be dealt with. It’s also helpful to look at reviews to determine the level of experience the IT firm has working with a company in your industry before submitting an inquiry.

An additional layer of security can be looking for a company’s Net promoter score (NPS). This customer loyalty metric, established by consultancy firm Bain & Company, is a good indicator of how clients rate the company after each completed project, whether long or short. Be assured that a provider that rates as ‘excellent’ with a score of 90, just like TWC IT Solutions, has a wide range of expertise and an army of satisfied customers to back it up.

Tips to consider:
1. An IT company with no reviews might not be the best choice.
2. Aim to find customer reviews that describe different types of services to get a better overview for your business’ needs.
3. Don’t skip thoroughly researching the IT company and to take into consideration their average score on business directories/third-party websites.

3. Find an IT Solution Company That Fits Your Budget

Another important aspect of finding the right IT solutions provider is the cost of the partnership. In many cases, businesses find themselves in a difficult position due to the additional costs that weren’t part of the initial agreement. Besides considering potential factors that can influence the pricing later on, such as inflation, staff training and so on, you should never receive a monthly bill that’s considerably higher than what you can afford.

Choose a Managed Services Provider (MSP) that takes the time to get to know your business and, as such, provides you with a tailored solution that’s accelerating your business growth and doesn’t impact your productivity. An experienced provider with a proven track record of working with companies like yours stays ahead of market changes and only offers you the products that benefit your business at the most cost-effective price possible.

Tip to consider:
If you don’t have a concise budget in mind or it’s really tight, don’t hesitate to ask for a quote from the companies you shortlisted. Remember that finding the cheapest partner is not the goal here, but finding an affordable IT company based on their assessed expertise and reputation.

4. Find the Top IT Solution Company in the UK

leaders IT companies in the UK by clutch

While establishing a partnership with a global IT solutions provider certainly has its benefits, it’s essential to keep in mind the proximity and the travel distance when choosing one. Many tasks can be completed and managed remotely, but an office move, for instance, or the maintenance of specific hardware, would require the presence of an IT specialist. It’s also incredibly vital to have an IT solutions company near you to assist you in person and get to you quickly whenever a problem occurs.

When narrowing down the potential IT companies, look for providers, just like TWC IT Solutions, that have hyperlocal IT services in various locations in its portfolio to ensure your business is up and running as soon as possible.

Tips to consider:
1. Check the locations of the IT company.
2. Take a look at the Google Reviews of their nearby departments.
3. Check if they have customer reviews from companies in your area.
4. Ideally, choose an IT company that is located up to 30 mins away from your HQs. Else make sure that they have a proven process to efficiently support companies remotely.

5. Find a partner with qualified IT support specialists

It goes without saying that investing in an IT solutions provider gives a lot more to your business than just simple IT support. When building its team, an IT outsourcing company always ensures that it has a support team with diverse experience in the IT field and is equipped to deal with issues ranging from cybersecurity, networking, IT support, cloud computing or systems integration, among other projects. A reliable IT services company is aware of how important it is to stay up to date on the latest technologies and train their staff regularly.

Choosing a reliable IT partner with a very strong technical team is paramount for your business’ operations sustainability and growth. Certified IT solutions companies similar to TWC with close relationships with the world’s leading vendors, including Microsoft, AWS or Cisco, can also provide you early access and support to the latest cutting-edge IT solutions.

Tips to consider:
1. Go through the vendor’s website for the list of their official partners.
2. Ideally, choose an IT company up to 60 mins from your HQ. Otherwise, ensure they have a proven track record of supporting companies remotely efficiently.

6. They’ve worked in your sector before

You’ll see a noticeable difference in the way an IT solutions provider delivers their services when they are familiar with your industry. They will know the ins and outs of the compliance rules that apply to your sector, the frequent problems your business can potentially encounter, the daily tasks you do, and the technologies/applications that can be used to your advantage. Before making any final decisions, why not conduct your own research and check the case studies on their websites to see what challenges they might have faced and how they overcame them.

As a competent provider knows the latest technological developments, it can also determine the level of support and type of applications that can truly take your business to the next level in your industry. Just like TWC IT Solutions, they can showcase their expertise in all-in-one market-centric IT packages displaying affordable solutions for seamless day-to-day operation.

Tips to consider:
1. Search for customer case studies in your industry.
2. Double-digit years of experience is a plus, especially if this is accompanied by a large number of clients served.

7. They will check your company as well

Over the course of their operation, an IT solutions provider gains a thorough understanding of the type of businesses they are dealing with and the industry it belongs to. Within that, they will get familiarised with the applications that suit the different business models and will be able to build their expertise based on the potential obstacles faced while using the different software solutions.

As such, they will also be selective and only establish a partnership if it’s mutually beneficial to both parties.
An IT Solutions provider that trusts the quality of its services and the expertise of its staff will proudly showcase its knowledge to help and inspire other businesses in the form of thought leadership content. TWC IT Solutions publishes insightful guides, ebooks and expert roundups on its company blog to provide free resources to UK businesses. You can find them here.

Tips to consider:
1. Cross-check the reputation of their clients.
2. Be prepared to answer questions.

8. Their recognition, affiliations, and credentials are earned, not purchased

Your choice of settling down with a reputable IT solutions provider can also be confirmed by looking at their industry relationships. Technology partnerships between an IT company and prominent manufacturers, such as Microsoft, Cisco, AWS or BT, are quite standard in the IT industry. They greatly benefit any business supported by an IT company that achieved such milestones. The faster, more prioritised level of support and early access to the latest technologies is only available to businesses if they are in a partnership with an IT solutions provider.

However, while technology partnerships can be formed over the years, awards are only given out as a recognition of excellent support provided to companies that continue to shape the industry with their innovative approach. The quality of its services has seen TWC IT Solutions included among the top cybersecurity and cloud consulting companies of 2022 by DesignRush, Techreviewer and the Manifest.

Tips to consider:
1. Review their company awards, distinctions and reviews.
2. Conflicting company profiles and reviews on different sites may be a result of untrustworthiness.

9. They take their own security really seriously

A business is only as strong as its foundation, in this case, its external IT support. If your IT solutions provider has a robust cyber strategy in place, it’s able to keep you safe and your services undisturbed. However, if it’s not taking the time to invest in its own security and update the necessary software and hardware, it’s putting your organisation in danger. Outdated hardware and applications can hugely influence your business’ daily operation.

Staying up to date on the latest software releases, conducting regular cybersecurity training, and ensuring your staff has the necessary qualification to provide the right level of support is essential. TWC’s specialist engineers are accredited CHECK, CREST and TIGER security clearances and only work with industry-leading vendors such as Microsoft, Cisco, Avast, and BT, among many others, to keep your data safe.

Tip to consider:
Ask them about their cybersecurity policies.

10. They have a detailed onboarding procedure that is documented

After signing the contract and starting to work on your projects, it still takes some time to warm up to each other, just like in any new relationship. While still getting used to one another, there can be potential bumps at the beginning of the collaboration. However, an experienced IT solutions provider anticipates this and prepares a document to ease the challenges and ensure a smooth onboarding process, detailing all essential details, such as SLAs, the scope of services, etc.

When making an inquiry and scheduling your first meetings, make sure to find out if your potential IT solutions company provides you with an onboarding document. TWC IT Solutions is among the select few companies in London to offer a written Warranty of Seamless Transition (WST) document outlining all process and project management steps for any onboarding or migration project to minimise risks and protect your business.

11. They have a procedure in place for dealing with support tickets

The majority of IT support providers offer several ways to get in touch with them whenever an issue occurs. This includes a help desk with specialist engineers, a system where you can raise support tickets, sending emails or utilising digital channels, like social media. However, when you start working together, the preferred way of communication for different issues should be established in a written form, so both parties can commit to it and make the collaboration more efficient.

When choosing your IT support company, always try to check these details beforehand. Google and, more specifically, social media can be a good place to see how companies communicate in general and how quickly they respond and sort out issues. For instance, if you notice clients tweeting about it or taking the issue to other social media channels only to get a response, that’s a great concern for future partnerships.

Tips to consider:
1. Don’t hesitate to ask about the ticketing software they use
2. Ask them to share some KPIs of their support department

12. Opportunities for scaling for your IT support team

Another significant advantage of having an IT solutions provider to manage your infrastructure is the scalable range of services and support that comes with it. Besides having adequate knowledge about market trends and necessary products and applications, an experienced provider is also aware of the need for the range of services offered to be adjustable. This way, you get to increase and decrease the level of support in line with the company’s growth. It’s vital that your IT provider grows with you throughout your partnership and will be able to serve your constantly changing needs without any difficulties.

When narrowing down your choices and starting to reach out to Managed Service Providers (MSPs), always ask about flexibility. If they are not even open to hearing about it, chances are, they are not the provider that would help your business succeed in the long run. However, if they go ahead and offer you different strategies which can be easily customised if need be, that’s a good indicator of a successful future partnership.

13. Make sure that you have a good rapport

Even though many aspects of conducting a business can be done online, meeting your contractors in person is crucial when using outsourced services. This will help you network, and by getting to know the people who work on your infrastructure/projects daily, you also form a sense of community and build trust and mutual understanding, which contributes to a successful collaboration. Being able to match faces with names also makes the process less formal and more enjoyable to both parties.

Listen to your first instincts when reaching out. If you can, try organising an in-person meeting the first time you discuss your requirements to see how you get on with the representatives of the IT solutions provider.

15 Questions that will help you find the best IT solutions company for your venture

There is no harm in asking questions before deciding on one of the most significant financial investments a company can make. Make sure you cover as many areas as possible and include questions such as:

1. How can you resolve the problem that we keep having?
2. What procedures do you have in place for dealing with internal tech requests?
3. What applications do you recommend having in a disaster recovery strategy?
4. What’s your experience with data backup and disaster recovery?
5. Will you examine my existing information systems?
6. What distinguishes your business from your competitors?
7. Are you prepared to support a hybrid working environment?
8. Can the monthly plans be customised depending on the number of services we require?
9. Do you offer out-of-hours support?
10. What industry recognitions and certifications do you have?
11. What experience do you have working with businesses like ours?
12. Can you share the type of infrastructure you have previously set up or supported?
13. How long have you been providing technology services and what industries have you worked with?
14. What kind of customer service can our business expect?
15. Do you have any case studies or testimonials from existing clients that we can read?

Finding the best IT Solutions company may not be easy but…

We know that building an empire takes time and as such, finding the right IT solutions provider is crucial and challenging. Hopefully, the key points outlined in this article will make the process of finding a reliable IT partner smoother for you.

Interested in getting a quote from TWC IT Solutions?

TWC IT Solutions has been included among the Top Cybersecurity Consulting Companies & Top IT Services & Consulting Companies of 2022 by DesignRush and Techreviewer and has assisted more than 300 London businesses to grow since 2011.
We can do the same for your venture. Click here to ask for a free quote.