When you partner with an IT support service provider, you expect all your IT-related problems to be over. You start thinking about how great it is to use computers without worrying about unexpected downtime and data breaches. You’d rely on them to keep an eye out for your IT system and keep things spick and span while you focus on the business side of things.
Although that is the general idea of why companies hire IT service providers, it doesn’t always go as planned. Especially if your current provider's performance is not going well.
As a company, this could create repercussions for your operations (especially if technical failures happen frequently and hinder your development plans). As a result, you would prefer to transition to another IT service provider that can provide functional solutions and move your company towards success.
If you’re planning on switching to a better service provider, there is a correct way to transition your IT seamlessly.
Let us guide you through this process:
How to transition to your new IT service provider
Assess your current IT service provider
What issues are you experiencing with your current IT service provider?
The first step to having a seamless IT transition is to evaluate the IT issues you’re facing. But to do that, you need to ask the right questions to get the exact answers.
You can start with these questions:
- How big are your IT issues?
- Are these issues fixed immediately?
- Do they reoccur constantly?
- What is working?
- What is not working?
- Did you share your sentiments with your service provider?
These fundamental questions can guide you in making the right decision with your current service provider and evaluating the state of your IT.
This way, you will have a complete list of goals and problems that you can address with your new IT service provider. You will know where to focus and make data-driven decisions based on that.
When you have an IT service provider in mind, they should (for starters) do their own IT audit of your infrastructure. Although you have evaluated the issues with your current IT provider, they would have a much more thorough process of assessing your IT environment, from hardware to software and subscription services.
This process would also help them find vulnerabilities, such as data risks unknown to you and your current provider.
Pick a new (and better) IT service provider
After you’ve assessed the shortcomings of your current IT service provider, it’s time to look for a new provider that could turn your IT frown upside-down.
To have a seamless IT transition, you need a more reliable service provider that can do the job right.
There are many service providers to choose from, and you must pick the right one.
Do extensive research, check reviews from business directories, and ask for referrals from your business colleagues. Look at their business size, the industries, and the services they specialise in. These three aspects are beneficial since you will need a provider that can help you reach specific goals.
Check their past and present clients. Make sure to check into how they implement their IT project solutions service on their past and current clients. If there are any case studies and white papers, all the better.
Once you have a list of prospective IT providers, get in touch with them so you can discuss your company’s needs and objectives. You can expect that they would offer a free IT health check (otherwise known as a consultation) to understand precisely what’s working and what's not in your IT.
This stage is where you’ll also talk about important details like pricing, the services they can offer you, and how they can help you get there.
Plan your transition
Planning is a critical step to having a seamless IT transition.
Take note that failing to plan is planning to fail.
Changing IT providers is a risky business. If you don’t have a clear and thorough switch IT management plan that withstands any transition challenges, you can expect some delays in your onboarding and operations.
Your new IT service provider needs to lay out a plan covering various aspects, from understanding the foundations of your IT (set up by your current service provider) to onboarding your staff with the new system.
In the transition plan, your new IT provider should at least provide the stages, transition timeline, the tools and systems involved, and how the switching process be implemented.
Notify your current IT service provider and staff
Laying out bad news is never a good feeling. But to get the IT that you deserve, you have to be honest with your current IT provider.
The earlier you break things up, the better.
But before all that, do check your current provider’s notice period or exit clause so you can give the right heads-up time.
Breaking up with your current IT service provider is not like cancelling a software subscription only because you found a better one. They also have a role to play in the IT transition process since they have the admin credentials, licences, and complete know-how of your IT infrastructure.
It’s a good idea to introduce both service providers.
Conduct a meeting with them together so you can lay out an easier transfer process.
But be warned that not all service providers (especially the ones you’re breaking up with) will cooperate with the handover process as much as you would like. There's a chance they may not voluntarily share information. That’s why you must ask the right questions during your handover process.
Crucial things to ask are your current tech limitations and any hang-ups on your infrastructure. Knowing these things straight from your current service provider is critical in making the transition process seamless.
On the other side of the coin, it’s not just service providers that need a heads up. You also need to prepare your employees for the upcoming switch since they are mostly affected during the migration. At the very least, help them back up their data beforehand.
Offboard your old IT service provider and onboard the new one
A lot goes on with offboarding and onboarding IT service providers.
In this stage of the IT transition process, your new service provider will start taking over your IT. And they must do it safely and seamlessly.
They’ll start to work on uninstalling your previous hardware and software and then install the new ones aligned with the transition plan. They will then create backups of your data and update your server and administrator passwords to secure your IT network so only authorised individuals can access it.
At Office Solutions IT, we take security seriously. To ensure a seamless transition process, we assess your entire infrastructure and catch any current issues and undiscovered vulnerabilities.
Even before the IT transition process, we make sure that everything is well and good on your end, so not only are your known issues settled but so are the unknown ones.
Lastly, we set up all the tools, update all software, and train your employees with the new system.
What now?
Wanting to switch from one IT service provider to another is a tough challenge. Finding a new service provider is just the first obstacle among many others but is the most critical step.
With the right IT service provider, you should have a seamless transition that will allow you to explore numerous IT solutions and discover unresolved tech-related issues on top of quality support services.
As a company in the 21st century, you must be proactive, especially with technology. Using innovation to your advantage can get you to where you want to be. However to get there, you have to be aware of the right timing, process, and what you’re missing out on.
We understand that getting a seamless transition is an almost impossible task, and to be frank, it can be a bit overwhelming at times. So why not let Office Solutions IT, an expert in Switch IT services, do it for you?
We’ve worked with thousands of small and medium-sized companies across Australia at a fixed cost. We are experts in various IT services and helped many clients get the support they need and deserve.
