Choosing an IT support company is a decision you live with for years. Get it right and IT fades into the background. Get it wrong and you’re stuck in a contract with a provider who takes days to call back. These 10 questions will help you compare providers properly and spot the warning signs before you sign anything.
1. What exactly is included in the monthly price?
“Fully managed” means different things to different companies. Ask for a written list of what’s included and, just as important, what isn’t. Is helpdesk support unlimited? Are on-site visits included? Are new starters, leavers and new laptop set-ups covered, or charged extra? Projects such as office moves or new servers are usually quoted separately, and that’s fine, as long as you know up front.
2. How quickly will they respond, and is it in the contract?
Every provider promises fast support. The question is whether response times are written into your contract, with a different target for each priority level. An urgent “nobody can work” issue needs a much faster response than a printer that needs a new driver. If they won’t commit to times in writing, treat that as an answer.
3. Who will you actually speak to?
Some providers route every call through a large, rotating service desk. Others give you a small team who know your systems and your staff by name. Neither is wrong, but ask who picks up the phone, where they’re based, and whether you can reach a senior engineer when something serious happens.
4. How do they handle security?
Small businesses are targeted precisely because they’re less likely to have the basics in place. A good provider should talk to you about these without being asked:
- Multi-factor authentication on every email and Microsoft 365 account
- Updates and security patches installed automatically, and monitored
- Email protection against phishing and spoofing (SPF, DKIM and DMARC)
- Antivirus or endpoint protection managed centrally, not left to each user
- Help with Cyber Essentials if your customers or contracts require it
5. When did they last test a restore from backup?
Almost everyone says they back up. Far fewer test that the backups actually work. Ask where your data is backed up to, how many copies are kept, whether a copy is kept somewhere ransomware can’t reach, and how often they do a test restore. Backups of Microsoft 365 email, OneDrive and SharePoint matter too, as Microsoft’s own retention isn’t a full backup.
6. Can they support everything you use?
Make a list of what your business runs on: Windows PCs, Macs, servers, Microsoft 365, accounts or CRM software, phones and printers. Ask whether they support all of it, or whether you’ll be told “that’s not something we do” the first time a Mac user needs help.
7. Can they get to you when it matters?
Most problems are fixed remotely, often within minutes. But some things need an engineer on site: a failed switch, a new office network or a server that won’t start. Ask how far away their engineers are, and how quickly they can realistically be with you.
8. Will they take care of hardware, broadband and phones too?
When your IT company, broadband provider and phone supplier are three different businesses, problems tend to bounce between them. One supplier for support, laptops, Microsoft 365, broadband and phones means one number to call and nobody to blame but them.
9. How long is the contract, and what happens when you leave?
Check the minimum term, the notice period and how prices change at renewal. Then ask what happens if you leave: will they hand over passwords, admin access, licences and documentation promptly? A provider who is confident in their service won’t make leaving difficult.
10. Can they put you in touch with current clients?
Reviews help, but a five-minute call with a business similar to yours tells you far more. Ask for a reference from a client of a similar size or sector, and check their Google reviews while you’re at it.
Warning signs to watch for
- They won’t give a monthly price until you’ve signed up for an “assessment”
- Response times are vague or not in the contract
- They don’t ask about your backups or security in the first conversation
- Long minimum terms with automatic renewal and no clear exit process
- Every answer ends with an upsell
How Posilan answers these questions
We’ve supported North West businesses of 1 to 200 users since 2010. Contract support starts from £25 per user or PC per month plus VAT, covering unlimited helpdesk, remote and on-site support, with 24/7 monitoring and patching. Urgent issues are responded to within 4 hours, with targets for every priority level written into your contract. We support Windows, Mac and Linux, and we also supply hardware, Microsoft 365, broadband and phones, so you have one team to call.
If you’re thinking about changing provider, book a free, no-obligation IT review and we’ll tell you plainly what’s working and what isn’t. You can also read more about our managed IT support.