Choosing the right Managed Service Provider (MSP) is crucial for your business’s success. A good MSP ensures quick responses, minimal downtime, and services matching your needs. If you’re experiencing frequent IT issues, slow support, or inadequate guidance, it might be time to look for a new provider. Here are some signs to watch for, along with additional insights.
Table of Contents
1. Slow MSP Response Times
2. Frequent Downtime
3. Little Strategic Guidance
4. Lack of Proactive IT Support from MSP
5. Poor Communication
6. No IT Compliance Offerings
7. MSP Doesn’t Cater to Unique Business Needs
8. Poor Help Desk Support
9. No Incident Response Plan
10. Unclear Billing or Expenses by MSP
11. Lack of Routine Performance Reports
12. Outgrowing Your Current MSP
Need a New MSP? ITonDemand Can Help
1. Slow MSP Response Times
Slow response times from an MSP can significantly hinder business operations, leading to downtime and financial loss. If an MSP often responds slowly, it could indicate a lack of proper resources or a poor understanding of your business’s needs. That also suggests a mainly reactive approach to problem-solving, which may not be practical for every problem.
Conversely, not all delays signify poor service. Sometimes, an MSP may take additional time to deliver a solution because they are addressing complex issues and aiming to prevent future occurrences. This approach can be more beneficial in the long run, ensuring practical and sustainable solutions. If you are concerned about response times, always speak up.
2. Frequent Downtime
Frequent downtime during working hours is a major red flag when assessing an MSP’s effectiveness. It disrupts business operations, leading to lost revenue and reduced client trust. If downtime is a regular occurrence, it could indicate that the MSP is mishandling the infrastructure. That could mean they’re coming up short in other areas, too.
On the other hand, it’s worth remembering that downtime can be planned for necessary updates and upgrades during off-hours. Those ultimately benefit your business by enhancing system performance and security. In these cases, the MSP is delivering a planned service and will minimize the impact.
3. Little Strategic Guidance
Little strategic guidance from an MSP can be a limiting factor for your business growth. An MSP should be more than just a service provider; it should be a partner that aligns IT strategies with your business objectives. If your MSP fails to provide forward-thinking advice or understand your industry’s trends, it might hinder your ability to innovate and stay competitive.
However, it’s also possible that an MSP’s hands-off approach can be beneficial if your internal team is already strategically strong. If taking a co-managed IT approach, having them focus purely on technical support allows your in-house experts to drive strategic IT decisions without outside influence. Make sure to communicate those expectations from the get-go.
4. Lack of Proactive IT Support from MSP
An MSP’s lack of proactive IT support can lead to ongoing issues and network vulnerabilities. Effective ones prevent problems with regular software updates, security patches, and early troubleshooting to ensure your systems are secure and efficient. If your MSP reacts to issues only after they occur, your business could face unnecessary risks and inefficiencies.
A reactive IT approach can still work if a capable in-house IT team manages daily proactive tasks. In such scenarios, an MSP’s reactive support for unforeseen issues can complement your team’s efforts, allowing for more reaction flexibility. This setup can efficiently utilize the strengths of both teams, ensuring comprehensive IT support.
5. Poor Communication
Effective communication is a daily part of any business, involving everything from talking to customers to co-workers coordinating a project. It’s not always easy, especially when working with a third-party partner. That’s why upfront and routine updates and discussions are essential to MSP services. Because miscommunication costs an average of $420,000 for businesses with less than 100 employees, not having regular talks can be costly.
The reason is simple: communication ensures everyone is on the same page and resources are well prioritized. That is especially important when it involves critical functions and technology. While MSPs can be relied on for their IT expertise, there should still be discussions about how time and money are being spent and why it’s being spent that way. That helps ensure that resources are put towards priority projects with the most positive impact.
6. No IT Compliance Offerings
While not every business needs IT compliance services, the capability to do so can set a higher standard even for regular cybersecurity services. MSPs that don’t offer compliance, which involves a strict certification process, may lack the in-house expertise to handle tougher security challenges.
Additionally, a provider with compliance services will already use tested and proven cybersecurity solutions. That often includes reliable incident response planning, ensuring that no matter the problem, they can respond quickly. Even if compliance is optional for some organizations, having the capability is a sign of a good IT partner.
7. MSP Doesn’t Cater to Unique Business Needs
An MSP that doesn’t cater to your unique business needs can be a significant drawback. Each business has its own specific requirements and challenges, and service packages should offer enough flexibility to align with those. If a provider cannot adapt its services to meet your needs, it could limit your ability to optimize and scale effectively.
However, businesses with straightforward IT needs may find a standardized MSP service beneficial. This simpler approach offers reliable and cost-effective solutions without the extra complexity of customizing services. Always choose the strategy and plan that best aligns with your business model and size.
8. Poor Help Desk Support
Poor help desk support from an MSP can significantly disrupt your workplace. If agents are unhelpful, rude, or lack the necessary expertise, it can lead to unresolved problems and ongoing frustrations. Effective support requires courteous, knowledgeable agents who can efficiently resolve IT issues, ensuring minimal disruption to your business.
However, an occasional negative experience doesn’t always reflect a broader issue with the MSP. Sometimes, a single poor interaction could be due to a bad day or a mismatch in communication styles rather than a widespread problem. Isolated incidents, while frustrating, should be addressed upfront with open communication and constructive feedback.
9. No Incident Response Plan
When it comes to technology, it’s a matter of when, not if, an IT issue will happen. It can be something as simple as a device having Wi-Fi connectivity issues or a severe data breach. Regardless of the situation, it’s critical to have an incident response plan to help staff prioritize what to do based on the type of issue.
However, crafting an extensive incident response plan can be challenging for smaller businesses due to limited resources. Instead, these companies might benefit from an MSP that offers adaptable response plans tailored to their specific needs and scale. This strategy ensures that smaller organizations remain prepared while still keeping costs down.
10. Unclear Billing or Expenses by MSP
Unclear billing from an MSP can complicate budgeting for businesses. If service fees aren’t transparent or vary unexpectedly, it can cause financial uncertainty and erode trust. MSPs should provide clear, detailed invoices that outline all charges, helping businesses plan financially and ensuring transparency.
However, complex projects or unexpected IT issues might lead to unforeseen costs. In such cases, an MSP that offers flexible billing can be beneficial, allowing for adjustments based on actual project needs or emergencies. Make sure to discuss with your current (or future) MSP how unexpected expenses are handled and to set clear boundaries for what is acceptable.
11. Lack of Routine Performance Reports
A lack of routine performance reports from an MSP can make it difficult for businesses to evaluate their IT system’s effectiveness. Regular reports are essential for understanding how well IT services support business goals and identifying areas for improvement. Without these insights, strategic IT planning becomes guesswork.
Comprehensive reports may not be necessary for smaller businesses or those with less complex IT needs. Instead, an MSP that provides streamlined, concise reports may be best. That ensures that companies still receive key performance metrics to assess their IT services in a format that’s easier to manage and understand, allowing them to focus on their core operations.
12. Outgrowing Your Current MSP
Every MSP is different, offering different solutions, services, support staff, and more. Some MSPs are catered to smaller businesses, while others are designed to meet the needs of large-scale enterprises. While many service providers aim to have flexibility to handle growth, not all of them do. If your business is growing rapidly and the IT infrastructure or support can’t keep up, you may be outgrowing your current MSP.
Communication is a key part of any IT partnership. If you have growth or scalability concerns, it’s important to be upfront from the get-go instead of waiting until problems happen. IT infrastructure upgrades take time and resources, so these discussions should happen early. That being said, not all growth is predictable, and if your organization is quickly out-pacing what your MSP can handle, it may be time to consider a new one.
Need a New MSP? ITonDemand Can Help
Recognizing when you need a new Managed Service Provider (MSP) is essential to keep your IT operations effective. Common issues like slow response times, frequent downtime, and inadequate help desk support can harm your business. It’s crucial to have an MSP that offers proactive support, strategic advice, and solutions tailored to your needs for optimal performance.
If these problems sound familiar, ITonDemand can help. We provide fast, reliable support and strategic IT guidance tailored to your organization. Our services include clear billing, regular IT reports, and comprehensive IT services. With ITonDemand, you get a partner dedicated to enhancing your IT operations. Let us show you how our proactive approach can make a difference for your business.
