#1 Customer reference
Providers with service experience know what works and what doesn’t for businesses in different fields. This results in a reduction of unforeseen breakdowns, anticipation of incidents or even solutions found more quickly.
Before you start, check that the service provider understands your needs and above all that he will be able to adapt to your expectations. Ideally, he should offer you a personalized solution.
In order to know the extent of his expertise, do not hesitate to ask him questions about his service catalog.
#2 Human Resources
The success of outsourcing is largely based on trust and proximity. Prioritize geographical proximity and “human” proximity with your interlocutors.
This is particularly important at the start of the contract, where contacts and exchanges are more frequent and make it possible to remove certain fears or oppositions. But this is also the case during the contract. Indeed, even if today a very large number of incidents can be resolved remotely, the personal link remains a key element for the satisfaction of your users.
In any case, choosing a service provider “on a human scale” remains a guarantee of flexibility and a very appreciable ability to listen.
Finally, you can also take an interest in the turn-over of the support service, which can be a good indicator of trust. With low turnover, you will be reassured about the relationship you can maintain with the teams in place.
#3 Tools
The challenge of Managed services is to guarantee the operation, reliability and availability of your IT. For this, the service provider must be part of an ITIL approach (understand by this a method of managing IT services). But also use advanced technological tools.
Of course, the service provider will use an adequate ticketing tool. He can also use a configuration management solution, which allows you to control changes and thus support you in the life cycle of your IT equipment.
In the same way, a modern and efficient monitoring tool allows the service provider to best support you in aligning your IT operations with your business and business objectives.
A service provider who combines the appropriate method and tools should reassure you.
#4 Indicators
By moving towards Managed Services, you are entrusting the keys to all or part of your IS to an external service provider. It will therefore have to propose a clear and effective framework. But above all, he will have to commit to respecting his commitments and service levels.
A clause with penalties can be included in the contract. Among the points where the service provider can commit, there is the duration of the intervention.
A regular review of services, in the form of a committee, with reports, may or may not be included in the monitoring of service delivery. Nevertheless, this option can bring you great benefits, in particular by ensuring the quality of service and compliance with the commitments described in the SLAs.
