Checklist: What Should Your IT Support Agreement Include?

Introduction

When is the last time you reviewed your company’s IT support?

Whether you’re actively looking for a bit of help, or you’ve been with the same Managed Service Provider (MSP) for years, it never hurts to review exactly what a solid IT support agreement should look like.

Are you getting the best bang for your buck? Are there areas your current MSP aren’t pulling their weight?

With this checklist, you’ll know exactly what to look for in your next IT support agreement.

#1: Proactive monitoring of servers and workstations

To run smoothly, your business relies on its hardware — including both your on-premises servers and each of your team’s individual workstations.

It’s time-consuming to keep an eye on every different piece of hardware, so you should look for an IT support agreement which does this for you. Server and workstation monitoring keeps tabs on the current state of your machines — from storage capacity status to the need for critical software updates — and helps your IT support provider stay one step ahead of potential issues down the road.

#2: Simple, straightforward explanations in plain English

It’s never fun to feel like you’re being overwhelmed with technical jargon, especially when your business is on the line.

When looking for a reliable IT support company, you should find one which includes clear, concise explanations of exactly what’s happening in your IT infrastructure. There’s simply no value to confusing clients with words only IT technicians understand, and you’ll have a far better understanding of your business’s status when it’s explained in a straightforward manner.

#3: No unexpected bills. Ever.

Billing is always a sensitive topic, but there’s a way to do it without the awkwardness — and that’s by being 100% transparent right from day one.

If your current MSP has ever thrown a curveball at you with unexpected bills — for new hardware, for example — there’s really no reason it should have been unexpected. A reliable IT support provider will lay out all costs from the start, including the ongoing monthly cost for the support plus any extras for your specific business. Crucially, they should also be clear about how hardware upgrades will be handled — and when they should be expected. This will help you plan financially for the years ahead without being blind-sided by the sudden need to upgrade a fleet of workstations.

#4: The ability to grow with your business

We all know what they say about square pegs fitting into round holes, and that’s a bit like finding the right IT support provider for you.

Take scaling your business up, for example.

Every company’s goal is to grow their customer base and boost their revenue, but it can be difficult if you have an IT support team which isn’t built to scale. Take new starters — a good IT support agreement should allow you to add new users anytime and have the agreement adapt dynamically. In this way, the price you pay for your monthly subscription will grow with your business — and maybe even reduce if you choose to scale things back a bit. It’s all about flexibility and doing what’s right for your company’s specific needs.

#5: Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for your peace of mind

The essential inclusion for any good IT support agreement is an assurance about response time.

When something goes wrong with your business IT, you want to be sure that it’s going to be fixed rapidly to prevent any unnecessary disruption to your business continuity. For this, you’ll want to look for an IT support agreement which includes specific Service Level Agreements, or SLAs. These work by giving you a contractual assurance for specific types of issues you may face with your IT systems.

For example, if you have a catastrophic server meltdown which may result in the loss of critical business data, you might arrange a response time SLA of 30 minutes, meaning your IT support provider must respond within this time period. Likewise, for lower priority issues, you could arrange longer SLAs. This way, you’ll still know when to expect help to arrive.

Either way, with IT support SLAs in place, you’ll always have peace of mind — no matter what happens.

Entrust your IT to a team who know tech best

If you’ve seen anything in this checklist which you’re not currently getting from your IT support provider, it might be time to give Get Support a look.

Our IT support agreements are tailored to each of our customers, but everything we’ve covered above is included in each one as standard. Wondering if the grass is greener on the other side? We’ll help you find out with a quick phone call.

To discuss your IT support with one of our experts, call us today on 01865 594 000 or just fill in the form below.