Before picking the first IT company that approaches you, first take a look at our list to make sure you find the right company to fit your needs.

1.     Make an IT item checklist. Write down the most important and specific IT products/services that your company needs. This will serve as a template for your requirements, and will guide IT service providers as to what exactly needs to be addressed when they finally send you their proposal.

2.     Check if the company can meet your specific requirements. Before you can get into the details of their product or service quality, you have to determine if they have the capacity to address your minimum requirements. Make sure the company you are looking into fits the right criteria in which your needs are in. If you’re looking for IT software solutions, don’t ask a firm who specializes in hardware manufacturing.

3.     Experience matters. Ask the IT companies about their experience in their fields. Find out how many organizations they’ve worked with and how long they’ve been in business. Inquire about their IT solutions team and what work it has done, especially for companies that are similar to yours.

4.     IT support and training. Ask about how much IT support you will receive. Will your staff get training? Check if it will be hands-on training, especially if there will be a total systems change. Will they have consultants to monitor what changes should be made to fit your needs? If your business plan includes an expansion plan in the next two to five years, then you need this level of IT support.

5.     Help Desk. Excellent IT Management  should also have a good help desk in place that can readily assist you if you run into any problems. The best IT support system should also be able to ensure that you don’t have to worry about service downtime.  Time is gold in any business and any downtime in your IT system could affect your entire operation, which is tantamount to business losses. Be very particular about their promised response time and make sure that you have something agreed upon for response time issues in your contract for service downtime.

6.     Price. Once all the details are accounted for, mind the price. Every small business takes price into consideration. However, this should not be the only criterion for choosing an IT company. Remember to compare companies and get multiple quotes. For a company that fits better with your company’s budget, needs, and processes, try looking for the personalized service that smaller IT companies can easily provide.

Looking for an IT company? Turn to C&O IT Solutions. We provide 24/7 IT support for small to medium-sized businesses. Call us at 323-929-2648.