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If you have outsourced your IT needs to a Managed Services Provider (MSP), you are entrusting them with a vital part of your business operations and paying them a significant amount of money for their services. You want to make sure that you are getting the best possible return on your investment and that your IT partner is aligned with your business goals and needs.
So how do you assess the performance of your IT MSP? What criteria should you use to measure their success and identify areas for improvement? And why is it important to do so on a regular basis? In this blog post, we will answer these questions and provide you with some practical steps you can take to evaluate your IT partner and ensure they deliver value to your business.
Why You Should Assess Your MSP’s Performance
There are many reasons why you should assess the performance of your IT MSP, but here are some of the most important ones:
- You can ensure that your IT MSP is meeting the service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) that you have agreed upon. These are the metrics that define the quality, availability, and reliability of the IT services that your MSP provides. For example, you might have agreed on the response time, resolution time, uptime, security, and customer satisfaction of your IT MSP. By assessing their performance, you can verify that they are delivering on these metrics and holding them accountable if they are not.
- You can evaluate whether your IT MSP is adding value to your business and helping you achieve your strategic objectives. Your IT MSP should not only provide you with the basic IT functions, but also with the strategic guidance, innovation, and expertise that can help you grow your business and gain a competitive edge. By assessing their performance, you can determine whether they are proactively offering you solutions that can improve your efficiency, productivity, and profitability, or whether they are simply reacting to your requests and issues.
- You can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your IT MSP and provide them with constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement. No IT MSP is perfect, and there is always room for improvement. By assessing their performance, you can recognize the areas where they are doing well and where they need to improve. You can also communicate your expectations, needs, and preferences to your IT MSP and help them tailor their services to your specific requirements.
- You can maintain a healthy and transparent relationship with your IT MSP and foster trust and collaboration. By assessing their performance, you can show your IT MSP that you value their work and appreciate their efforts. You can also demonstrate your commitment to the partnership and your willingness to work together to achieve mutual success. This can help you build a strong and lasting relationship with your IT MSP and avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and dissatisfaction.
How to Assess the Performance of Your IT MSP
Now that you know why you should assess the performance of your IT MSP, let’s look at how you can do it. Here are some steps you can take to evaluate your IT partner and ensure they deliver value to your business:
SLA and KPI Review of your Managed Services Agreement
Review the SLAs and KPIs that you have agreed upon with your IT MSP and compare them with the actual results. To do this, your IT Managed Services Provider will need to provide you with regular updates and evidence of their performance. You can use various tools and methods to collect and analyse the data, such as reports, dashboards, surveys, audits, and testimonials.
You should look for any discrepancies, trends, and patterns that can indicate the level of service quality and customer satisfaction that your IT MSP is providing. You may find that the MSP has agreed an SLA or KPI but are unable to effectively demonstrate whether they are delivering on those contract terms, which they will need to remediate.
Value Proposition and ROI of your Managed Services
Assess the value proposition and the return on investment (ROI) that your IT MSP is offering you. You can use various criteria and methods to measure the value and the ROI, such as cost savings, revenue growth, operational efficiency, innovation, risk reduction, and compliance. You should look for any tangible and intangible benefits that your IT MSP is bringing to your business and whether they outweigh the costs and challenges of outsourcing your IT needs.
Regular Meetings and Reviews with Your Managed Services Provider
Conduct regular meetings and reviews with your IT MSP and discuss their performance and your feedback. You should schedule these meetings and reviews at least quarterly, or more frequently if needed. You should use these meetings and reviews as an opportunity to communicate your expectations, needs, and preferences to your IT MSP and to listen to their perspective and suggestions. You should also use these meetings and reviews as an opportunity to recognize and appreciate the achievements and contributions of your IT MSP and to address any issues and concerns that might arise.
Communicate Regularly
Establish and maintain a clear and open communication channel with your IT MSP and encourage a culture of honesty and transparency. You should communicate with your IT MSP regularly and promptly, and use various modes and platforms of communication, such as phone, email, chat, and video conferencing. You should also ensure that you have a designated point of contact and escalation for both parties and that you keep each other informed of any changes, updates, or problems that might affect the IT services or the partnership.
Clarify Roles and Responsibilities
Analyse and address any gaps or overlap in the roles and responsibilities between you and the MSP to ensure they are aligned and consistent. This is especially important it pertains to responsibilities and accountability related to IT Governance, IT budgets, and IT Strategies (service, security, cybersecurity, infrastructure, digital transformation). You should monitor and evaluate the performance and the outcomes of the IT services and the partnership and identify any areas where there might be confusion, ambiguity, or conflict in the roles and responsibilities. You should also identify any areas where there might be duplication, redundancy, or inefficiency in the IT services or the partnership.
You should then communicate and resolve these issues with your IT MSP and seek to eliminate or minimize any gaps or overlaps in the roles and responsibilities. You should also look for opportunities to optimize and streamline the IT services and the partnership and to leverage the strengths and capabilities of both parties.
Conclusion
An IT Manager is a mid-level manager primarily focussed on operational leadership. They often still fulfill a technical role alongside their managerial duties and are typically promoted directly from a technical role.
Responsibilities of IT Managers:
- Overseeing and managing a specific area or function of the IT operations, such as network, security, software, hardware, or support;
- Assigning and monitoring the tasks and responsibilities of the IT staff who perform daily tasks and activities related to that area or function;
- Ensuring that the IT services and systems are functioning properly and meeting user expectations and requirements;
- Providing technical support and assistance to the IT users and customers;
- Escalating IT issues and requests to the higher-level managers or executives.