Breaking up is always difficult, even (or maybe especially) in the business world. In theory, changing IT vendors should be simple. In reality, there is a lot that business owners can and should worry about.
This comes up from time to time in our meetings with new potential clients. They want to work with us, and to enjoy the improved service and pricing they would get from making the switch. However, they are afraid that details will be lost in the transition, that they’ll miss out on important subscriptions, or that the outgoing IT firm will cause intentional damage out of anger.
It goes without saying that you shouldn’t be worried about these sorts of side effects when you make a business decision. You should certainly hope that your current vendor will behave as a team of professionals should. However, there are some good practices to keep in mind when moving from one IT firm to another. Let’s look at a few of them…
Collect Login Credentials and Passwords
No outside vendor should have complete control over your website, server login credentials, or online passwords. That’s true whether you are planning on continuing to do business with them or not. Since some firms aren’t going to go out of their way to help you after you move on, it’s best to gather this information before you make a switch.
Examine Your Existing Managed Services Contract
What are the terms of your existing managed services agreement? You never want to stick with a bad situation because of the fine print, but it’s worth taking a closer look at the costs and procedures. For example, your agreement might specify that you need to give your existing IT firm 30 days’ notice before terminating service, and/or paying any outstanding invoices.
Line Up a Replacement IT Vendor
Unless your current IT provider is causing you huge problems, you won’t want to move on until you have found someone else who can help look after your technology. Take your time and make sure you find the right team (and the right price) to keep your business moving forward. Then the transition from one vendor to another can be as seamless as possible.
Go Ahead and Make the Switch
Once you have all the details lined up, you can sign a new agreement, end your existing relationship, and transfer your services over. It may take a couple of weeks to get into a new rhythm, but then you’ll be enjoying better pricing, service, and care from your new managed services team. That’s what makes this whole process worth the effort.
Ready to Upgrade Your IT Support?
Ask Fantastic IT clients what they love about working with us and they’ll tell you they enjoy getting better technical support and one-on-one service without an increase in their rates. If that’s the kind of attention you want from your vendor, then talk with a member of our sales team today.
Contact us to schedule a free consultation and learn more about what we can do to keep your business moving forward.