Switching existing IT AMC service provider?

Step 1:
Examine the reasons for the change.

Before we talk about finding a new service provider, it's important that you note down the reason for making the decision. The most common reason for a service change is an unreliable provider- irregular service and support, security breaches and other persistent failures. Other times, change isn’t driven by a problem but rather the need for the most effective and efficient system. Switching can simply be helpful, both in terms of value-for-money and improved infrastructure/services. Or maybe your provider is simply going out of business, forcing the transition.

So, to summarize, the main reasons businesses change their service providers are as below:

• Cost of service/maintenance
• Violated SLAs
• Need for enhanced service/technology
• Not-to-scale services
• Irregular and inefficient support
• Lack of innovation
• Compromised data safety and productivity

Step 2: Measure your current provider’s
potential to deliver your future needs

When you carry the bulk of your work functions via online networks, it becomes imperative that your service provider meets all your IT standards.

Are their services scaled to your business? Do they provide round-the-clock IT support? Downtime is costly to any business owner. A quick response to technical difficulties, especially on-site expert issues, saves you a lot of frustration and resources. Also, if you are considering expanding your workspace or acquiring another business, you may want your service provider to give 24/7 support.

Are they adaptable and innovative? It’s easy for businesses to outgrow a service provider that doesn’t evolve within the competing market-space. Outsourcing is about more than cost efficiency, it’s about creating an innovative environment with expert support, quality services, and changing technology. Judge your current provider by how well it helps to streamline your work.

Step 3: Understand the possible
negative effect of the transition.

A complete change of your IT service can disrupt your productivity and performance, if handled poorly. So, a degree of risk aversion is good. You weigh the potential benefits of the transition against the costs and service disruption during the migration process. Also, your existing outsourcing deals might, somewhat, limit your right to transfer your work to another service provider. It can mean more cost and/or resource to mitigate the situation.

Step 4: Know your IT service vendors
before you make the switch.

Once you decide to change your service provider, go back to the drawing board and research! Remember the point is to improve on your service while minimizing downtime. It's considered a smooth transition when the new service provider is able to seamlessly embed their service on your system, without disruption your day-to-day work.

In addition, use the opportunity to make changes in your service model. Instead of outsourcing all your function to a single service provider, it’s advisable to do partial transfers and create a multi-provider environment. By doing this, you’re able to become more adaptable to the evolving market-space and curate a dynamic environment. It also ensures an overall increase in your productivity, despite the extra time and effort needed to coordinate multiple service providers.