Are you confused or frustrated about trying to choose the right digital partner for implementing new technologies?
if so, it is understandable as technology has become the backbone for all business operations.
As agencies are modernizing their current systems and preparing for future developments, investing in the right technologies is a great place to start.
A good technology provider can assess your expectations, capabilities and limitations and suggest in customizing and implementing the suitable technologies. Though there are numerous technology providers out there, but choosing the right IT services company makes a whole world of difference. Even if the technology itself is the best on the market, when it isn’t implemented correctly, it can be hard to get all of the benefits out of it. This is where the importance of choosing the correct IT technology provider comes into play.
In this blog, you will get some much-needed practical tips to help decide the right technology partner based on your requirements.
6 Practical Tips to Help Pick the Most-Suited IT Services Company
Let’s be honest about one thing. You already know the basic steps of analyzing, researching and shortlisting the technology service providers. So, we will go past that and look at practical tips that could be a deal-breaker when you are conflicted about choosing a company.
1. Check for Past Experience in Similar Fields
There can be so many limitations when it comes to hiring an IT services company like budget, location, number of resources and more. But the one thing you shouldn’t compromise on, is the experience the company has. Don’t just look at how many years of experience. Go beyond that and look at the experience of companies in your field or related fields.
Check if they have previously worked on similar projects in related fields. For example, if you are a clothes-based e-commerce company, you can check if they have at least some kind of experience working in the field of e-commerce.
This will ensure that the employees will have a working knowledge of how your industry functions and will, therefore, be able to provide better services. Look at the portfolio on the company website and the customer reviews. Some companies will even have use cases listed which will give you better insights.
2. Talk with Project Team and Assess Their Working Knowledge
Sometimes, IT Consulting Firms will have more than ten or fifteen years of experience offering technology services. However, that doesn’t mean that their employees have similar expertise. There are often new employees who are in the learning phases or have just been hired. There isn’t anything wrong with a new employee being a part of your team, but make sure that a majority of the team allocated to your project have many years of experience.
As we covered in the previous point, it’s crucial for at least some members of the team to have worked on similar projects or in the related field as yours. Like most companies, when you are searching for a technology partner, you are probably looking for a long-term relationship so most IT companies will try to accommodate your request to have experienced team members on your project if possible.
3. Ensure the Ability to Accommodate Future Technology Scalability
You may have a specific technology in mind that you want to implement and will search for particular providers who can accommodate this need. However, keep in mind that you may have different requirements in the future and you need an IT services company who will be able to grow with you.
Failure to keep this in mind when choosing your new IT services company, you may need to go through the same process of researching, shortlisting, discussing and finalizing another partner for implementing new technology. It’s best to choose one IT services company after complete research and analysis by considering the scope of future expansion and future technology needs too.
4. Explore Your Team Ability to Meet the Partner’s Working Style
Even when you are outsourcing to a technology partner, you will still have a limited number of in-house IT team present. So, the team that will work from an offshore location should be the right fit for your in-house team.
So how you can ensure that? Ask about the working principles and processes of the technology partner.
For example, your IT process may be entirely by traditional means while the technology partner works only in agile methodology. At this point, your in-house team has no other way but to adapt to agile fast by attending classes and sessions. Assess if that’s an investment you want to make and a transition your in-house team is ready for.
This is just a single instance of conflict in processes. There can be more such practical differences coming up once you have partnered with a service provider. The best way to forecast these conflicts beforehand is to sit and analyze their working processes and talk with the in-house team about their opinions and abilities.
5. Assess the Resources Available for Change Management
According to a Forbes Insights Survey conducted with 500 senior executives from all around the world and from industries, change management is one of the most common challenges in technology implementation. Poor implementation tactics, identifying the right resources, training and lack of performance management are among a few other challenges listed.
When you are relying on a partner for successfully implementing new technology in your agency, any performance issues or preparation lags in their part will affect your business. During such times, explore the ability of the company beyond just the technical details.
See if they are open to offering support across your entire agency with new technologies if the need arises. For change management, you need to prepare and support everyone in the agency for the change. This is made possible through structured training programs which again should be provided by the same company that has implemented the change.
6. Prioritize Data Security More Than Anything Else
Last but not least, the safety of the sensitive customer information, employee data and all other business processes should be at the top of your priority list. While every technology partner signs an NDA now, that’s not all you can do. Analyze the IT security features they have in place like the firewalls and encryptions. Let your in-house IT team take the lead in it, analyze the security and give the final verdict.
This way you can avoid any unnecessary security threats or breaches and ensure the safety of your data.
A Final Word
The right technology partner can be your biggest asset in developing your agency. So, you shouldn’t hasten and pick one by just asking a few basic questions. Don’t stop your research just the internet. Talk to the company, get details from them, have your checklist with points given above and verify every one of them. The right technology partner should be a perfect fit for your requirements and should complement your IT drawbacks effectively.