4 qualities to look for in your Chicago IT support provider

Finding and hiring a reliable, experienced, and professional IT service partner, often referred to as an MSP or managed service provider, is a crucial task for any small business owner. The fact is, businesses cannot operate efficiently or be successful without a quality IT network that experiences little to no downtime. As a result, it is imperative that you find the right IT service provider for your company.

Here are 4 qualities your Chicago IT support provider should have.

1. Proven experience

Any IT company hired needs to have a track record of success and be able to prove they are experienced at handling your technological needs. This includes knowledge of the different systems, programs and needed solutions for your company. They should also be able to provide you with actionable insight regarding recommendations on the latest IT infrastructure and assets you should implement to improve your overall IT operations.

Don’t be shy about asking for recommendations from other clients who may have had similar IT needs. After all, this is a great way to ensure that a quality service provider is hired. Be sure you also consider the features offered by the company, and ask others who have used these services if they are quality.

2. Problem-solving skills

The main role of an IT support provider is to maintain your network by catching problems early and troubleshooting network and hardware issues. As a result, it’s important to find an IT support partner with superior analytical skills.

They should be great problem solvers, including their ability to find the cause of a problem, find a resolution for the issue, and ensure that the results achieved are acceptable. In some situations, solving the problem is going to require a bit of creative thinking and innovation on the part of the IT specialist. Be sure to find out if the person or company is capable of this, before hiring them.

3. Self-discipline

The support provided by the IT tech at your company is usually something that is going to be unsupervised – this is true regardless of if you hire an individual or an entire company. You need to make sure that the person or company hired is available all times of the day or night – as you never know when computer or network issues may arise.

One of the best things about working with a professional IT company is that there will always be someone available to answer the phone.

4. A proactive approach

When you find and hire a quality IT services provider, they won’t just wait around for something to happen or go wrong with your computers or network and then rush in to save the day. In fact, a quality provider is going to monitor your network and take steps to ensure that nothing goes wrong in the first place

This means they are going to take a proactive approach to keep your IT up and running, problem free for everyone. If you find an IT service provider that only uses the break-fix model, then it may be best to keep looking. After all, they are only going to offer solutions after the problem has already occurred.

The bottom line

When you are searching for a quality IT service provider, be sure to keep the qualities here in mind. They will help ensure a person finds and hires the right company, regardless of the size of their business or the industry they are in.