Price is important, but the benefits of offloading your IT and telecom services can quickly evaporate if you choose the wrong managed services provider (MSP).

More and more organizations are choosing to outsource their IT and telecom services, and as a result, many companies have entered the MSP market. Some of them are well-qualified; others are simply trying to take advantage of a market opportunity. Here are five key questions you should ask before making your selection.

How long have they been in business?
Like any business, there is an art to offering managed services. One way to separate the experienced MSPs from the wannabes is by asking the obvious: How long have they been in business? If they've been in business for some time, they will probably have addressed any service delivery issues they may have had when they first began. Length of time in business is also an indicator of financial stability.

What kind of support do they offer?
One of the reasons you choose managed services is to turn your headaches over to someone else! If the MSP’s support is weak, you need to manage both the MSP and the problems you thought you were outsourcing when you hired them.

So here are a few questions to ask:

• Do they have a support center that is staffed 24/7/365 (as opposed to being on call)?
  
• Do they have formal ticketing and escalation procedures?
  
• Do they monitor your services or are you expected to bring issues to their attention? 

What kind of redundancy do they have?
As part of your discovery process, you will learn about the platforms they use and make your own decision about how robust those platforms are. But don’t forget to ask if the platforms are redundant. Even the best platforms fail from time to time, so backup is essential to ensure that service is not interrupted.

What quality of service do they provide?
This is probably the most important question, of course. You will learn quite a bit about their service quality when you check their references. Be sure to ask what happens if there are issues: Does the MSP respond quickly and take ownership of the problem?

Another key indicator is the MSP’s service level assurances (SLAs). Do they have formal SLAs? Do they cover what you’re buying? And do they have "teeth?" The willingness of an MSP to offer SLAs with significant penalties for service interruption is a sure sign that the MSP is on top of its game. An MSP won’t be in business long if it has strong SLAs and can’t deliver!

How willing or able are they to work with you to meet your specific requirements?
Your company or organization is unique. Very often, it's that uniqueness that has enabled you to succeed.

Unless an MSP is willing and able to tailor its services to meet your specific requirements, you may find that you need to bend the way you operate to suit the MSP, and not the other way around.

You can tell quite a bit about the MSP’s flexibility during the sales process. Do they ask a few questions and then send you a quote, or do they take the time to listen to your needs and develop their proposal accordingly? And since no MSP can meet every requirement, are they forthcoming about what they are able — and not able — to do, so that you can make a fact-based determination of how well the MSP’s offerings fit your needs?

Finally, ask about their product or service roadmap. Your needs will evolve over time, sometimes suddenly. It is crucial that what you think is important is also important to your MSP, and that there is a plan to fulfill your needs in any event.

© Appia Communications, Inc., 2006