With outsourcing IT and Cyber Security services becoming increasingly popular, it’s vitally important that you are engaging with companies and suppliers that you fully trust to provide the services detailed within the proposed contract. The market is a melting pot of the good, the bad and the ugly, and it’s more important than ever to be looking beyond the contractual T+C’s and to be relying on good ol’ fashion judgement as to whether this person, or these people, will deliver on their word and provide great quality services.
I guess you could say its like going on a date for the first time and feeling each other out. Sure, that person looks a great match on the dating profile, but you should always dig a little deeper to see if it really reflects who they are.
So always consider the following in the first engagements with a new provider :
Do you have a rapport with the people who could be aligned to your account?
- On the call or in the meeting are you feeling relaxed? Does it feel like a templated sales process? Does the supplier/partner look engaged and interested in your business, your strategy, and your requirements?
Does your gut say that these people will offer you a great customer service?
- Are they paying lip service to your requirements? What does your gut instincts say about the information you are being given? Can they offer up relevant references for you quickly and easily? It may take a few calls to gauge this but keep plugging away until you feel confident about the impression you have.
Does this relationship feel like it will be a supplier/client one, or a collaborative partnership?
- Are they interested in investing some free time to learn about your business and the challenges you face? Are they prepared to give you some value-add services (e.g., Free!) which would benefit both parties? Typically, this could be a light audit which helps you identify gaps and areas of improvement and allows the new provider to quote on the work (i.e., a win/win for everyone)
Contract aside – do you feel like they would pull out all the stops to help you in an emergency?
- How do they respond when asked some probing questions about things you may need at times or in emergencies that are not part of the proposed contract? Do you feel you have the ear of some senior people generally which could be a beneficial relationship to have going forward if you need something weird and wonderful or some emergency help?
Do they keep to their promises at the pre-sales stage?
- Are the booking meetings you need accurately and promptly? Are they delivering on their promises to give you information on the dates they said they would? Do these meetings take place or are they cancelled because of other ‘pressing work engagements’ (red flag)?
Do they act like human beings when your dog/cat/child/partner barge into the side of the Video Conferencing call or just pause and carry on the 300-slide presentation?
- Bit of a jokey one this but you are going to want to feel comfortable in meetings going forward, as life gets in the way and ‘sh*t happens’. Stuff like this is often starts some lovely conversation topics which again you can assess to see how well suited you are to the partner and vice versa.
How we can help
At Cybersec we have experience of dealing with the big international managed service providers (MSP’s), right down to the smaller niche organisations and single person freelancers. Over the years we have worked hard to maintain strong relationships with the people that have time and time again provided a fantastic service and gone above and beyond. If we have had a bad experience personally with an organisation or had negative feedback from a trusted source – they are kept well away from our trusted partner list.
You can extract immense value above and beyond what service is procured IF you choose the partner correctly.
So why not let us do the hard work for you and allow us to recommend a few trusted suppliers and have Cybersec act as critical friend during the due diligence process?
Contact us today on chris@wearecybersec.co.uk with the support you need in finding a great supplier with even greater IT and Cyber Security services.