The questions to ask before you switch.
Including the ones most companies would rather you didn't ask. Useful whoever you end up talking to, us included.
What I'd ask, if I were choosing.
Video goes here — "here's what I'd ask if I were choosing an IT company myself."
What to ask, and what a good answer sounds like.
Choosing an IT support company is hard to get right from the outside, because every pitch says roughly the same thing. These questions tell you what you'd actually be getting. Take them into any conversation, including one with us.
Who answers the phone, and where are they?
Good answer: A named person or small team, based in the UK, who already knows your setup. You get a clear line, someone working your hours, and a person who can come on site if it comes to that.
Warning sign: "Our helpdesk" with no further detail, or an overseas call centre working from a script. A poor line, a time difference and someone who's never seen your setup can turn a five-minute fix into an afternoon.
What happens when something's urgent, and who decides?
Good answer: Detail, not reassurance. To most people everything is urgent, so a good provider separates two kinds. Everyday urgent, like someone who can't work or a printer down before a deadline, goes through the helpdesk and is prioritised against agreed response times. Business-critical, like a disaster, a suspected hack or anything sensitive, skips the queue: you call or text a named senior person directly.
Warning sign: "We treat everything as a priority", or a response time that's only met "in most cases". If they can't tell you who you'd ring when the whole business is down, nobody is really on the hook.
Do you come on site, or is everything remote?
Good answer: A clear yes, with how far they travel, how quickly they can be there, and whether visits are included in the price.
Warning sign: "We can arrange that" with no detail. If you have a server, networking kit or anything physical, you need someone who'll actually turn up.
Is support done in-house, and who's responsible if a third party is used?
Good answer: Responsibility stays with the company you signed with. If they bring in a specialist or a third party for part of a job, they still own the outcome and they're still the people you call to discuss it. You shouldn't be handed a stranger's number.
Warning sign: Vagueness about who does the work, or being told to "take it up with" a subcontractor when something goes wrong.
What happens to our data and access if we leave?
Good answer: Admin access and passwords handed to a named person at your company along with the documentation, then your information deleted from their systems and confirmed in writing.
Warning sign: Any hesitation, no answer on what they keep afterwards, or a contract that makes leaving deliberately awkward.
What backups do we get, and how are they tested?
Good answer: A clear list of what's backed up and whether it's in the price. Know the difference between file backup (getting back a deleted file or mailbox) and disaster recovery (getting the whole business running again after losing a server). Ask where the backups live: a local copy on site means fast restores, a cloud copy means you're covered if the office itself is lost, and ideally you have both. File restores should be checked routinely. A full disaster-recovery test is a bigger job and is normally charged separately, so ask what it costs and how often they'd recommend one.
Warning sign: "Yes, we do backups", with no detail on what's covered, where the copies are kept, whether it's files or full recovery, or when a restore was last tried.
Will you tell us what we don't need, and when we can change it?
Good answer: They'll point out licences and services you're paying for but not using, even when it makes their invoice smaller, and they'll know when each one can actually be changed. Many licences, Microsoft 365 included, are annual commitments billed monthly, so you can't simply drop one mid-term. A good provider keeps a list of every renewal date and reviews each licence before it rolls over.
Warning sign: Every recommendation adds another line to the bill, or nobody can tell you when your licences renew until the auto-renewal has already gone through.
What's included in the monthly price, and what's charged on top?
Good answer: It's set out in the contract, not explained on the phone. As a general rule, monthly IT support covers managing your systems and fixing things that break, mostly remotely. New installations, projects, connecting equipment you've bought yourself and work outside business hours are normally charged separately. That's fair, as long as you know it before you sign. The details are normally agreed while the contract is put together, and that conversation tells you a lot about fit. An international business may genuinely need 24/7 cover. A local business working 9 to 5 shouldn't be paying extra for it. Also ask whether there are any per-ticket charges.
Warning sign: Finding out on the first "chargeable extra" invoice. What drives the cost of IT support.
Do you look after phones and internet too, or will we still juggle suppliers?
Good answer: One team for IT, phones, mobiles and broadband, so when something stops working there's one number to ring.
Warning sign: "That's your broadband company's problem." That's where most of the finger-pointing starts.
What's the contract length and the notice period?
Good answer: Clear terms up front. A fixed first year is reasonable when there's real setup work involved, but after that you shouldn't be locked in, and the exit should be clean.
Warning sign: Terms you only discover when you try to leave.
Get the printable checklist.
All ten questions on one sheet, with space to note each provider's answers. Bring it to any call, not just one with us.
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