In the first part of this series, we discussed how important it is to overlook the gimmicks. I went over the most common one but be aware there are others out there. Many will offer a free network evaluation, take them up on it. A network evaluation can be used to get a feel for the people you will be dealing with. It will give you some extra insight into to the company.

The next thing you should remember when selecting the right IT Company, is that you are hiring an employee. This is one of the most important positions you will ever hire for. You need to make sure you cover all the bases.

When you hire any other employee you check references. Make sure you get a list of references from this IT Company. You should get a list as long as you can and call ALL of them. I am not saying you need 20 or 30, but 5-10 clients you can talk to would be nice. When you talk to these references ask lots of questions, the more the better.

Ask questions like:

• How quick is the response time?
• What is the longest time you had to wait when you were completely down?
• Do you ever have a junior tech on-site who you can tell is learning on the job?
• Have you ever had a major non technical issue such as billing or warranty, and how was it dealt with?
• Are they proactive, do they make suggestions that will help improve your business?
• Are the technicians that you have dealt with friendly?
• Do the technicians explain things in a way that is easy for a non technical person to understand?
• Do you feel you are getting value for the hourly rate you are charged?

As you can see, there is a lot you can learn about an IT company if you ask the right questions. It is very important to get a good sense of their business practices, if they value their clients, and can they benefit your business.