Should Quality Matter When Choosing an IT Managed Service Partner?

Should Quality Matter When Choosing a Managed Service Provider?

There was a time (not so long ago) when there were only a small handful of true “IT Managed Service Providers” or MSP’s to choose from. Now there is a wealth of choice and almost daunting level of options for customers to choose from and it can be hard to differentiate one from another.

Choosing the right partner to support your business is a critical decision and one that we know is never taken lightly. One area of selection should be the Quality Management Systems that the MSP has in place. After all – accredited processes are the lifeblood of successful MSP’s. What are Quality Management Systems and processes? Who is the external body who gives the accreditation? In this blog we discuss this high priority topic.

What Are BSI ISO Certifications?

BSI ISO certifications are certifications issued by the British Standards Institution (BSI) to comply with specific ISO (International Organization for Standardisation) regulations. The ISO is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies, including BSI. You may recognise the accreditation as a “kite mark”.

BSI certifications serve to demonstrate to customers, clients, and everyone in between that a managed IT service company is committed to delivering the best service as humanly possible. Becoming certified by the BSI requires a strict process involving training, pre-assessment, assessment, and ongoing checks that ensure a company is dedicated to providing continual improvement. Managed247 obtained four BSI ISO certifications in 2015, and these are:

BSI ISO 9001 Quality Management (QMS)

This ISO does not just refer to having a quality management system in place but can help businesses improve performance to ensure via a strict process that it ensures customer satisfaction and places quality front and centre. The QMS focuses on a number of key practices including planning, leadership, performance evaluation, support, operation, and improvement to bring about the intended outcome. To comply with these components, there needs to be a number of concepts put into place such as documented information, leadership, and communication.

BSI ISO 14001 Environmental Management (EMS)

This ISO is the internationally recognised standard for successful environmental management. No organisation can risk its reputation by avoiding its environmental responsibilities. The key principles of this ISO comprise establishing an environmental management system, following a systematic approach to continual development, and demonstrating that each process can cover all aspects of environmental management, including measurement and reporting.

BSI ISO 20000 Service Management

This international standard for SMS (Service Management Systems) helps businesses to respond to increasing service demands to deliver value for customers, clients and the organisation. Some of the key requirements involve providing a framework to deliver and improve on services and setting the boundaries for the SMS while also ensuring that alongside adequate planning, support, and operation, the business leaders must show commitment to the SMS to achieve the intended outcomes.

BSI ISO 27001 Information Security Management (ISMS)

As information security is about safeguarding the numerous components of information in any form this ISO certification highlights how we plan and implement our ISMS (information security management system). This certification shows that in addition to the technologies, the procedures, processes, and people are all working towards securing the client’s information assets.

These ISO standards cover numerous aspects of quality and management systems. As we are dedicated to our commitment to best practices to improve our processes and ultimately enhance our relationships with customers, we are proud to have these ISO certifications and continue to use them as a foundation for delivering the best possible quality so we can provide a managed service that delivers on all fronts.

Why Quality Should be at the Top of the Priority List

Quality should matter to every client choosing a managed service provider because, with so many companies purporting to offer stellar quality control, it becomes difficult for customers to understand who delivers the best service. 

BSI Quality Accreditation is critical for a number of reasons:

• The Service provided guarantees satisfied customers by meeting their expectations.
• There is a structured framework of processes in place that will assist in clients having happy end users
• The company meets or exceeds industry standards and is annually audited by a third party (BSI)

Having a certification as reputable as this gives you peace of mind that we will deliver the best service for you while also having a duty of care to how we manage quality, deliver value for customers and clients, manage information, and take our environmental responsibilities seriously.

Choosing the right managed services provider is difficult when so many offer similar services. This is why quality becomes a key factor as it shows IT support companies that are dedicated to best practices, which translates to excellent service. 

If you are looking for a managed service provider that has your welfare at the forefront of its strategy, look no further. If you would like to find out more about our BSI ISO certifications and how this translates to an amazing service that meets your needs, contact Managed247.