IT Departure: 4 Reasons to Switch to an MSP Instead of Rehire

IT Managed Services

An IT departure is always hard, especially when it comes to saying goodbye to your employee.  If they’re  a good employee,  you’ll miss their skills and reliability. And if  they’re a not-great employee, well… you’ll  still need to find a replacement,  which  can be a  time-consuming and  arduous task.  When  that  employee is part of your in-house IT  team, the situation may become even more difficult; this  employee  knows the odds and ends of your IT. How can you ever replace  them?

Fortunately, the silver lining of goodbyes is  that  they often lead to hellos, and  if you’re challenged with hiring and retaining an in-house IT team, it’s time to say “Hello” to a Managed Service Provider (MSP).

Here are four reasons why you should consider switching to an MSP:

1. More Brainpower = More Solutions

An in-house support resource is a single person. No matter how smart or experienced they are, they simply can’t know as much as a dozen or hundred people. And if they come across a problem they’re unfamiliar with, that can pose huge problems for your business. With an MSP, you’ll have a conglomerate of experiences, backgrounds, and specialties at your disposal. You’re not just working with one person—you’re working with an entire company. This company has more bandwidth to offer than a single IT person, which means better service, better knowledge of tech trends, and a better understanding of your company’s IT. 

2. Transparency and Consistency

No two internal resources have the same strategy, process management, etc. One individual could build up a  box one way,  leaving a new  hire  clueless about  what that first person did. If there’s no process—or if the processes have not been socialized—it becomes impossible to check who knows which passwords, who’s logged out, and so on. Roadblocks like this decrease efficiency, and inefficiency can further decrease revenue by up to 30%. But unlike an in-house IT person, an MSP  will have standard processes and procedures documents at hand. What’s more, they’ll make  these available to you so that you can understand your IT as well. Because MSPs involve multiple people, each step must be transparent and systematic.  The level of accountability is simply higher, which  means the level of service is higher, too.

3. Don’t Risk a Second IT Departure 

It takes over 6 months to break even on a new hire, and if that new hires leaves, that’s a significant loss of time and money. An MSP is a partnership; it won’t quit on you like someone in-house might, and while a single IT person will need sick days or vacation days, working with an MSP means there’s always someone there when you need them. In other words, even if a specific team member is out, there will always be someone to help you, someone that consistently works to support you. And whether you’re just starting a business or already well-established, having someone when you need them is essential.

4. MSPs are Very Price Competitive

At first, it might  seem like an MSP is a more expensive option than  hiring in-house.  But an individual can actually cost more after you adjust for vacations, PTO, backfill, etc. Plus, MSPs come with tools in their support model, which you would need to purchase otherwise.  Additionally,  the  one-on-one service  you get with someone in-house  might seem preferable to an MSP… until you realize that  MSPs  offer one-on-one service as well. Sure, your MSP provider might  not be in  your  office every day, but they’re there when you need them, and they have context and familiarity. Similarly, their remote access tools often handle issues quicker than an in-house person,  who  must first get  ready, show up, and  then solve  your tech issue  on-site. Couple this with the additional tools and licenses that come with an MSP, and you’re not just saving money; you’re gaining resources.

If you’ve just experience an in-house IT departure, you shouldn’t hire a new in-house person to replace them. A goodbye is an opportunity for a fresh start; instead of choosing a new in-house IT team, you can switch to an MSP and reap more knowledge, transparency, and consistency. Your company deserves someone who will understand your needs, educate you on different solutions, and execute those solutions in a timely, affordable manner. In short, you need an MSP, and now’s the perfect time to meet one.