How do we know it's time to replace our IT provider?
Short answer
It's time when leadership has stopped trusting the advice. The usual signs: calls go to voicemail, tickets sit for days, projects stall, you can't tell what you're paying for, and nobody talks to you about where your technology is headed. One bad week isn't a reason to switch. A pattern is.
Draft · pending expert review
Most organizations don't replace their IT provider because of one disaster. They replace them after a slow pile-up of small disappointments.
The warning signs
- You can't reach a person. Every call becomes a ticket and a wait.
- Tickets linger. The same problems come back, or never get closed.
- Projects stall. The upgrade you approved in the spring still hasn't started.
- No one plans with you. You only hear from them when something breaks, or when there's an invoice.
- You don't trust the recommendations. Leadership second-guesses every purchase they suggest.
Before you switch
Have one direct conversation about what's not working. A good provider will want to fix it. If nothing changes, a well-run transition is far less painful than most people expect.