Shopping for a new IT company in Tamworth? Start with someone impartial.
If you're looking, something's already gone wrong. The question worth answering first is whether switching actually fixes it.
There are decent IT companies in Tamworth and some coasting on a contract signed years ago - and from the outside they look identical. I'm not one of them touting for your business. I don't sell IT support at all. I'm the one you bring in to tell the difference, and to stop you swapping one problem for another.
Comparing IT companies in Tamworth?
Three quotes, three different stories, and no way to tell which one is honest. That's normal, and it isn't your fault - the proposals are written to be hard to compare. I'll go through them with you and translate.
I've spent 32 years in IT and 15 of those running my own IT company, so I've written proposals like these. I know which lines are real, which are padding, and which are quietly missing.
Ask who actually answers the phone
The person who sells to you is almost never the person who supports you. Smart suits and good marketing come out of the same budget. Then seven times out of ten your first-line contact turns out to be a trainee or an apprentice, learning on your business.
It's why a ten-minute job becomes two days of "we're escalating it". Ask who actually picks up on a Tuesday morning, and how long they've been doing it.
I'm not pitching for the work
I don't want to take over your IT support. I look after two companies on full support and I'm not looking for a third. That's the entire point - I've got no reason to talk down whoever you're using, and no reason to talk up whoever's quoting.
Tamworth, in short
- ✓ Lichfield-based - Tamworth's 20 minutes
- ✓ 32 years in IT, 27 self-employed
- ✓ Not touting for your contract
- ✓ 2-day audit £1,250, on-site debrief included
Switching isn't your only move
When people start ringing round IT companies, they've usually decided the answer is a new provider. Sometimes it is. Often it's an expensive way to solve the wrong problem, because a migration is where businesses get hurt.
Your provider might be fine
You may have been annoyed by something visible while the things that actually matter - backups, security, licensing - are being handled properly. Worth knowing before you tear it all up.
They might just need a proper conversation
Competent but coasting is the most common verdict I give. That doesn't need a switch, it needs you walking into a meeting knowing exactly what to ask for and what you're entitled to. I'll give you the list.
And if you should switch, do it properly
Then I'll read the quotes with you, tell you which lines are padding, and make sure you own your domain, tenant and backups before anybody starts moving anything. I'm not bidding for the work, so nothing I tell you is a pitch.
If you do switch, get these five things right
Switching is where businesses get hurt, because the risk sits in the handover and nobody talks about it until it's already going wrong. If you're making the move, sort these first.
Find out what you actually own
Before you give notice, establish whose name your domain, Microsoft 365 tenant and backups are in. If they're held under your provider's account rather than yours, you're negotiating from a weak position. Get it moved into your own tenant while everyone's still friendly.
Read the notice period before the sales meeting
Plenty of contracts roll for twelve months and need three months' notice. Miss the window and you've bought another year. Check the date first, then start looking - not the other way round.
Ask the new lot exactly what day one looks like
Who does the handover, how long it takes, what breaks, what happens to your existing licences and what it costs. A provider who's done this properly will answer in specifics. One who hasn't will say "we'll handle everything", which means nobody has thought it through.
Don't let anyone rush a migration
Most of the genuinely expensive IT disasters I've been called into started as a migration done at speed to hit somebody's month end. There is almost never a good reason to hurry this.
Get the exit terms of the new contract
Ask how you'd leave them, before you sign. The answer tells you a great deal about how they expect to keep you.
Lichfield-based, Tamworth regularly
I'll be straight with you: I'm not a Tamworth business, I'm a Lichfield one. But it's twenty minutes, which means I can sit in your office, look at the actual kit and talk to the people using it - and that's where an audit earns its money. You learn more in an hour on site than in a week of remote access.
I do the same thing for businesses in Lichfield and Stafford, and further when it's worth the trip. If you want somebody who'll come to you, look properly and then tell you the truth, distance isn't the problem.
Questions people actually ask
What does it cost to have my IT provider reviewed?
£1,250 for the 2-day audit, which is what most businesses with 20-40 staff go for. It includes an hour going through the findings at your office and a written summary afterwards. Bigger jobs of four days or more are £550 a day, and a full formal report is £600 extra if you want one. Charities and non-profits pay less.
Do you actually cover Tamworth, or just Lichfield?
I will be straight with you: I am a Lichfield business, not a Tamworth one. But it is about twenty minutes, so coming to your office is routine. I would rather tell you that than pretend to a local address I do not have.
Can you help me compare quotes from different IT companies?
Yes, and it is one of the most useful things I do. Three quotes written by three people who all want the work are almost impossible to compare fairly. I have written enough proposals like these over 32 years to know where the padding hides and what has been quietly left out.
Will you try to sell me IT support at the end?
No. I do not sell IT support contracts, hardware or software licences. I charge a fixed fee for my time and my opinion, and then I am gone. That is the entire product.
What if I am stuck mid-contract?
Still worth knowing where you stand. Plenty of contracts roll annually and need three months notice, so finding out what you have got - and what you actually own - well before the window closes puts you in a far stronger position when you do come to negotiate.
How disruptive is it to my team?
Barely at all. Most of it is looking at systems, contracts and invoices rather than interrupting people. I will want a short conversation with whoever deals with IT day to day, and that is usually the extent of it.
Not sure your IT company is earning it?
Tell me what's going on - a renewal, quotes you can't compare, or just a nagging feeling. I'll give you a straight answer, and I'll tell you if there's nothing wrong.