Categorizing: the 1st of 4 Pillars of Operational Transformation
“Change is the essential process of all existence.” - Mr. Spock
Welcome back, Warriors! I'm so glad that once again we get to talk about winning with Autotask. I hope 2025 has been good to you.
Speaking of winning, those of you who have been spending more time watching college football than building your MSP business can now refocus as THE Ohio State Buckeyes have captured the National Football Championship.
Yes, I know Pro Football still has that big game coming up, but I’m sure there is some time to focus on trivial things like getting the Chaos out of the MSP and growing profits.
How about...gasp.... growing the cash AND the time to be Super and attend that big Bowl in 2026? Just imagine being on the 50-yard line of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with no laptop and your phone on DND, enjoying a nice sunny day while the Detroit Lions beat the.... well, maybe I am getting a bit ahead of myself. My point stands, though. To get there, you likely need to experience Operational Transformation.
We started talking about this 2 weeks ago.
The four Pillars of Operational Transformation for MSPs are:
Categorizing Client Requests
Allocating Client Requests
Prioritizing Client Requests
Organizing Client Requests
We’re going to take them in order.
Did you know that not all Client Requests (tickets) are created equal?
I imagine your response is, “SO WHAT?”
Heare me out. This simple statement carries so many ramifications. By saying, “So what,” you are acknowledging all Client Requests (tickets) are treated the same. For example: Skip the Intake/Triage process, dump the ticket and the queue, ask the Techs to figure it out, and be satisfied with:
Chaos (wasting a lot of billable hours running round like a chicken with your head cut off) and no one knowing what to work on next
Not knowing which tickets the Clients are going to complain about – you know, the ones stuck in a black hole
Delivering a poor Client Experience, but keeping them in the dark and closing their requests on the requests 1st birthday
Struggling to meet the LEAN Process Profitability KPIs so you can grow the business (effectively ejecting the KPI’s into the sun)
Now if you take a different approach:
Categorize Client Requests and have the Intake/Triage process right up front determine what Workflow Standard Operating Procedure this request fits in
Draft a Standard Operating Procedure for each Category that maximizes efficiency by reducing the chaos and not knowing
Collaborate with the Team so that the minute the Client Request is Categorized, everyone knows the expected Standard Operating engagement/disengagement procedure
As you step back from the way you are operating today, it does not take long to identify a few Categories of Client Requests that are going to obviously need a different engagement/disengagement procedure. For example, it is obvious that a Critical request needs to be handled differently than a Low Priority (and quite frankly, I am even embarrassed that you would tell a Client they are a Low Priority – Oh, perhaps that is why you do not communicate with your Clients?).
It takes a little bit longer to realize that Moves/Adds/Changes need to have a different engagement/disengagement procedure; after all, we have been getting along just fine for years treating Service Requests like Incidents (except for that little LEAN Process Profitability KPI thing). And while we intuitively know that Projects are not the same as a High or Critical request, we also do not take the time to figure out what to do with them, so we just dump them into the queue and ask the Techs to figure it out - after all, that is how we have done things for years - and it has served us well (except for the little LEAN Process Profitability KPI thing).
So, I want to let you in on a little secret. For the MSPs who have invested (yes, it takes Time and Money to figure these things out) 7-10 years of trial and error process re-engineering to maximize efficiency (that means meeting the LEAN Process Profitability KPIs), they have realized there are 8-15 different engagement/disengagement SOPs that are needed to drive the Chaos out of the Organization. For a young MSP that is just easing into the concept of driving Chaos out of the organization, at least 8 (5 Incidents, and 3 Service Requests) SOPs will serve you well. As you mature, grow beyond 4 Techs, the organization becomes more specialized, and the Product Portfolio takes on a different look. As this happens, an MSP needs to add more Categorization, Workflows, and SOPs.
Now, I am not saying you can get away with just 15 or less SOPs. I am saying that there are at least 8, and the most I have heard of is 15, but logic says there could be up to 20 Categorizations, each with a primary Standard Operating Procedure, and then several supporting Standard Operating Procedures, such as expedite and escalation (two very different things).
For more information on 11 of the most commonly Categorized Workflows, please download the Unshackled: Freedom from Service Delivery Issues eBook.
Hopefully, we can now agree that one operational process - dumping it in a queue and asking the Techs to figure it out - will not work. This “One Process for all” approach is the #1 reason for all the Chaos, Stress, Inefficiency (at least 10%), Client Disappointment, and the Shackles keeping the MSP from growing. It also keeps you from being able to attend games of your favorite college or pro football team without having to answer a call or an email every 20 minutes.
“Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end of it.” - Mr. Spock
There is a logical way to group Client Requests (Hint: they are not all tickets), so Optimized SOPs can be developed for each one, Optimizing the Overall Operation. This is what drives the Chaos out of the work environment, lowers the Stress Level on the Team, radically Improves the Client Experience, and frees the Owner/Executives to Grow the Business while still being home on time for dinner or enjoying that Internet-free cruise.
The results of taking the time to Categorize all Client Requests into different Workflows, and create a primary SOP for each is:
#1: Starts the MSP on the road to maximizing efficiency and meeting the LEAN Process Profitability KPIs
#2: The stress on the workforce is reduced and the work environment becomes a Zen Work Environment where no Client Request is a surprise, and the minute it is received, there is an SOP to engage & disengage in timely fashion
#3: The Client Experience is improved, reducing Churn, and creating Raving Fans – driving more sales
#4: Not only will the Owner/Executives be free to grow the business, but they will also be home on time for dinner and free to take “Off the Grid” vacations.
What are your next step choices? You have four of them:
Continue enabling the Chaos, stressing out the Team, and delivering a poor Client Experience
Take 7-10 years at a cost of $252,000 (USDs) for someone on your Team to figure it out
Subscribe and download the Unshackled: Freedom from Service Delivery Issues eBook and cut the time in half
Schedule a Call with Steve and let him introduce you to the Operational Foundational Improvement program, which costs about $2.5K per month while you are in the program**
** Note: How long does the program take? Well, that depends on three factors:
How desperate an MSP is to maximize efficiency
Where on the Roadmap*** to maximize efficiency the MSP is starting at
The willingness and ability for the Team to adapt to change
***Note: Research has shown that it takes three things to have a successful Operational Improvement program:
A Roadmap or Plan to get you from there to here
A success Criteria such as the LEAN Process Profitability KPIs
A champion or guide, internally or externally, such as Advanced Global MSP Coaching
Steve & Company
At Advanced Global MSP Consulting, we are committed to helping you grow your MSP business by improving your service delivery experience and eliminating Chaos. We understand the unique challenges you face in the MSP industry, including the mental health struggles that can come with the territory.
Resources:
Unshackled e-book: https://www.agmspcoaching.com/unshackled
(Learn how to apply the 6 keys to MSP Service Delivery Optimization)
Richard Tubb: “Mental Health Resources for MSP Business Owners”
Our most recent blog post on MSP Mental Health
Our YouTube channel
Service Delivery Gladiator’s Community: Home - The Service Delivery Gladiators (agmspcoaching.com)