Left or Right Turn at Albuquerque to Build a Better CX?
What you’ll learn today:
A special message from Bugs Bunny
The problem faced by MSPs
It starts with the Techs…
Finding a nice, non-confrontational solution
Where to start improving the CX
Holding Techs accountable
Send clear, friendly Client Notifications
Build a better Client-Facing Communication Protocol
Where to go from here (so you don’t take a wrong turn)
"When are you going to fix my stuff?" is the only thing the Client cares about.
– Adam V (former Supervisor)
“If the Client asks for an update, you have failed.”
-Bill Gates (Microsoft Co-Founder)
"In what other industry would an Employee be paid for 40 hours of work when they only turn in less than 20 hours of work on their timesheet?"
-Duncan D (former Advanced Global Employee)
“I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque!”
– Bugs Bunny (famous rabbit)
Wait. What? Was that a quote from Bugs Bunny? I get the other quotes, but where does a quote from a cartoon rabbit fit into the new 2023 series on how to turbocharge your MSP and grow, grow, grow?
Simple: In the famous cartoon, Bugs takes a wrong turn and gets into trouble. He either read his map wrong or flat out ignored it until after he came up for air.
Kind of like an MSP owner or Service Manager so busy working in the business they don’t realize they are lost and should have turned left at Albuquerque.
If Management can’t use the map to go in the right direction, how can they expect the Techs to do so? If you can’t communicate a left turn, how can you expect proper documentation, time sheets, efficient, quality service, and timely Client communication?
Are you following me now?
There you have it—the crux of the problem. We are terrible at keeping the Client up-to-date on where their request is at in the journey from new to complete.
And to make matters worse, nobody knows where the request is even at because the root of the problem is that the Techs do not do their job.
Hear me out: I am not talking about not working 40 hours per week. I am talking about not completing the assignment. Yes, the Clients' stuff may be fixed, but is that the only thing we are paying the Techs for? And more importantly, is that the only thing the Client is paying us for? – HELL NO.
And whose fault is it that the Client has to ask, "When are you going to fix my stuff?" The Owner, of course. And it is the Owners' fault that Techs not only get paid for 40 hours while working less than 20 but also allowing the Techs to walk away from a job half done is totally unacceptable. If it were me, receiving this poor Service, I would be walking, and 80% of your Clients that walk are walking for this very reason.
Before you get mad and run away, let me be clear – I’m not bashing MSP Owners. Let’s look at it from their perspective. Who wants to get in the face of any highly billable Resource? Who wants to run the risk of them leaving, or, even worse, logging into the RMM and turning off all the servers we have access to?
I get it. I hate conflict. I am a flight-type person, so holding Techs accountable to do their job is not fun. There, I said it. I did not sign up to fight with my Employees.
To summarize, we need a solution to the following issues:
1) Clients knowing where their requests are on the journey from new to complete
2) Clients being communicated with in a notification that they can understand
3) Techs completing the assignment as expected:
a. Completing the documentation before disengagement
b. Updating the Client before disengagement
c. Putting their Time in the Ticket before disengagement
After all, isn't this what the Client is paying us for? And isn't this what we are paying the Techs for?
Improving the Client Experience (CX) starts with the Techs and includes the following:
1) Hold the Techs accountable for Real-Time Time Entry
2) Create a nice, clean, Client-Friendly notification
3) Borrow a Client-Facing Communication Protocol from an organization that knows what we do not know – HDI, a 30+ year-old organization “Empowering the technical support and service management industry.” (www.thinkhdi.com)
As I promised when we started this series, I am giving you actionable solutions you can implement yourself in a timely manner. So here are detailed turn-by-turn directions.
First, you need to make sure you are:
Holding Techs accountable without confrontation:
As mentioned, it starts with the Owner putting his foot down. Without the Owner being fed up with Techs not completing the assignment as expected and the Owner being fed up with Techs only working 50% of the time, the problem will not go away.
However, if the Owner had a non-confrontational process to change the culture, they would be signing up in a heartbeat. Here is that non-confrontational process:
1) The Owner needs to announce to the staff the following:
a. Real-Time Time Entry is part of the engagement, part of what the Client is paying for, and is going to be required going forward
b. Be sure to talk about “What is in it for them”
2) Kim Drumm's Total Team Time Entries this Week Widget needs to be added to everyone's dashboard
3) An Advanced Real-Time Time Entry report needs to be run every Monday morning between 8 and 10 am, documenting the following:
a. Delay between disengagement and putting the Time Entry in
b. The average duration of each engagement
c. Gaps between each engagement
4) Document Detention for anyone not having at least 6 hours of work in their Timesheets by 4:30 pm each day:
a. Notified the Tech to report to the Owners Office (this is the pain point that will encourage Real-Time Time Entry habit change)
b. The Tech reports to the Owner's Office immediately
c. The Owner partners with them and helps them to
i. Document what they did
ii. Put their Time in as expected
iii. Automatically updates the Client
To summarize:
The #1 reason to implement Real-Time Time Entry is to provide a great Client Experience. One that is so great that Clients will not only stay but also become raving fans who are more than willing to refer you to their friends. And it is important to implement R-TTE because it is the Time Entries that drive the Client-Facing Communications Protocol we will discuss shortly.
Beyond R-TTE driving the Client Experience, there is the benefit of having accurate Documentation, along with communicating internally what everyone is working on, without constantly asking them. Which is the Techs’ “What is in it for them” and is why they will partner with the Owner in changing the Company culture.
It can take many months to change Techs’ habits, but with Advanced Global's help, we can guide you thru the process in 4-6 weeks.
For more information on Advanced Global's Real-Time Time Entry program, email us at Info@AGMSPCoaching.com. We will respond with a Roadmap, a project plan, a proven track record of results, and a request to meet to discuss the Scope of Work and implementation plan.
Once you have accurate and real-time activity tracking, you can then answer the questions Clients expect to be updated on:
1) What did you do?
2) What are the next steps?
3) When will I hear from someone?
4) Whom will I hear from?
You do that by:
Crafting a nice, clean, Client-Friendly notification:
Back in 2013, the MSP I was working for was receiving Client complaints on a regular basis saying, "we receive too many notifications from you."
When we sat down with them in Net-Promoter-Interviews, we discovered that it was not the quantity of notifications but the quality of notifications.
It turns out that the Clients did not understand why they were receiving the notification nor what was expected of them (no wonder they never responded). They resorted to the easier option of hitting the delete button and complaining about receiving too many notifications.
Here is a screenshot of what we designed that has worked well. Not only for my former Employer but for Advanced Global's past clients – reducing the Client noise by 75% time and time again.
Reducing the noise results in many benefits:
1) The MSP is more efficient, therefore, more profitable
2) Clients are better partners and easier to do business with
3) Clients tell their friends about your great service
If you need help guiding you through how to create nice, clean, Client-Friendly notifications and rolling out to all Clients without any mistakes, rollbacks, or Client complaints along the way, email us at Info@AGMSPCoaching.com and ask for the CX improvement program.
Just like with the R-TTE, we will provide a clear roadmap and a project plan for the program. In only 8 weeks, your results will look like this:
1) Phone calls asking for updates were reduced by 75%, stopping:
a. Client disruptions to you and your Team
b. Duplicate Tickets are NOT being created
c. The most inefficient intake of new Client requests
I know this has been a lot to take in but bear with me.
Everything to this point has been leading to:
Borrowing a Client-Facing Communication Protocol:
When Clients leave their Managed Service Provider, chances are, it’s because they had a crappy experience. Yep, it’s proven: HDI has done tons of research in the area of building a better Client Experience (CX).
They have found that 80% of Clients leave a Service Provider because of a poor CX. Not because of a poor technical experience (12%), not because they are going out of business (4%) and not “for any other reason” (another 4%).
Think about that: They leave just because something you control is not being delivered to the Client.
What is the one thing that you control that can cut your Churn in half? Building a better Client-Facing Communication Protocol!
Thanks to HDI, they have provided us with a roadmap of when a Client is owed or expects an update. We have modified their recommendations for the MSP industry here:
Now that you have a roadmap, if you need a project plan and standard Workflow Rule (WFR) build set to automate this process, email us at Info@AGMSPCoaching.com, and ask for the CX improvement program. And in 8 weeks, you will put an end to eroding your good name and be on the road to:
1) Raving fans
2) Techs doing Real-Time Time Entries and working more than 50% of the Time you are paying them
3) Knowing where every Client's request is in the journey from new to complete, without them asking you to look into their request
Now, if that isn't sweet and worth the cost of admission – which is guaranteed to be 6X or even 20X Return on Investment – I have no idea what is.
Remember, my goal is to “Jumpstart Your MSP” in ’23, so please take your head out of the sand and start implementing the above so you never again miss that turn at Albuquerque.
And, as always, if you are too busy, too tired, feeling overwhelmed, or just want to make your MSP soar so much faster - drop me a line at Info@AGMSPCoaching.com. We’re always here for you.
The elephant in the room:
How do we know what we know? Because we are not philosophers! We are hands-on "How To" coaches that everyday guide MSPs on how to thrive by:
1) Fully leveraging the Autotask software
2) Providing the "Best in Class" Standard Operating Procedures
3) Leveraging Autotask Live Reports to hold everyone accountable
We are Thinkers and Doers with 49+ years of working for MSPs, bringing real Bottom-Line Improvements, change, profitability, and Best in Class performance.
Here are a few bullet points to let anyone interested know who we are and what we do:
1) We Are – the Autotask Global Service Delivery Authority
2) We Help – MSPs thrive
3) We Solve – Service Delivery issues, inefficiencies, and challenges by making sure that:
a. MSPs know what they don't know
b. Techs know what to work on next
c. Someone is managing all open tickets and driving them to completion
d. The Client has a great client experience
e. Real-Time Time Entry is a cultural habit
f. Projects are completed On-Time and On-Budget
g. Profit is maximized
h. Autotask is being fully leveraged
i. The staffing levels are correct, and the workload is balanced
j. The historical data that is in the Autotask software is accessible to benchmark, track & USE effectively
k. The Service Delivery operations can scale
l. The Company can grow
4) Our Tools:
a. Autotask "Best in Class" standard build
b. Our MSP robust Service Delivery SOP library
c. Advanced Live Reports
d. Expertise in providing a transformational experience
Note: We are not philosophers; we are doers with 49+ years of Service Delivery experience, bringing real Service Delivery Improvement change, profitability, and Best in Class performance.
We start by offering a FREE No-Obligation PSA Configuration Evaluation.
To your success.
