MSPs are Playing Frogger Every Day
Don’t Get Flattened - Invest in Creating Raving Fans
Hey, Service Delivery Gladiators and Autotask Warriors. Welcome to the first (official) Summer Edition of this experience we share each week. I say “official” as many of you have been baking in the 90+ degree weather for a while, and I’m starting to see “I want winter” memes on social media.
It used to be I had these articles written and submitted 10 days in advance.
Lately, I've fallen to the point of writing them 3 days before publishing...
Why? Because I'm frustrated by trying to lay out the facts to get it through MSP owners’ heads that this stuff is important. It can be the difference between a stressed out, miserable life for you, your Techs, and your Clients or an awesome career with a happy team and raving-fan Clients. I like to call this a Zen Atmosphere. Every time I take digital ink to digital paper, I keep doing what Matt says I shouldn’t - care more about the MSP than you do...
YOU ARE THE OWNER (or the Operations Manager or the Service Manager). You SHOULD care more about your MSP than I do.
Okay, I’ve calmed down. The thing is, I’m worried about you and for you. I know you are busy keeping your head down and plugging away at tickets, but if you haven’t taken the time to look around and notice, we are in a global recession. Sales are slowing and are almost non-existent for 2/3s of businesses, including 2/3s of MSPs. Most of the other 1/3 are surviving by picking up Clients from MSPs who have gone out of business or who they would normally pass over.
Why this is going on – Caustic Political Environment, Anti-Business Government Polices, Tight Labor Market – does not matter. What matters is what are you going to do to survive? And by that, we mean this: what are you going to do to grow the business in a tough economic environment?
Read the above again. I mentioned, “Grow the business.” I don’t want you to be surviving in this tight environment. I want you to THRIVE! If you look at my numbers above, I said MOST of the MSPs have slow sales or are in survival mode bringing in crap clients. But not all. Some MSPs are thriving, just like they do in every recession. Why? Because they have a process that is firing on all cylinders, and they have raving-fan Clients that allow them to raise rates and grow in a tough economy. Sure, some customers and MSPs will be in the race to the bottom, but not you. No, you’re going to pull your head out of the trenches and start paying attention to my digital ink. This is not a Disney movie. “Just Keep Swimming,” (working tickets) is not going to cut it.
So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. We’ll get deeper in the next few weeks, so we’ll stick to the shallow end for right now.
We know there is no point in Google ads. The political bickering has driven the price too high, and quite frankly, the target audience is too broad to provide a decent ROI (hold the ROI thought). Social media is working, but that means everyone is moving to LinkedIn and Facebook and it is only a matter of time before it implodes. That leaves Networking and Referrals. Both work, but which is the best use of your time? I mean if you do not have 45-mins for a FREE strategy call with me, how in the world are you going to have time to spend an evening at a meet and greet, time for 5 coffees over the next week, or time to do 25 gives before even getting one “thanks, now how can I help you?” conversation.
By far, the best way to grow a business is through referrals, and the best referrals come from Raving Fans – see where I am going with this? And the investment in building a Better Client Experience costs less than the vacation you are dreaming of and takes less time than getting to the “thanks, now how can I help you?” conversation.
Naturally, maximizing your operational efficiency comes first, so that the Service you are delivering is superior to your Clients’ other options, and, at times, taking IT in house will set you ahead the most. But once you have self-served, maximized operational efficiency, has the Client benefited? How would they know?
For that, we turn to the experts in the Soft Skills of IT, which include research and developing top-notch training programs: HDI (@ThinkHDI.com). HDI research has identified 14 points in the Client’s Requests journey from the cradle to the grave. Each of these makes sense, but in aggregate they are overwhelming. But take heart, no Client on any one request sees all 14. At best, a Client will see 3-5 update communications – and they will appreciate each one. Here is a link to a Visio PDF mapping the journey with when Clients expect an update: Gladiator’s Library - Customer Facing Communications Protocols.pdf (sharepoint.com)
Having the protocol is not the solution! Implementing the protocol is not the solution! Consistently following the protocol is required to provide a Great Client Experience and required to nurture Raving-Fan relationships (you know, the ones that drive sales).
So, what are we talking about – making the Techs work harder? Of course not. By automating the Client-Facing Communications Protocol, you will help the Techs work smarter, not harder; you will help them work more efficiently while providing a consistent Client Experience.
Now, here is the catch: It takes a Real-Time Time Entry culture to make this all work. “Yea Right! I have been talking to the Techs until I am blue in my face, and still no change!” is what I hear…So, stop talking, and start holding them accountable in a positive coaching/mentoring relationship. The process to this is simple and easy (whew, thank goodness for that).
The four steps are:
Tech LnL going over WIIFT -- that is what Clients expect and are paying for, and, going forward, it is required.
At the end of the day, monitor the Tech Team Worked Hours, and anyone without their time in is required to visit you (the Owner) in your office.
Discuss with them what they did today, help them clean up their documentation, time entries, and the Client Update, and on their way out the door, instruct them not to be back again.
Leverage Advanced Real-Time Time Entry reports to provide Atta-Boys or to hold the Techs accountable.
So, why invest in creating Raving Fans? Invest because:
Raving Fans drive Sales.
Client-Facing Communications drive efficiency.
Real-Time Time Entry drives accurate time entries, including increasing billable hours.
Oh, yeah – you don’t go out of business with 2 kids, a crippling mortgage, and a stack of maxed out credit cards, and you don’t need 10 years of therapy to recover.
Stay tuned as we’re going to talk more about ways you can Survive and Thrive, even when others are going down in flames. Coming up is: Why It Makes Sense to Invest in Streamlining and Automating the Invoicing Process with Accuracy.
So, join us here each week, my friend -
You're sure to get a smile.
Steve &Co
Epilogue
My team and I care so deeply about the MSP world that I will write and rewrite this digital experience right down to the deadline (and often past it) to give you the best I can. And my team has agreed to work overtime, if needed, to take on more MSPs into our programs than we really should (at least until we fall over from exhaustion) because most of us were MSPs or are MSPs, and you are our people.
Please, if I or my team can help in any way, contact us at info@agmspcoaching.com.
And, if you are unemployed and looking for work, please sign up for a free account to our Gladiator’s Community and post on the job board.