MSPs do not give a HOOT about Client Experience!
“Good customer service costs less than bad customer service.”
— Sally Gronow
Today we’re talking about:
MSPs that don’t care about the CX
What does 8% churn look like?
MSPs need solutions for these issues
What real data says about MSPs
Real-Time Time Entry is KEY
Monitor & Manage to enjoy improvements
Greetings, Autotask Warriors! Last week I shared some frustrations I feel when I have the solution and the MSP owner doesn’t want to invest the time or money to properly fix Service Delivery Issues…BUT (of course)…they want them fixed NOW!
Another frustration of mine is MSPs that don’t care about the Client Experience (CX). They may think they do, but their actions show otherwise.
The rhetoric is that an MSP is very Client-Centric:
We react as if every request is critical.
We enable “Squeaky Wheel” Clients, managed or not.
We fall on our sword and write off work if there is any hint that it is our fault.
But does this provide a great Client Experience? I think not!
Churn is 8%...What’s the Big Deal?
A great Client Experience would have Clients raving about the Service we provide, not switching Service Providers like eating candy. Sure, Churn is only 8%, but think about what that means:
If you have 100 Clients, that means losing 8 Clients per year.
If you are onboarding 2 New Clients per month, that is 4 months or 33% of Sales work just to replace the ones leaving.
And what if you only have 50 Clients or are not onboarding 2 new Clients each month? 30 Clients? Do the math.
80% of customers will leave after more than one disappointing service experience, according to a study from Zendesk. Note that only around 12-14% are leaving because of a poor technical experience. Think about that: Clients leave just because something you control is not being delivered to them.
Curtis McHale says, “You failed if the client asks for an update.”
Bill Gates says, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
Here’s the thing: we all have blinders on when it comes to our own business performance. It takes these high-maintenance Clients who critique us to tell us the truth about their experience.
MSPs need a solution to the following issues:
Clients knowing where their requests are in the journey from new to complete.
Clear Client communications with a notification they can understand.
Techs completing the assignment as expected:
Completing the documentation before disengagement.
Updating the Client before disengagement.
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:
Holding Techs accountable for Real-Time Time Entry
Creating a nice, clean, Client-Friendly notifications.
Borrowing 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).
Yeah, sure – do I really need to do all that and risk conflict with my Techs?
What the Data Says About MSPs
If you have followed Advanced Global for any length of time, you know we do not publish hot air - we bring real data.
So, what does the Data Say? On average, the MSPs that we have done a FREE No-Obligation Autotask PSA Configuration Evaluation for:
100% Acknowledge the Client request (this is the base).
31% Responded with a Review and Assigned communication.
23% Responded with a Scheduled communication.
24% with an Escalated or On-Hold communication.
26% with Waiting … communication (assume multiple times per request).
2% Asked the Client for verification before closing the ticket.
17% Closed the ticket and communicated to the Client.
Are you wondering what happened to 46% of the Client Requests after the Client was told we have the request? No one knows, including the Client.
And what happened to an additional 35% of the Client Requests that got lost on the way from the Cradle to the Grave? Hopefully, the Client was on the phone with the Tech when they closed the ticket, but I doubt it.
To fix the communications issues, we need to adopt HDI’s recommended Client-Facing Communication Protocol.
This is where Real-Time Time Entry becomes CRITICAL!
The easiest, most efficient way to communicate with the Clients is by AUTOMATICALLY updating them based off of Time Entries. Have the Techs create summary notes (there’s a Form Template/Speed Code for this) that include:
What was Accomplished.
Next Steps.
When the Client will hear from someone.
And if not the Tech, who?
Then send the summary note to the Client via workflow rules. If you need help changing your lack of R-TTE culture, just send an email to Info@AGMSPCoaching.com with the word “R-TTE” in the subject or body. We will understand what you mean and respond with additional information on how to change the lack of R-TTE culture.
Monitor & Manage to Enjoy Improvements
Of course, we all know that what is monitored and managed gets improved. So, the next step is to monitor the communication rhythm and report back to the Team performance, or in this case, lack of performance.
If you do not have time to track your operational efficiency or 17 other KPIs, you may be interested in Advanced Global’s Monthly Monitoring and Maintaining continuous improvement program. Just send an email to Info@AGMSPCoaching.com with the word “MM&M” in the subject or body. We will understand what you mean and will respond with additional information on Advanced Global’s Monthly Monitoring and Maintaining continuous improvement program.
If you disagree with this article, facts, or the quoted surveys, please let us know by sending an email to Info@AGMSPCoaching.com with the word “Disagree” in the subject or body.
I hope this article has been helpful because our passion is to help MSPs using the Autotask software to thrive. 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 or post in our Gladiator’s Community. We’re always here for you.
Steve and Co