Being an MSP means you’ve got experience being sandwiched between an angry client and a problem you just can’t fix fast enough. It comes with the territory, and you really can’t blame them. We live in an on-demand world where things are expected to happen at the touch of a button.
So when it comes to their business, they’re relying on you to deliver the solution when disaster strikes – and pronto!
When you’re providing services to small and medium business (SMB) clients, you have to take extra care to ensure you’re meeting their expectations. You could consult industry data, polls, surveys, and travel to the far corners of the Internet to find out what they are, but in the end it’s simple: SMBs just want their IT systems to function reliably.
While there’s no universal plan, there are 3 unfailing principles you can apply to your IT service delivery practices that will never steer you wrong, allowing you to provide that worry-free experience your SMB clients crave.
1. Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk
Piecrust promises are easily broken, so the saying goes. Before pricing and other inconsistencies are discovered within your offerings (and they will, it’s only a matter of time) streamline your services for consistency so you’ll always deliver exactly what you’ve promised.
Start by clearly defining your offerings and adjusting your pricing. Make sure your team is trained to handle the even the stickiest situations with confidence. Take advantage of automation by using remote monitoring and management software to every aspect of your services for each individual client.
The advantage with applying this principle is twofold. By automating workflows with RMM software, your techs will have more time to solve problems because they aren’t bogged down with redundant tasks, and clients get the benefits of faster responses to their ticket requests.
2. Quality Over Quantity
It’s no surprise that your SMB clients want the most bang for their buck, and they won’t hesitate to take their business elsewhere if they don’t feel like they’re getting that out of your IT services.
Switching to user-based billing is an effective way to appeal to your SMB clients’ financial sensibilities and further demonstrate your value. Instead of seeing a list of devices on an invoice, they’ll see recognizable users, and a familiar monthly flat rate that is hard to argue against.
This method provides a clarity that device-based billing never can. When your clients can clearly see what they’re paying for, and just how much you do for them behind the scenes, you’ll solidify your value to their business beyond dispute.
3. Treat Your Clients the Way You Want Them to Treat You
This principle is based on fundamentally recognizing your clients as individuals. Impersonal auto-responses don’t inspire very much loyalty. But when you take the time to personalize your ticketing system’s auto-responses so that the recipients feel like they’re more than a number in your book, your value will increase in theirs.
Creating a better experience for them and for you is simple when you put these 3 principles to work for your business. You’ll develop stronger relationships with not only SMBs, but all of your clients. With a just few tweaks to your business processes, you’ll be ready to take on the more complicated fixes for your all of your clients.
Learn how the ConnectWise® Business Suite™ can help you deliver services that exceed your clients’ expectations. Download the ConnectWise Business Suite: Join the Movement eBook today!
Mark Sokol is VP of marketing - product and brand at ConnectWise. Read more ConnectWise blogs here.
