2. The MSP Mindset
Welcome back to this short series on the route from break-fix to MSP.
Today I am going to talk briefly about the MSP Mindset and how it differs from that of a break-fix one.
Thinking Differently
Broadly speaking break fix organizations and MSPs have the same aim. That is to keep their clients' IT systems operational and to make money, however the way they do it differs.
You may currently be reactive to your clients. For example, the phone calls and the client has a problem as they aren’t able to access some files they need. You then get an engineer to log onto the clients’ systems to see what’s happening or someone hops in the car and goes to check it out.
You then invoice for the time spent once the issue is resolved and everyone is happy. Your client is operational and you’re sitting back at your desk.
In an MSP world this is different, sure you still have to react to things from time to time, but the aim of the game is being proactive. So, in the above scenario, you would be using some kind of monitoring tool that checks the operation of the clients’ site and if something goes wrong a support ticket is automatically created in your ticketing system. (We will discuss the ticketing systems and monitoring tools next week)
The monitoring system will either resolve the issue automatically or the engineer will log on remotely to see what’s happening and resolve the issue.
Because in the MSP model you are charging a fixed fee the client won’t be invoiced for the time you spent resolving the issue so it’s vital that the issue is either resolved automatically or if human intervention is needed, very quickly.
This proactive approach can feel a little strange to support engineers who are used to being reactive so this is why it’s important to ensure all the team members within your organization are fully aware of the reasons for doing this.
Next time. . .
In the next instalment we are going to get right into becoming an MSP by discussing two of the major tools you will need to be successful.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Chris
