6. Onboarding Clients
Hi Again,
This week is fun, we have now got our MSP up and running, we are doing a great job of finding new clients and even converting some of our old break-fix clients over.
So, what comes next? Well, it’s the onboarding process.
Not the most exciting topic I hear you say, but certainly a very important one so let’s get into it.
The most important thing to remember is standardization - The MSP business model as we have discussed relies upon MSPs being able to support as many clients as possible without adding lots of extra resources.
Audit
Hopefully you have a good idea of what you are taking on, but once the contract is in place it’s time to take a detailed look at the clients’ current infrastructure.
There are many tools to help with this, or failing that a notebook and pencil, but it’s vital you understand the state of the clients’ systems before you start.
It’s also important to record this information so your staff have access to this. This could be in one of many documentation systems out there, your PSA or even your company intranet.
Onboard
Remember that in the MSP model the more standardizing the better. It means your staff are able to support more and do it more consistently.
Deploy your Stack
You will have your preferred solutions for things such as Endpoint Protection, e-mail content filtering etc. It’s good to get it installed now. Ensure all machines are also at a baseline patch level.
Introduce the Team
I personally think that these next couple of items are as important, or more important than the ones above. MSPs are people businesses, your clients will engage with your staff so it’s important to introduce them as soon as possible. This could be via a video call or maybe a welcome email that shows pictures of the people they will be speaking to.
Explain the process
One way that MSP engagements fail is because the client doesn’t understand the process. Maybe they expect an instant response to their issue etc. It’s therefore important to set out how support works. How to log a ticket? How that ticket will be handled, escalation routes etc.
Setting expectations at the beginning is much better than having to deal with complaints down the line.
They say you only get one chance to make a first impression and it’s the same with MSPs. Ensure that the onboarding process is as smooth as possible for your new client. Ensure they totally understand how you operate and who the people are they will be dealing with and hopefully they will become a profitable client for many years to come.
We will be taking a break next week for the US Thanksgiving holiday, but when we return we will consider additional revenue streams that MSPs can tap in to.
Until then,
Chris
