What Makes An MSP Great?

October 20, 2021Homefield IT

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For many businesses, taking care of their tech themselves is the option that makes the most sense. This happens, partly because people think that to get the best service, but also because people don’t really know they have options.

It doesn’t just have to be a lone IT guy helping you with your problems in the server room. It doesn’t have to be Jane, in accounting, who’s good at figuring out technical problems. Managed services providers (MSPs) are a way for businesses, big and small, to get the technical support they need without having to bring everything in-house.

What are MSPs?

MSPs are businesses that help other tech companies with their IT, security, and other technical infrastructure. Often, this work is done remotely, but MSPs can also be used on-site to help with major projects or to help fix problems that can’t be dealt with any other way.

MSPs offer a range of services, including helpdesk, managed security solutions, virtual CIO, and strategy (among others) that remove the task of looking after the tech stack from your business. Even if you have an in-house IT team, MSPs can be helpful because they free up your staff from low-level tasks.

What makes working with an MSP so great?

We’ve touched on this a little, but the reasons that working with an MSP is a good idea goes beyond the help you get and not having to worry about your technical infrastructure anymore. MSPs bring a lifetime’s worth of experience to the table and provide unparalleled services to their customers.

Low employee turnovers

One of the things that make them great is that MSPs have a relatively low employee turnover rate. When surveyed, 60% of companies lost two or fewer employees over a 12 month period. While this is great from an HR perspective, this is also great for you. Instead of a revolving door of IT staff working on your business remotely, you get people you can establish a relationship with. People who get to know the ins and outs of your organization, the specific needs and requirements that you may have, and they’re in tune with where your business is heading. This means that you have someone who thoroughly understands both your business and your technical needs and can make recommendations and provide guidance for technology that can help your business grow in the future.

Often, you’re not just getting one person like this; you’re getting a whole team of people who are very likely to be around longer-term.

Consistently higher CSAT scores

It’s a good sign when you’re looking at a business and see high customer satisfaction scores (CSAT). It means that people are happy with the services that they’re getting from us. But, these kinds of scores don’t just happen.

We work hard to build good relationships with our customers. We dedicate time and energy to learning about new technologies that can help our customers, studying the tech trends that are guiding various industries and sectors, and exploring new methods of growing businesses using technology. And, as we just mentioned, we create a working environment where people want to be a part of us, so they can enjoy the work that they do and want to go above and beyond for our customers.

Certifications

Certifications may not seem like an important detail (because for a lot of businesses, they don’t mean much), but in the IT world, they still have some heft. Tech certifications are often provided by companies to show that people have gone through official courses to learn about new technology and how to solve the problems around it.

It’s because of this that we make sure that we have certifications and training provided by as many of the major tech companies as possible. You need someone who can definitely help solve your problems, not someone who can probably cobble together a solution because your business can’t rely on “maybes”. The peace of mind that comes from having a certified technician work on your tech means you’re not going to worry that it’s going to be a recurring problem.

National awards

Similar to certifications, awards may not seem too important, but for MSPs, they can show a dedication to providing a higher level of service for our customers.

You don’t set out to become an award-winning company. It’s something that happens as you do consistently good work year after year. These awards, coming from companies like Inc. or Crain’s, provide a benchmark for the quality of service you’ll get.

Preferred technology and implementation partner to enterprise companies

With MSPs, you’re not working with a company that only deals with companies like yours. You’re partnering up with a company that is trusted by everyone, from smaller startups to large enterprise companies. This means you’re experiencing a similar level of care as some of the biggest companies in the world, but from someone who also understands the needs of a smaller business.

What can happen if you’re a smaller business is that you gain access to the same minds and strategists that are helping much larger companies manage their tech. If you’re an enterprise company yourself, you can rest easy knowing that they understand the needs of larger businesses because they have experience working in that ecosystem.

Vendor partnerships

Sometimes, the silver lining of a business relationship isn’t the relationship with the company itself; it’s the partnership they’ve built. MSPs often have very strong partnerships with tech vendors like Microsoft to help their customers get a higher level of service and better deals.

These partnerships (like being a Microsoft Gold Partner) help you in a couple of ways. First, it means we’ve completed highly specific training for certain products or solutions offered by the company that helps us get a deep understanding of them. We know how to implement these solutions, how to customize them, how to troubleshoot with them, and we know why it’s the best solution for you. Secondly, because of these partnerships, we can often help you negotiate deals and product bundles to make sure you get everything you need at a price that can’t be beaten.

Ultimately, what this means for your business is that you can make informed decisions about what products and services you should be using, why you should be using them, and you get support for these products without having to deal with the tech support at a major company because we’ve been trained to help.

Increased in-house knowledge

Along with being great to work with, MSPs increase the technical knowledge inside your business. Our experts spend their time learning about all the newest trends and technologies that are coming out. They understand the business value of the tech that you use. And, they can help you make decisions that you might not otherwise be able to make.

MSPs act as strategic partners in that respect because when they learn new things, they pass them on. It’s easy to think that you could stay on top of this yourself, but think of how much time it takes just to stay up to date with your industry. When you add keeping track of tech to the mix, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and miss important announcements that could help your business.

Reduced pressure on internal teams

A lot of what we’ve talked about today dances around this point, but MSPs reduce the strain on your internal teams, both technical and non-technical. Our teams have the ability to remove a lot of the lower-value tasks from your internal IT squad (like helpdesk, for example), leaving them more time to focus on things that help you grow your business and better serve your customers. Not only that, but the non-technical staff has people to turn to for help when things go wrong. Rather than wasting time trying to solve things themselves, MSPs take care of things faster, without the need for anyone else to get involved.

Want to learn just how great an MSP can be?

If you need help with your tech or want to explore how you can work with an MSP in your business, let’s chat. We love meeting new people and discovering how we can help make their lives easier. Contact us today to learn more.