All Customers Are Not Created Equal

As much as we’d like to think otherwise, all customers are not created equal. Each one of your customers is different. That’s where you as a managed services provider (MSP) can add your own personal touch — by customizing your offerings.

While this advice can be applied to any one of your numerous services, it can be seen more evident in your data backup and disaster recovery (BDR) offering, particularly when it comes to providing customers with a solution for business continuity. Keeping businesses afloat during disasters requires some heavy lifting on your part — building a plan takes time, but it’s worth it.

Most of the time MSPs face similar challenges when it comes to handling BDR customers: failure to recognize the true cost of downtime; disaster denial; and dependability ignorance. But understanding who you customers are can differentiate you from your competitors, pushing you ahead of the game.

Knowing customer pain points can help you understand their weaknesses. Leading with listening instead of talking is an effective strategy to determine their shortcomings. Use what you learn to find out where you can personalize your efforts with customers.

This doesn’t mean, though, you should treat customers differently, favoring one over the other. Stand by your business principles and sell your brand, but realize when you can do a little extra to help one of your customers in need. 

Follow CJ Arlotta on Twitter @cjarlotta and Google+ for further updates on the story above.