If I Were Launching an MSP Now | Mark Drizing

Mark Drizing, a partner in Rochelle Park, NJ-based Genesis Network Group, shares three suggestions he'd apply if he were launching an MSP today.

1. Standardize your tools and offerings – Don't have too many choices. Have one stack of ways to service a customer. Backup and disaster recovery solutions, antivirus, firewalls, things of that nature, have one or two choices. Maybe like a gold and a premium, or whatever you want to call it, but have something standardized. Sell the same set of services, the same sort of packages. On the back end, have a set of standard tools, be it N-able or Kaseya for network monitoring, some kind of PSA, and a ticketing system like Autotask or ConnectWise. 

2. Techs should be customer savvy – Since you're doing a lot of work in the background and on the phones, you want to make sure that you have techs who are knowledgeable of your products and your tools, but also of your customer's stuff. That is always changing and evolving. You want someone who is a good communicator, who can think quick on their feet. They should have a foundation, maybe some certifications, like A+ or Microsoft, something like that. But they also should – when they encounter something they are not familiar with – be able to work through the problem. You want someone who is personable and can get a good rapport going with a customer. A lot of times, a customer calls and they want to speak to the same person because they're used to speaking to them over and over, almost become friendly with them. 

3. Guarantee outstanding service – Think of a company as a whole. At the end of the day, one tech company is almost the same as another tech company. We all do the same things. We all use probably almost the same products, or the same product from a different manufacturer. So, at the end of the day, all you have is your service. Providing outstanding service, with some kind of guarantees, giving that “wow” experience to the customer is almost demanded these days. 

Editor’s note: Comments are edited to improve readability.

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