Workaholics Aren't Heroes: 5 Steps to a Better-Run Business

Set goals with measurable metrics: Despite all the technology available to MSPs to track the performance of their business, it’s still not uncommon to hear the owner of an IT services firm voice vague notions of what the business’ yearly goals are. Too often, MSPs “hope” for a revenue goal or number of new customers, instead of setting specific targets and executing on a strategy to meet them complete with monthly and quarterly milestones. Each milestone should be reviewed at the proper time. If they aren’t being met, figure out why so you can take necessary steps or, if nothing else, adjust your goals.

Evaluate staff productivity: Just as you set goals for the overall business, you must set individual goals for the staff. And as with the business, you also need to periodically measure performance against those goals to determine if adjustments are necessary. Use the information you collect in these assessments to determine whether you need to add more staff or transfer some of your operations to a technology partner. For instance, would you be better off having a vendor partner handle the help desk on your behalf?

Know your staff: How well do you know what each of your staff members is doing? Are they doing what they were hired for or have their jobs transitioned into something else? If it’s the latter, was the transition by design or an unintended twist? If unintended, what in the business should be adjusted to make sure people are doing the jobs they should be or, if they have to transition to new duties, it’s because it makes sense for the individual and the business?

Don’t let customers run the business: Your business depends on satisfying customer needs, but it’s important to set expectations correctly. Promise only what you can deliver, or less. Only then can you meet or exceed expectations. If you are constantly expending time and energy, and losing revenue, because you are not delivering, most likely you have an expectations problem that should be fixed.

Invite feedback: Good feedback can contribute to business improvements you otherwise may not think of. Consider your relationship with vendors: When vendors enhance their technology based on feedback from you, that helps you serve your customers. The same is true for your customers when you improve a process or service based on their suggestions.