When you’re an MSP, you’re constantly struggling to differentiate yourself from the competition, close deals, and manage your IT tickets — all while increasing your profitability. Unfortunately, many MSPs are unable to set themselves apart, and they end up falling into a state of perpetual averageness.
But, no one wants that. We all want to be world-class service providers. So, what’s the one area you should tackle today to get on track with becoming a top MSP? Your processes.
Top MSPs differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack by being process-driven in all aspects of their companies. The four most important areas include:
- Business planning
- Sales
- Finance
- Service delivery
MSP processes should fuel your business. The more efficiently you’re using your processes, the more profitable you’ll be. To effectively develop a process-driven company culture, it’s critical to take the following three actions.
Engage Your Entire Team
Organizational change starts from the top down. If you want to see real change in your team’s view of MSP processes, you have to set the example yourself. Communicate that defining, aligning, and optimizing processes is a top priority for your MSP, and then make time for your team members to evaluate the processes they use daily, identifying where changes could be made.
Your entire team should have a hand in creating the business’ processes. You don’t want your employees to feel like they’re simply cogs in the machine, with no say in how the company operates. The best ideas come from the people implementing processes daily. Get everyone involved, and listen to what your team has to say.
Optimize Regularly
A huge mistake that many MSPs make is establishing processes from the onset and sticking to them too long. Processes should be a living part of your organization, regularly evaluated and adjusted.
Ensure that your processes grow and change as your business grows and changes. Small MSPs operate very differently than mid-size to large MSPs. The larger your company gets, the more complex its processes tend to become. To keep up with your team’s growth and the needs of your clients, set a regular schedule for process evaluation and improvement.
While new ideas and suggestions from your team are always welcome, you should also designate a specific time on a quarterly or annual basis to review your playbooks and speak with team members about what changes could benefit the company.
Focus on Integration
To really leverage your processes for improved company results, you have to integrate them with every aspect of your company. First, it’s key to document everything. You need to track processes in assets like playbooks, video tutorials, or other documentation. When a change is made, it should be reflected in your records as soon as possible.
Integrating MSP processes doesn’t stop with playbooks and videos. The second step to successful integration is thorough and regular training. It makes no sense to change a process if your employees don’t know how to adapt to it. Carve out time for training instead of just letting your employees figure it out on their own. The more time you invest in preparing your team for the change, the more seamless the transition will be.
When you have established MSP processes, your company runs like a well-oiled machine. Every employee understands their job and is trained to perform it efficiently. You have the time, resources, and knowledge to deliver better service to your clients and increase your profits. You pave the way to becoming a world-class MSP.
Photo Credit: Pictures of Money via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons 2.0.
