Ask an MSP Expert is a weekly advice column answering common questions from MSPs and IT service providers. It covers topics ranging from pricing and selling to marketing and communications—and everything in between.
Tag: Ask an MSP Expert
Ask an MSP Expert: Ensure customers are backing up their data
Ask an MSP Expert: Ensure customers are backing up their data
Q: I guess I’ve been watching too many scary movies lately (it’s Halloween after all) because I had a nightmare that my customers weren’t backing up their data! In the dream, one of my customers insisted that they’d backed...
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I convince my customers to move to the cloud?
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I convince my customers to move to the cloud?
Q: I have a customer with aging IT infrastructure, and it’s time-consuming for my technicians to keep their systems running properly. I know moving to the cloud will be a better option for their business and make things more manageable...
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I support a customer with remote employees?
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I support a customer with remote employees?
Q: I recently signed on a new customer, and many of their employees work remotely. They brought me on to support their servers, PCs, and some corporate laptops, but I know their employees are using other tablets and mobile devices...
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I establish a customer success organization in my MSP business?
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I establish a customer success organization in my MSP business?
Q: My MSP business is growing, and we’ve been signing on more small business customers, which is great. My technicians are always busy managing customers’ day-to-day needs, and they don’t really have time to build relationships with the different customers....
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I optimize my email marketing efforts for my MSP business?
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I optimize my email marketing efforts for my MSP business?
Q: I’ve been regularly emailing my list of prospective small business customers, and I’m getting the hang of it. But, I feel like I could be doing more to make my emails even more effective. How can I optimize my...
Ask an MSP Expert: Should I host my customers’ data myself or use a third-party vendor?
Ask an MSP Expert: Should I host my customers’ data myself or use a third-party vendor?
Q: I’m recently opened my own MSP business and am trying to find ways to reduce costs. Is it beneficial to host my own data center? Or would it be cheaper for me to leverage a third-party cloud provider to...
Ask an MSP Expert: As an MSP, how can I make billing simpler for myself and my customers?
Ask an MSP Expert: As an MSP, how can I make billing simpler for myself and my customers?
Q: At the end of the last billing period, my MSP business ran into some issues. After the invoices were sent out, we got a number of calls from customers asking us to explain or provide details on the cost...
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I set up a disaster recovery plan for a customer?
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I set up a disaster recovery plan for a customer?
Q: I’m trying to close some business with a prospect in the legal services industry. We’re in the Pacific Northwest, so the office manager is worried about all the wildfires in the area and wants to create a disaster recovery...
Ask an MSP Expert: What types of MSP marketing campaigns are most effective?
Ask an MSP Expert: What types of MSP marketing campaigns are most effective?
Q: I feel like I’m stuck in a rut with my MSP marketing, relying on traditional marketing tactics like telemarketing and referrals to find new business prospects. I want more of an impact. What are some simple, easy-to-execute campaigns that...
As a managed print service provider, how can I make the transition to managed IT services?
As a managed print service provider, how can I make the transition to managed IT services?
Q: I run my own managed print services company, and my SMB customers are starting to request additional IT services. So, I’m interested in making the transition to managed IT services so I can generate more recurring revenue for...
