Any MSP company is going to have a “static” onboarding process. The less you prepare for onboarding new customers as an IT company, the more static there will be. However, you can reduce impediments to harmonious operations through advance planning.
General Steps Worth Taking
The most operational static that will inhibit the clear signal of harmonious operations will happen during the initial onboarding process. To overcome this reality, it’s worthwhile to consider a few best practices as advised by consultation groups serving tech companies. Those steps include:
Match Onboarding Dates to Customer Schedules, Not Just Yours
What are key dates during a production cycle that affect new customers? Usually, these cycles are monthly, sometimes they’re quarterly or annual; it will depend on the customer. Don’t just focus on the deadlines your MSP has to hit, focus on those of your customers.
You’ll need some level of flexibility in onboarding so that you can most efficiently conform to new customers. There will be areas where both of you have to compromise; having a clear idea of necessary completion dates on either side reduces necessary compromise.
Manage Customer Expectations on Delivery of Service Realistically
Your MSP company needs to educate new customers pertaining to common onboarding thresholds. Look at existing similar customers to get an idea of what new customers are most likely to experience in that regard.
Know The Tech Environment Customers Come From, Understand Your Impact
What sort of situation is your new customer leaving? You want to avoid making the same mistakes, as new customers are especially conscious of them during the onboarding process.
What sort of impact will your business have on theirs? Ideally, you’ll save them time and money; but the onboarding process is unlikely to reflect that reality initially. If one of your staff becomes frustrated and friction develops between your company and the one you’re about to start working with, that can have a negative impact for everyone involved.
When you know where they’re coming from, and why, you’ll be more able to overlook offenses or establish more clear operational conventions early on. Sometimes, the reason a customer left another tech provider is their own unique misunderstanding; get ahead of that if you can.
Making Things Easier for Everyone Involved
When your MSP company designs best-practice protocols around onboarding new customers, it’s going to make things easier for everyone involved. A few good tips that direction include matching onboarding dates to fit customer schedules, managing expectations realistically, understanding where your new customers have come from, and understanding what they’re going to go through in the onboarding process. This helps you avoid unnecessary conflicts between your operation and customers, and get everybody to a normal routine of service delivery and tech utility with the greatest expedience.
