Feedback from your MSP is crucial in knowing the value of an MSP. ITS’ services, Managed IT, Cloud Computing, & Business Internet, all come with reports to help evaluate MSPs. Check what these reports are in this article.
Letting a Managed-IT Service Provider (MSP) handle your business's IT can be tricky. You went through all the trouble of checking which IT management service is the best for you; getting the value out of your MSP is a huge priority!
However, it's hard to definitively say your MSP is doing a great job or concretely evaluate if the money you're spending on them is worth it.
Part of hiring an MSP - or anyone, for the matter - is to have the tools to check if they're doing the job correctly. At Intelligent Technical Solutions (ITS), we've noticed that clients appreciate the following reports about our services. It helps them know what exactly we're doing behind the scenes to keep their network running as smoothly as possible.
In this article, we'll dive into the services ITS provides and the three kinds of reports clients get, which are:
- Monthly Billing Reports
- Executive Summary Reports
- Strategic Business Reviews
By the end of this article, you'll be able to see if this kind of feedback is enough for you or if you need to know more about evaluating the worth of your MSP.
ITS' Services and Who Benefits
Before getting into the different kinds of reports, ITS provides for its clients, here is a list of the services you can expect from ITS. You'll be able to think of what kind of reports fit each service and check what kind of feedback will be necessary for your company.
Managed IT
Managed IT is ITS' specialty. It is the management of your entire organization's IT infrastructure, from setting up workstations to protecting your data from cyber-attacks. There are different pros and cons of managed IT versus break-fix companies. Ultimately, this allows businesses to put their company's tech infrastructure out of their minds and into the hands of professionals.
There are various qualities of the best businesses to get managed IT. In a nutshell, people get managed IT because they don't want to worry about technical issues that could put their business at risk.
Cloud Computing
There are many considerations in transferring your data to the cloud. But ultimately, cloud computing is transferring your business' data to the cloud for maximum efficiency and flexibility. Having data on the cloud lets you access it from multiple locations. It is also easily scalable according to your company's needs and is also one level of backup for your data.
Most clients who get this service first need to understand the biggest myths surrounding cloud computing. After their fears are put to rest, cloud computing best fits companies looking to shift their business into more recent technology or want the flexibility and peace of mind of having your data on the cloud.
VoIP Phone Services
VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. Essentially, our VoIP services make sure all calls are managed over the internet. Taking calls over the internet comes with numerous benefits, with the two main features being faster calls and more complex databases for telephone numbers.
Setting up a VoIP for your business can satisfy your business's needs of moving away from traditional phone lines. Some reasons for getting a are having clients or staff overseas, needing more features in their phone systems, or wanting video conferencing streamlined.
Business Internet
Business internet is exactly what it says it is - internet tailored to what a business needs. With all the different kinds of internet out there, choosing the best internet is crucial for your business's success.
Clients who benefit from business internet are clients with a need for fast, flexible, and reliable internet connections. They need more than the regular internet given to households due to their employees or customers requiring access to the internet.
3 Kinds of Reports for Each Client
Once you've chosen which services you need from ITS, you now need the tools to evaluate the value of the services you're getting. You can do that via the following reports.
Monthly Billing Reports
You might laugh at your monthly bill being a report, but it's one of the most straightforward ways of checking what you're getting out of an MSP. You have a clear-cut document telling you how much ITS costs and what services you're paying for.
There may not be any specific statistics or details in your monthly bill, but it's still an essential way of checking the value of your MSP. There's nothing more precise than a document breaking down where each dollar goes. It serves as a baseline in checking if an MSP is worth the cost, as each dollar is critical when managing your business.
Executive Summary Reports
Executive Summary Reports contain the details of each workstation ITS actively supports. It shows what workstations we manage and statistics regarding how and how long the workstation is managed.
Executive Summary Reports are emailed to the client monthly, and it allows companies to see the individual scope of what ITS handles in each workstation. If the Executive Summary Reports data isn't enough for the client, we also adjust how much is shown to include the feedback the client wants.
Strategic Business Reviews
ITS brings the Executive Summary Reports data and clearly explains the whole picture of the client's IT network in the Strategic Business Review (SBR). The Client Account Manager (CAM) organizes the SBR with the head of the company.
In an SBR, the client discusses their current priorities and changes they'll make within the business. ITS staff take these priorities, give a list of recommendations, and conduct a thorough analysis of what ITS is currently doing with the tech network.
The SBR is the meeting where the client and ITS touch base to see if they're still on the right track and is scheduled depending on the company's needs. It might be a monthly meeting or a bi-yearly meeting.
Having a consistent SBR is vital in your evaluation of our worth as your MSP, as it allows you to check what we're doing behind the scenes and how these actions affect your day-to-day operations. It also allows important recommendations to stay at the forefront of your company knowledge instead of getting buried in a company's everyday tasks.
Still reflecting on the value of an MSP?
All in all, you want to make sure you're getting your money's worth. Having monthly bills, executive summary reports, and strategic business reviews should help you evaluate the true worth of ITS as your MSP.
These reports provide clear feedback about what ITS does for your network, and the information you get should help you decide if you're going to continue with ITS as your MSP.
But these reports may not be enough. After all, reports are not the only way to evaluate a service, just as certificates are not the only way to check the value of employees. You need a more holistic outlook on figuring out the worth of the company you hired.
Knowing how to check the ROI of your MSP is a significant next step in empowering yourself. By having the skills to scrutinize the services of an MSP, you'll make sure all the actions you and your hired company take are aligned with one goal - the success of your business.
