You should always expect your vendors and suppliers to provide excellent service, but it’s not easy to predict the types of customer experiences a new provider will deliver. Choosing a cloud services provider that is capable of supporting fully managed IT services is a critical leap for any small business.
The IT department — even if it’s just one person — supports the core function of most businesses, making it a vitally important strategic choice for any business owner. While managed service providers (MSPs) can offer a wide array of skills, security, and savings, choosing the wrong one can put enormous stress on your business. The challenge, especially for companies implementing cloud solutions and services for the first time, is figuring out if your managed IT service provider is delivering competent support and a great customer experience.
Here are some signs to look for when choosing a fully managed IT service.
1. They Start by Asking About Your Expectations
For an MSP to meet your expectations, they need to know what you need and want. For that reason, they’ll draw up a service level agreement (SLA) that puts everything in writing. An SLA clearly states which technology services you will receive and how you can expect them to be delivered, taking the guesswork out of your business relationship. Don’t be afraid to carve out your own SLA needs and wants during this process.
For example, Virtual Systems’ SLAs state that a human will respond to email tickets within one hour. Customers know they won’t have to wait two or three hours for a response — and likewise, they know not to expect a response from remote support within 10 minutes. When everyone is on the same page regarding the level of service you’ve agreed to, problem-solving and workflows go more smoothly. Don’t hesitate to use the service level agreements to guide the conversation about what you need from your managed service provider.
The great thing about managed IT services from Virtual Systems is that you can customize your service based on your needs, and easily scale up or down in response to the business climate.
2. All Technical Support Is In-House
When you call you managed service provider for tech support, you don’t want to be sent to an external vendor that may not even be in the same country as you. The person you reach may be following a flow chart or script rather than speaking from experience.
Directly connecting with an in-house member of the provider’s team will result in the best experiences. You want to speak with someone familiar with your account and the specific solution stack you utilize. Technology customer experiences are much better when you can immediately reach a knowledgeable professional focused on problem-solving, rather than having to explain your issue to one or two people before you connect with an expert.
Especially when disaster strikes, you need to be confident in your fully managed services tech support so you don’t add stress to an already tense situation. Virtual Systems did extensive backup and disaster recovery (BDR) planning with our client, LBM Advantage, to mitigate their IT risks from any potential business disruption. They felt confident knowing that a familiar voice would provide any support they needed.
RELATED: 6 Backup and Disaster Recovery Trends to Watch
3. They Easily Integrate With Your Existing Structure
Change always includes a little pain, but great, fully managed services should mesh with your existing business structure for the most minimal disruption possible. Your MSP may have partnerships with vendors to allow you to keep working with familiar software and applications.
For instance, with Virtual Systems virtual desktop infrastructure, you can utilize the full functionality of your business applications no matter where you are. Not only that, you can be confident that we take security seriously. Our team has extensive experience with cloud security and regulatory compliance, to ensure that your data is safer in the cloud than it would be in your on-premises server.
In addition, the Virtual Systems BDR strategy is built on Veeam technology, to give you the redundancy you need for your business continuity strategy.
RELATED: Why Data Security in the Cloud Is Greater — Not Less — Than On-Prem Systems
4. Their NPS Scores Are Favorable and Specific to Technology Customer Experiences
Quantifying technology customer experiences and ranking prospective fully managed service providers may seem difficult, but it is possible using Net Promoter® Scores (NPS).
To determine its NPS, a company asks customers how likely they are to recommend their services to a colleague on a scale from 1 to 10. They calculate the score by subtracting the percentage of customers who give the company a score of 6 or below (“detractors”) from the percentage of customers who give the company a 9 or a 10 (“promoters”). “Passive” responses of 7 or 8 are discounted. Theoretically, scores can range from -100, when no customers would recommend the company, to +100, when all customers would.
In general, any score above 0 is good, 50 and above is excellent, and 70 and above is considered “world-class.” Research shows, however, that the average NPS varies from industry to industry. According to CX management software provider Retently, technology and software companies have an average NPS of 61. As with any type of vendor, it’s smart to choose a cloud services provider that’s at or, preferably, above average.
Where does Virtual Systems rank? Our most recent May/June 2021 survey found the VS has an NPS rank of 67, putting us ahead of the average in technology customer experiences.
Give Your Business the Managed Service Provider Advantage of Optimized Solutions + Experience
Of course, a team that’s the most skilled in providing excellent customer experiences still needs to provide you with industry-leading technology and match the solutions you use with the features, security, and compliance you need. When a cloud services provider delivers both the right technology for your business and great experiences, you’ll get the greatest value from your relationship.
We offer fully managed services for your technology solutions, including mobile device management, cloud computing, and security solutions. Our internal staff is on site and ready to support your business goals.
Are you ready to see what you’ve been missing? Get started with Virtual Systems digital workspaces and cloud solutions today! Just leave us a note on our contact page and we’ll be happy to answer all your questions.
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