How to Lose MSP Customers - Part One
Managed service providers offer valuable service to business today and it centers around remote IT management. However, sometimes we can get so caught up searching for the right rmm solutions we fail to pay attention to our number one reason for being in business, the customer. Without clients or customers all of your study, hard work and efforts are for nothing. In this three part series on how to lose msp customers, we will focus on some of the most common customer issues msp businesses face in the 21st Century. Today we are going to talk about customer service and the way you treat your customers, and here are four things you can do to alienate clients and make them want to fire you.
1. Believe You Can be RMM Solutions Inc on Your Own
Maybe you think you can become the very best in your industry without any assistance from your customers. This is possible, but it's also possible a man will approach you on the street tomorrow and give you a million dollars tax free, just because he like your looks.
Listening is one of the most important things you can do for a customer and has become a lost art which many people simply ignore (often with disastrous results). Whether you run an msp, sell insurance or are a major corporation with a worldwide presence, you still need to listen. Sadly, some msp companies are ready to become "RMM Solutions Inc" without realizing what it takes.
Even if your service desk is automated, you should consider taking the time to let the customer know you are listening and aware of the problem. But how can you do this with a busy schedule? Take the time to respond to urgent trouble tickets with at least a phone call or email to let the customer know you are aware of the situation and doing everything you can to correct it as soon as possible.
People want to know they are not just a "face in the crowd" and something as simple as a three minute phone call or carefully worded text or email can be soothing, and although it is not going to provide immediate rmm solutions, it helps to create a positive image for your company.
Listening can bring about other good things for business. For example, the more you listen, the more you learn and by opening the lines of customer communications you can discover what each customer really wants and expects from you. This way, you can deliver the best possible service, and you just might be known as RMM Solutions Inc someday.
2. Break Some Promises
Have you ever promised a customer you would call back or check up on a situation and then fail to do so? Sure you were busy and maybe something urgent came up at home, but put yourself in the place of the customer. When you renege on a promise you make the other person feel insignificant and unimportant. This is not going to provide many rmm solutions for you or the customer.
3. Tell Customer A You are Busy with Customer B
Many people make this mistake and it can be devastating to a customer. Of course you are busy and have many customers to deal with, but you are not going to impress anyone if you tell them you have to take care of someone else first. This is the same thing as saying, "you are not as important as the other customer". Instead of resulting in rmm solutions, this kind of treatment will most likely cause major problems, over time.
4. Don't Ask for Customer Opinions
Maybe you trust your staff and you think you are providing everything customers need. In fact, you might be thinking of renaming your company RMM Solutions Inc but some of your customers may think you should be called RMM Problems Inc. If this is the case, you need to know why these customers have a negative opinion of you so you can take the necessary action to fix things.
So why care what the customer thinks? Here are some good reasons why you should care:
- Polling customers can turn up problems you are unaware of.
- You receive unbiased opinions which you may not get from employees.
- You can learn new things about your business.
- You may receive a roadmap for improving service.
- Your company can deliver rmm solutions as promised.
These four things are best avoided if you wish to succeed in managed IT services today. And there is good news too. Eliminating these problems and taking better care of your customers won't cost anything extra. For help with today's RMM software issues, come to ITarian. You can find us on the Web today at https://www.itarian.com/ for more info.
