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The reality of today ’ s environment means that customers will be looking to cut expenses where they can . Looking through the ‘ glass half full ’ lens , this creates a great opportunity for the channel to help those businesses make the right decisions . Part and parcel of this , of course , is that channel partners , or MSPs , double-down on building and retaining the strong relationships that make them indispensable to the continued operation of their customers ’ businesses .
The last 12 months of lockdowns mean businesses of all sizes will have experienced
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS TECH CHANNELS Issue
GREGG LALLE , SVP INTERNATIONAL SALES AND STRATEGY , CONNECTWISE
their first exposure to work from home models ; many of their users do not know what a secure VPN means , let alone how to use it to access their corporate network . This is where the channel can go the extra mile and ensure their customers are set up appropriately .
Offering to audit and evolve the current remote working set-up for a more permanent footing will demonstrate a willingness to ensure that customers can maintain peak performance .
Ensuring they have the right tools and equipment in place , however , is just the start . To effectively manage customer infrastructures , MSPs will need to have the right documentation in place – for everything from devices , applications and web services to passwords – to ensure their support teams can respond quickly and effectively . Similarly , proactively monitoring systems will result in customers experiencing fewer issues and crashes – which in turn will help reduce the number of service tickets that MSPs have to handle .
Many services that were offered in the past are now considered ‘ table stakes ’. One example is security . Simply providing AV or a firewall as your ‘ advanced security solution ’ won ’ t cut it . Our recent Vanson Bourne survey revealed that 91 % of SMBs would consider using or switching to a new IT service provider if offered the right cybersecurity solution . Ensuring cybersecurity discussions
Offering to audit and evolve the current remote working set-up for a more permanent footing will demonstrate a willingness to ensure that customers can maintain peak performance .
take place and supporting customers in finding the right solution will be crucial in maintaining customers .
In these unpredictable times customers will need frequent reassurance that they can rely on their MSP to help them through any crisis . Helping SMEs to focus on the issues most relevant to them , and the solutions that will maximise protection , is key to building trust . Furthermore , initiating a programme of frequent communications that ensure customers know how to get in contact , how to submit a ticket and are kept abreast of any temporary SLA changes will be key to building relationships that last . •
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