It's pretty unlikely that your customers would just leave you. There are all sorts of logical reasons for a customer to leave, but simply switching to another supplier is unusual. If you deliver a great service as an MSP, the customer has no reason to switch. And, of course, it's not exactly easy to switch to another IT partner either. To talk about a “lock-in” goes a bit far, but it prevents many customers from "shopping around." We have previously discussed how the world of MSPs is changing. The world of your customers is also changing, they are shopping around.
Your competition
Many companies have become more aware of what they need in terms of IT support, and what demands they can place on IT suppliers. As a result, they are now able to more effectively communicate their needs to various IT companies, creating a more dynamic market demand. Although there were numerous MSPs with similar services, encountering direct competition was rare. In cases where competition did arise, it was likely that the parties involved were already familiar with each other.
That world is changing. After the consolidation in the web hosting market, there is also consolidation taking place in the IT service provider market. There are increasingly larger organisations that are gaining more muscle in marketing and sales, but also in the delivery of their services. This is good for customers, as they can receive great service from a larger MSP, potentially at a much more competitive price.
This means that your playing field as an MSP has changed. Your customers are also being approached, and they are also viewing content from larger parties. They may even be talking to your competition at trade shows. The market has become more transparent.
Retaining your customer
This does not mean that customers are just leaving. If you provide a good service at a market-compliant price, it should be very strange if they leave. And yet that chance is also lurking. Why do MSPs still lose customers even though they are providing a good service?
Customers are evolving and are increasingly looking for an advisor and a full-service provider. They also need more services, such as security services, and custom IT services. Customers want to be shown the right way, they want to experience how they can get more value from IT.
Therefore, you need to have more conversations with your customer, and not just about your services, but especially about their organisation and challenges. But do you have the time for that?
You know your customer like no one else
While it may be true that you have known your customer for a long time and have a good understanding of their concerns, it's important to keep in mind that you may not have a comprehensive understanding of their organisation. In order to deepen your understanding of their needs, it may be helpful to shift the focus of your conversations away from technology and services, and towards the ways in which IT can support and enhance their primary processes. But where do you find the time?
Consider automating certain sales and delivery processes and delegating some tasks to your customers. This approach can not only save you time and resources, but also empower your customers with greater control and choice over their interactions with your organisation. By allowing your customer to order their workstations, hardware, and services from you in a portal, you create the following benefits:
- You offer your customer choices, they can decide for themselves what equipment or services they want. This increases buy-in among your customers. It's their choice, they'll always stand behind it.
- You offer your customer more options than your competition. This ensures that they have fewer reasons to look around. You are becoming increasingly involved in their IT and procurement process.
- The ordering processes are faster. The process is much more streamlined. As the process is automated, you prevent delays and human errors in the process.
- And perhaps most importantly, you create time for yourself and for your sales teams. Time that was typically spent on sales admin, is now spent on gaining a deeper understanding of your customer.
Salesbuildr has developed a solution that simplifies and automates the quote and ordering process, empowering customers with greater control and flexibility. By providing a customer-focused environment that allows customers to place orders directly, you can streamline the process and reduce the time investment required. Salesbuildr integrates with your financial and PSa systems, as well as your distribution partners, further increasing efficiency and reducing the potential for errors.
Want to know more? Book a demo today.
