Customer Experience: What CEOs Need to Spot When Choosing an MSP
By John C. Harris, President & CEO, Aspire Technology Partners
Understanding how out-tasking or outsourcing works for your organization is important. It is similarly critical to establish the goals between the outsourcing organization and the provider. When both parties agree and both sides are understood, a true and lasting partnership can be established.
In my last article titled, “Managed Services: The CEO’s Secret Weapon for Business Outcome Sustainability”, I uncovered how business leaders can tap into the world of out-tasking or outsourcing to leverage some of the best minds in technology, to achieve better daily functional outcomes, as well as more strategic technology outcomes for the organization.
In Managed Services, one vital strategic outcome to partnership excellence is delivering a successful customer experience (CX). This is brought about by working together in alignment with the end goal of attaining customer success.
There are several elements to look for when it comes to selecting a customer-centric Managed Services Provider (MSP).
Operational Flexibility
First, look for an MSP that can provide the greatest level of operational flexibility. Many MSPs are not flexible in either their approach or service offerings or both. They are unable to give the customer what they’re looking for, instead offering a canned or one-size-fits-all solution. Look for an MSP that can customize its solutions to fit your needs.
Industry References
Second, look for industry references, such as customers of like size and like markets that can provide a quality reference. You want an MSP that has experience and expertise working in similar environments.
True Partnership & Investment
Third, look for a firm that is willing to truly partner and invest in its relationship with your company. We hear client complaints about “wrong fit” MSPs and firms that were not intimate with the client’s environment or didn’t understand the client’s organizational objectives and goals. Choose wisely and reap the benefits.
Technology Capabilities
Fourth, look at the firm’s capabilities. How good are they? What have they done? Do they employ their team of experts? Have they earned any vendor certifications, awards or recognition?
Success Measurement
Fifth, and most importantly from the CEO’s perspective, look at how the MSP you are evaluating manages and measures its customer success with your organization. A dedicated customer success team is that glue that binds the managed services firm to its customer. There should be consistent touchpoints like quarterly business reviews that provide opportunities to fine-tune the interactions and deliver continuous improvements. And it is often the customer success team that brings resources within the MSP to think strategically and make recommendations around new technologies and additional services that can make things easier for your organization.
Paramount to all is accountability. The customer success team holds the MSP accountable to ensure that you receive exactly what has been promised and the partnership is consistently driving value and always looking for new ways to improve outcomes.
Aspire’s team can work with your business to optimize operations and provide IT expertise for your company, so you can get back to focusing on more strategic outcomes. If you would like to learn more about Aspire’s Managed Services, please visit www.aspiretransforms.com for more information.
Aspire Technology Partners is a Cisco Gold Certified Partner engrained in solution pillars that set us apart as a true Cisco solutions provider. We are committed to the continuous improvement of expertise and skillsets around Cisco initiatives that enable us to help and guide customers in the adoption and management of technology architectures designed to transform their organization. We hold Cisco Master Specializations in Collaboration, Security, Cloud & Managed Services and is one of only 25 partners in the US to receive the Cisco Advanced Customer Experience Specialization.
