CompTIA, the non-profit association for the technology industry, has released a new tool to help managed services providers (MSPs) navigate the customer engagement process, from initial prospecting to contract renewal.
The Managed Services Client Lifecycle was created by the CompTIA Managed Services Community to help MSPs with customer acquisition, retention and growth, according to the company.
The tool allows any MSP to visualise the optimal client engagement for a managed services practice. When combined with other content and programmes created by the CompTIA Managed Services Community, MSPs have access to a selection of resources to help them build and grow an effective services business, CompTIA says. The resources are linked to the Managed Services Client Lifecycle graphic, which makes it easy to find the most relevant and helpful information available.
An upcoming CompTIA study on the managed services market reveals that the top two immediate priorities for MSPs are increasing their volume of net new customers (cited by 62% of MSPs surveyed) and expanding business with existing customers (58%).
“Many MSPs are winging it, with no real direction or understanding of what it takes to bring on a new customer and keep the customer for the long term,” says Vince Tinnirello, community chair and CEO of Anchor Network Solutions, a Colorado based provider of IT consulting services.
“The Managed Services Client Lifecycle can help them identify and evaluate all areas of their business to assure that they're doing all they should for their clients,” he says.
“Each of these lifecycle steps must work together to build an effective MSP business model,” says community member John Tippett, vice president and general manager of Aisle8, a unified manufacturer and distributor serving IT solution providers.
“This tool provides a graphical overview of the MSP client lifecycle and helps visualise how each area is related. The interface brings a breadth of resources together for easy access in each of the major cogs," Tippett says.