Do you send reports on a consistent basis? We’re big fans of reports because they’re a reliable source of truth. They show your clients or your internal teams exactly what you’ve been working on and the results of that work and, because of that, they’re great for building a solid foundation of trust. We love seeing how our partners are using BrightGauge reports as a business growth strategy and as a way to keep teams accountable. This month, we’re sharing an Internal Weekly Service Report, as used by Joe Ensalaco of JT Global Enterprise, a systems integrator operating worldwide with offices in the UK and the US and specializing in Unified Communications, Customer Engagement, Digital Transformation, and Smart Retail. Joe, the Service Operations Manager, built this report as a way to keep track of what his team did the previous week (he actually built this within 2 weeks of becoming a BrightGauge partner - impressive!). “By looking at certain metrics on a weekly basis, we’re able to understand the circumstances around an influx in tickets, or a lack of support, so we can be proactive about preventing service issues in the future,” explains Joe. His Internal Weekly Service Report focuses on both customer metrics and service desk metrics. *This is a sample report for illustrative purposes only; not an actual report prepared by JT Global. On the customer end, Joe and team are looking at who the busiest customers of the week were, how many tickets they opened versus closed, and what type of tickets are being opened. Knowing who their most active customers are helps drive cost management decisions and also indicates whether JT Global should train their customers in how to self-solve repeat issues (for example, building out phone extensions). On a service desk side, Joe’s looking at what the whole support team is doing in general. Key identifiers include Ticket Kill Rate, Average Time to Resolution and Acknowledgement, SLA Stats by Priority, and Planned Works & Change Requests. “For each metric we look at, we’re setting goals and thresholds so we can hold ourselves accountable to a specific benchmark,” says Joe. “For example, SLAs for most of our customers are 30 to 60 minutes, so we look at these numbers each week to make sure we’re on track.” For Joe and the JT team, BrightGauge has enabled them to automate 90-95% of what was previously in their manual reports, obviously saving them a ton of time and letting them get back to focusing on their business. Interested in setting up an Internal Weekly Service Report for your team? Check out our Report Key to recreate it yourself or feel free to reach out to success@brightgauge.com and we’ll be happy to help. Thank you to Joe and JT Global for sharing your insights! Link to Sample Report Link to Report Recreation Key
If you’re like most MSP owners, you’re constantly thinking about how to generate more revenue for your business while continuing to provide unique and differentiating value to your customers. These days, everybody is talking about security. It’s a hot topic because everyone needs more of it and they are willing to pay to ensure they’re protected. In fact, surveys have shown that 93% of SMBs would switch their MSP if another MSP would offer the ‘right’ security services. So, as an MSP, how can you use this urgent need for security as an opportunity to bring more money into your organization? Just ahead, we share 3 points to remember when thinking about monetizing your security offerings. Cybersecurity as a key initiative The current reality is that MSPs are more vulnerable to security attacks than ever before, forcing the conversation around security to happen on a regular basis. It’s time to get honest about where you stand from a security point of view, both for your own benefit and that of your client’s. Cybersecurity is now a ‘must-have’ versus a ‘nice-to-have’, so if you’re not already working it into your customer agreements, you should be. When it comes to offering security-as-a-service, we recommend keeping the following in mind: Educate your customers. You likely have customers in all types of industries, and they may not all be aware of the importance of being secure. And that’s okay. As a trusted partner, they turn to you to consult and advise them on business best practices. So go ahead and show them why security matters. Do a dark web scan of your client and show them the results so they understand what information is accessible. But don’t stop there. Also educate them on how you’re currently protecting them and which of your services they can add to become even more secure. Remember, you should be a trusted partner, not just another vendor, so show them why their investment in you is worthwhile. Make buy-in easy. Keep things simple for your customers so that their decisions are no-brainers. One way to do this is to roll security-as-a-service into your ‘all-in’ price, so that it’s automatically included in the packages you offer. Remember to be upfront and honest about exactly what your packages include. Show your customers what coverage looks like and make it clear what level of protection you offer. Your goal is to provide your client with a solution to their issues in a way that they can’t turn down. Properly onboard your customers. This ties back into the education component. Establish policies and procedures around your security offerings and train your customers on those procedures during your onboarding process. Making them part of the security process will reinforce the importance of it and get them more willing to play their part in keeping their business secure. Quick note: if your point of contact is not a decision-maker, ensure that he or she understands how to properly communicate the reasoning for a security package to those decision-makers. This is essential for buy-in. Want to explore more specific ways to monetize security? In this webinar brought to you by ConnectWise, hear from partners who have added over 1 million dollars to their annual revenue by selling security services:
Here’s some food for thought: If you’re not constantly reflecting on your business priorities and goals and redefining how you’re measuring success, how do you know where to go? And how can you tell if you’re headed in the right direction? In order for an organization to grow and succeed, there needs to be a constant focus on improving upon what you’re doing. Year over year (or even more often than that), executive leaders need to measure and analyze performance metrics to figure out if results align with the direction the business should be going in. How do you assess that? It all stems from setting the right goals and identifying the metrics that match those goals. What we’re talking about is Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Just ahead, we’ll introduce a simple framework for setting KPIs in your business. Why are KPIs so important? Business schools teach that you can’t manage what you don’t measure, right? So, identifying relevant metrics is a critical first step of a growth plan. If you are measuring what matters, you’re on the right path to growth and scalability. KPIs help decision-makers track and monitor progress and see where there may be opportunities for improvement. KPIs act as a north star that help teams stay focused on their mission to succeed. Perhaps the strongest argument for running a business based on KPIs is that data is neutral and keeps everyone on the same page. In other words, a culture built on data means that decisions will always be backed by the numbers versus being driven by emotions. Identifying the metrics that matter It’s easy to understand why KPIs are necessary but it’s harder to put into practice. We’ve developed a framework for setting and implementing KPIs that’s simple and easy to follow. But first, you must identify which areas of the business are important to your bottom line. While every business has different priorities, they are all generally looking to evaluate their performance in the following areas: Finance Customers Sales Marketing Operations Internal Teams Don’t make the mistake of overanalyzing data or placing an importance on areas of the business that aren’t significant for you. For example, if you don’t have a robust sales team, it doesn’t make sense to use manpower to evaluate sales data that ultimately won’t be used. Instead, shift that focus to your finance metrics or some other area of your business. Once you know which areas to focus on, determine which metrics paint the most clear picture. Here, quality over quantity is the name of the game. This is where the framework we’ve developed can help you make sense of the KPI process. The IDEAS framework Introducing IDEAS. This simple, but effective framework can help you define success on YOUR terms with the right metrics that are specific to you. Identify the problem What is the problem that you want to solve? Or what do you want to prevent from happening? By starting here, you can tie metrics directly to your desired outcomes. Determine what solves the problem Now that you’ve identified your issues, what are the indicators that might mean progress towards a solution? For example, if you’re looking to improve CSAT scores, maybe Average Time to Response is a metric that’ll help you make progress. Establish your KPIs Knowing your issues and what can help you solve them is how you’ll determine the KPIs that are right for your business. At this point, consider where you’ll find the data you need (i.e. what tools can help you track your data?). Analyze the results Now that your data is in, it’s time for a gap analysis. How do your actual results compare against benchmarks you’ve set? Where can you fill in the gaps? Perhaps you need a change in processes or to invest in additional training for your team members. Start from the beginning The process of setting and tracking KPIs is ongoing. On a regular basis, you should assess your results, see what you can learn, and then start the process over. Once you get in the habit of following this framework, there’s no turning back. Constantly defining (and redefining) and implementing KPIs means you’ll have your priorities in order and be in a position to succeed. Your organization’s specific teams each play a significant role in your overall success, so make sure you’re measuring metrics from all corners of the business. For more on implementing KPIs in your business - including some example KPIs for each of your teams - check out our whitepaper, ‘How KPIs Can Improve Your MSP Business’.
