The journey MSPs take to grow their business can be challenging, but with the right perspective and tools these businesses can thrive as they transition from a small company to a larger MSP.
Alt-Tech Inc., an MSP based out of Sherwood Park, Alberta, has been consistently growing for more than a decade; showing how an MSP can scale up to provide better service to more clients.
For Carrie Green, vice president of strategy, and Kendra Schaber, clients services manager at Alt-Tech, being able to build and maintain relationships with their clients is the central goal behind their drive to provide the best customer service.
Alt-Tech began operations in 2006, but in 2014 they began a pattern of sustained continuous growth year after year. In 2020, Schaber joined the team as a dispatcher, but quickly became the Client Services Manager, leading the outreach and relationship management with clients. For Schaber, ScalePad Lifecycle Manager has become an important part of her communications with their clients.
Lifecycle Manager allows Alt-Tech to support client relationships through the asset lifecycle reports and is a valuable tool to keep hardware warranties up to date. Green explained that bringing Lifecycle Manager into their organization helped them solve “hidden” problems that slowed down their workflow and improved communication clarity.
Asset lifecycle reports enables clear communication
Keeping consistent and clear communication with their clients is a focus for the team and Lifecycle Manager’s asset lifecycle reports have become an important part of their meetings. As Client Services Manager, Schaber meets with more than 30 clients a month to discuss new updates, existing projects and goals, or just checks in to make sure everything is going smoothly.
Schaber uses the asset lifecycle reports to show clients the exact status of their tech environment, including what hardware or software is considered secure and healthy versus others that may be out of warranty or too old to receive new updates. Lifecycle Manager’s asset monitoring allows MSPs to generate reports quickly and easily, otherwise collecting all that data manually could be a full time job on its own, Green said.
Alt-Tech also takes advantage of ScalePad Infrastructure Protection inside Lifecycle Manager as their clients balance replacing old hardware or renewing warranties to get the most out of their current assets. Schaber said they have been selling warranties for clients who don’t know if they want to move to cloud-based services like Azure or stay on physical hardware. Extending and renewing warranties through Lifecycle Manager has been a good way for clients to take the time to make a decision.
Finding value in scheduled monthly meetings
When it comes to meeting with clients, Schaber and the Alt-Tech team usually meet on a monthly schedule rather than a quarterly meeting. While many MSPs stick to a quarterly meeting cadence, Alt-Tech has found value in more frequent check-ins.
She has found that with quarterly meetings the older topics tend to get glossed over in favor of the most recent issues. What happened 60 days ago isn’t necessarily coming up in those conversations, she said. Some clients work better with a quarterly schedule, but most stay in touch on a monthly basis. The Lifecycle Manager asset lifecycle report is a regular part of the check-ins as a recap of the last 30 days.
This focus on keeping up with clients is a part of Alt-Tech’s core value of “family,” Green said. She wants it to be more than a vendor/client relationship. It needs to be a real strategic partnership. Schaber uses Lifecycle Manager reports as one of the biggest pieces of the presentation she sends to clients before meetings. Because the Lifecycle Manager report is so easy to understand, both Alt-Tech and their clients can jump right into discussing their tech strategy.
This approach to client management has allowed Alt-Tech to find success without the pressure to make sales on each call with a client. By building these relationships and working with clients on their day-to-day and long-term goals, the new projects, hardware replacements, and warranties are a natural part of the process.
Green, Schaber, and the Alt-Tech team continue to push forward delivering the best service for their clients and building relationships. Lifecycle Manager continues to be an important tool in their toolbelt to build trust and understanding with clients.
Alt-Tech Inc.: Transforming Client Relationships with Lifecycle Manager – A Before and After Comparison
| Aspect | Before Lifecycle Manager | After Lifecycle Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Client Relationship Management | Manual processes, reactive communication, and limited visibility into asset statuses. | Proactive, data-driven communication with clear asset lifecycle tracking. |
| Warranties and Asset Tracking | Warranties were tracked manually; had to look up serial numbers for each issue. | Warranties and asset statuses are easily tracked through automated reports. |
| Proactiveness | Limited ability to be proactive due to manual workflows. | Enhanced proactivity in addressing client needs and providing solutions. |
| Client Communication | Communication was reactive, and clients were not always aware of their tech status. | Clear, consistent communication with clients using asset lifecycle reports. |
| Time Efficiency | Time spent manually collecting and analyzing data on asset conditions and warranties. | Time-saving reports generated quickly, allowing more time for client strategy. |
| Meeting Frequency | Quarterly meetings with some older issues glossed over. | Monthly meetings, ensuring more regular and in-depth check-ins with clients. |
| Client Engagement | Less strategic engagement, primarily focused on addressing immediate issues. | Strategic partnership, with discussions on both day-to-day needs and long-term goals. |
| Sales Process | Sales-focused approach, often with pressure to close deals. | Relationship-driven approach where new projects and sales naturally follow. |
| Client Feedback | Less structured feedback process, limited to occasional conversations. | Regular feedback loop during monthly meetings, ensuring alignment and improvement. |