Have you ever tried getting into a football game with an invalid ticket? It’s not a good experience, especially if it’s a semi-final and it’s your home team – as it was with my recent experience.

You realize as you arrive at the game that you’ve brought the wrong tickets with you. You’re panic-stricken! You don’t have time to go home. You decide to chance it and see if you can negotiate your way in. After all, you have tickets for this game, just not with you.

You feel nervous, you feel uncertain. The chances of you succeeding with the ticketing office in getting what you need are unlikely. You’ve potentially wasted your money.

A similar scenario gets played out often for MSPs’ customers.

The reason your Managed Services Agreement might describe your offering too loosely (invalidly)

Since the beginning of time, suppliers have had more knowledge of their offering than their customers. MSPs, you know what you are going to provide. The lines of what’s in scope for the service and what’s not are obvious to you. So when the agreement is prepared (and hopefully you do have one!), the description of the service seems right and you don’t really question it…. But does your Customer feel the same?

The Customer Wants Service

One day, six months into the agreement, the Customer makes what they think is just another request.

But they feel uncertain. Uncertain whether this request is included in the service or not. Actually, come to think of it, the Customer is really unclear on what’s included and what’s not.

They feel a bit like you felt when you tried to get into the football game without a valid ticket.

They feel Unsure, they think this is probably going to cost them.

How this costs you (the MSP) money

Like the gatekeeper at the football game, you want people – your customers – to enjoy the game. Enjoy the service. Enjoy being your Customer. (And remain a customer!)

So when they make a request that’s out of scope and then dispute the invoice, you want to look after them. Just like the gatekeeper, you want to let the football fan into the game. But you have rules. Or do you? Maybe they’re a bit loose…?

You have to spend some time resolving the situation with the Customer (cost #1, your time). You end up discounting the invoice for them (cost #2, lost revenue).

You realize you could have sold them another managed service as well. Six months ago! (cost #3, more lost revenue). That is, of course, if your managed services had been tightly described in your agreement.

And did I get into the game?

No! Our invalid tickets were too invalid and there was no way of the ticket office checking that I had the right tickets at home. We had to go to a nearby bar and watch the game there. While overhearing the cheers from the stadium! It pays to check the details. A sad customer experience.

So here’s what we're offering

We can help! If your agreements don’t say what they need to and you don’t want the usual time and legal expense of getting them sorted out… message us NOW to discuss how we can help you, or email me at anne@itagree.com.