Check out our October newsletter!
YOUR MANAGED SERVICES PARTNER
OCTOBER 2020
YOU AND YOUR MSP
Questions to Help You Prepare for the Future
requests within 60 seconds for phone or chat requests or 60 minutes for incoming emails. This is written into every service contract we give to our clients. Q. Does the MSP have a plan to still meet service level agreements when my business grows or their business grows? A. When MSPs have in-house technical teams, it can be challenging to maintain a high level of service as their business grows and they have the same amount of staff handling more clients or when the client’s business grows and the client’s needs expand. This is when service levels drop, response times grow, and projects get delayed. Our Help Desk team is based in the U.S., and we have a large staff, which ensures additional resources can be added for Broadleaf clients whenever needed. This allows us to consistently meet our service level agreements. Q. Does the MSP take time to explain what they are doing and answer my questions? A. Yes! Our technicians take time to answer all of your questions in plain English. Our technicians are extremely skilled at breaking down technical issues into terms anyone can understand. They put in the
The pandemic forced companies to adapt to the rapidly changing local, national, and global landscapes. As a result, many companies — including companies we work with — needed more from their managed service providers (MSP). They came to us with questions and wanted to know what their best next steps were, especially as it related to the future of their IT security. This month, we want to share questions our current and prospective clients have been asking us. These are questions that ensure you’re getting the most out of your MSP — including us! Q. Does the MSP answer their phones live, or do I have to leave a voicemail and wait for a callback? A. Our support team answers the phones live 24/7, 365 days a year . Why? Many of our customers’ employees work outside of what we often think of as “normal” business hours. If they cannot access their computer network AND can’t reach anyone to help them, it’s incredibly frustrating.
extra effort to explain the problem, determine its cause, and ultimately, to find the solution. Q. Does the MSP consistently and proactively offer new ways to improve my network’s performance? A. We have ongoing communication with our customers on a set schedule to discuss ways to help improve their operations, lower costs, and increase security and productivity. Our goal for these meetings is to help our clients be more profitable, productive, and secure.
Q. Does the MSP provide invoices that clearly explain what I’m paying for?
Q. Does the MSP have a written, guaranteed response time to calls?
A. We provide detailed invoices that show which devices are covered on the contract and the number of Help Desk
A. We guarantee that our Help Desk team will respond to incoming service
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Chobani’s Secrets for Making Waves in a Sea of Messaging Stand Out
“We’re in this together!”
“Getting America back to work.”
“Stronger together.”
Advertisements on our TV screens, on social media platforms, and in our mailboxes have been littered with these phrases — and many others — during the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ve likely heard the phrases somewhere, but there’s a good chance you can’t place the company or brand that is marketing this messaging. The wrong thing to do during and after the pandemic is remain silent, but it can be just as detrimental to have your message get lost in a barrage of others. So, how do you stand out in a time when everyone is facing the same issue? Try following this yogurt brand’s lead. Taking a Stand Having a great product to offer consumers is one thing, but it can’t do all the talking. Trying to have your product alone do the talking means you’re whispering while other companies are shouting. Chobani has led the Greek yogurt revolution, and it’s continued to outpace its competitors and make big impressions on its customers. But it hasn’t done so with great yogurt alone. Rather, its messaging has led to raving fans. For starters, Chobani reinvented how we think about yogurt. This product has often been seen as the food to kick-start a healthy lifestyle, but Chobani put its competition on blast in a 2016 advertising campaign that highlighted common ingredients in other yogurts that were also used in pesticides and other harmful products. Try reaching for one of those products as you begin your new diet without hearing Chobani’s warning in the background. It did the trick.
Chobani has also created a food- funding program designed to invest in companies that are creating natural, healthy food products for consumers. The company has also invested in its employees. CEO Hamdi Ulukaya has ensured that 10% of the company’s shares are disbursed back to its employees. Ulukaya also founded The Tent Partnership for Refugees organization, which is committed to helping refugees find jobs and get integrated into their host communities. (Nearly 30% of Chobani employees are refugees.) ‘We Don’t Sell Yogurt’ You don’t have to be a yogurt aficionado to appreciate the business finesse and quality character that Chobani exhibits, and you can replicate their methods in your own industry. Find a cause that matters to you. Maybe it’s guaranteeing that no one has to go without heat in their home in the winter, or maybe it’s ensuring tech literacy by offering continued education and training in your community. Whatever it looks like, find a stance that you can take and make it part of your brand. Soon, you’ll discover that your customers are focused on your messages, and you’ll have just as loyal of a following as Chobani.
purposefully reshaping the yogurt and food industry in an effort to create healthier communities and people. Their mission statement even ends with “Real change. Not just ‘checking the box.’” From the beginning, the company’s mission has been to supply the world with better food, products, and communities, one yogurt sale and philanthropic action at a time. Doing the Work You cannot talk the talk before you can ensure that your company can walk the walk. Sending out messages that promise to do one thing and then failing to deliver on that very thing creates distrust with your customers. You have to ensure that you can do what you’re promising you will do before you send the message out. Then actively do it. Chobani demonstrates this by setting an ambitious mission statement to create a healthier product, food system, and world and following that up with a high-quality product and company-led initiatives. It didn’t just highlight the disgusting ingredients in its competitors’ yogurt; it advertised and delivered a product that was free of those additives. Customers could trust that they were receiving the healthy food they expected.
But the yogurt company didn’t stop there. It outright claims to be
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network documentation detailing what software licenses I own, critical passwords, user information, hardware inventory, etc.? A. All clients have access to this in written and electronic form at no additional cost. Q. Does the MSP have other technicians on staff who are familiar with my network in case my regular technician is gone for any reason? A. Yes. We build and maintain a comprehensive knowledge base for every client. This includes detailed network documentation and a blueprint of your IT environment so that any member of our Help Desk team has the information and historical data to support you. Q. Is the MSP familiar with my unique line-of-business applications, and can they support it? A. We own the problems with all line-of-business applications for our clients. That doesn’t mean we can fix faulty software, but we will be the liaison between you and your vendor
to resolve problems and make sure these applications work smoothly for you. Q. When something goes wrong with my internet connection, phone systems, printers, or other IT services, does the MSP own the problem? A. As the IT service partner, we own the problem completely for our clients so they don’t need to spend time and resources fixing the problem. Q. Does your provider have a detailed, documented onboarding process for bringing on new clients? A. Our process is comprehensive and well-documented. We work with you to gather critical business information before going live with the services so we can ensure a seamless transition. If you have any questions that aren’t addressed on this list, give us a call at 866-337-7733! We’re here to help keep you informed and ready for whatever comes next. –Chuck Mosca
seats. We also provide a detailed list of work performed outside the scope of the contract. Q. Does the MSP guarantee projects will be completed on time and on budget? A. All projects are fixed-price and contain a written guarantee of the completion date. This avoids the uncertainty of contracts based on time and materials. Q. Does the MSP remotely monitor my network 24/7/365 to keep critical security settings, virus definitions, and security patches up to date and to prevent problems from turning into downtime, viruses, lost data, and other issues? A. Yes, our remote network monitoring system watches over your network to constantly look for emerging problems, security issues, and more so we can address them before they turn into bigger problems.
Q. Is it standard procedure to provide me with access to written
HAVE A Laugh The Night Martians Invaded New Jersey Orson Welles Recounts ‘The War of the Worlds’
On the evening of Oct. 30, 1938, an eloquent voice graced the airwaves in New Jersey:
“We now know in the early years of the 20th century, this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man’s, and yet as mortal as his own…” And so began Orson Welles’ classic radio broadcast, a retelling of H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds.” Peppered in the retelling were fictional news bulletins informing the public of an alien invasion. Martians had arrived in New Jersey! Some listeners assumed the news bulletins were the real thing. Frenzied, they called local police, newspapers, and radio stations hoping for more information. The next day, the story broke across the country — newspapers reported on mass hysteria and stories poured out that the nation had erupted in panic. However, as we now know, the extent of the panic was exaggerated. It turns out the person who was the most frightened was Welles himself who thought his career had come to an end.
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Inside This Edition
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Helping Your Business Stay Prepared for Whatever Comes Next 2 Steps to Turn Your Customers Into Brand Fanatics What Really Happened the Night Martians Invaded New Jersey?
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Have a Laugh
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2 College Recruitment Tactics You Can Use in Your Business
The Ol’ College Try How University Recruitment Tactics Can Get You More Customers
tours can offer their expertise with prerecorded presentations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we do a lot of things, but few institutions have been as shaken by this global event as education. When it comes to college recruitment, universities have had to become creative with their sales techniques for prospective students — and it’s paying off. Here are two pivots universities have made and how you can cash in on the action, according to the American Marketing Association (AMA).
opportunity to improve the design of their materials and mail out more appealing brochures and other packets they’d typically hand out on campus. You Try It: Mail has become more important than ever, but you need to stand out in a direct mail campaign. Play with the design of your typical mailers and consider adapting your e-newsletter to a print one. As Texas A&M’s director of social media Krista Berend explained in a June 2020 AMA article, “Our world is dominated by screens.” Engaging with your clients through the mail that goes directly to their homes — without targeted ads drowning out your message — is a much more intimate way to grab their attention.
You Try It: Part of landing a sale is connecting with your prospective clients. What better way to do that than introducing what you have to offer in a virtual tour? Create a video of your team walking clients through your process step by step and introduce the prospective clients to your team. People do business with people they like, and when you showcase your culture on video, clients will feel that connection, even if they can’t be there in person. Direct Mail Campaigns With more people at home and school platforms converting to the digital sphere, universities have a greater opportunity to directly target students. In the past, mailers would typically hit the junk pile at parents’ homes. However, universities are using this
College Tours Students typically lead tours
throughout the hallowed halls of the university and end with presentations, Q&A sessions, and conversations with experts. Since having to convert to online tours, universities have been able to target a wider demographic. More students can tune into a live tour without having to travel, and administrators and professors who may not have had time for previous
You can learn other recruitment tactics at AMA.org.
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