Client portal implementation is a critical process that can enhance IT insights and improve the overall client experience. With careful planning, it can offer personalized views, provide high-value marketing collateral through lead gen, and even incorporate mock budgets for added benefits.

We have been spending a lot of time talking to MSPs and other vendors over the last few months.  Something has been bugging us, we can't quite put our fingers on it but something has changed in the marketplace.

Last episode we talked about "What is wrong with the MSP industry, that we don't treat people like people" which we will hit hard on next week.

“We all want to make money but we have prioritized the idea that we make money over providing solutions and services.”.-Bruce Sarte

Today one of the issues facing tech companies and many others is that we treat people like everything but human beings.  We classify them as clients/customers, employees, bosses, or even simply as “The man”.  We have dehumanized relationships. We used to solve problems for people now we only present pre-built solutions without understanding the person in front of us.

Welcome to the first blog post of 2023! Humanize IT is taking a look into the crystal ball to see what the New Year will bring.

In order to adapt to any new year, MSPs must look at the economy and the events that are coming up, and align the company accordingly. Based on this, we predict that in 2023 services are going to be the most important thing MSPs can offer.

When we looked back on 2021, we felt great. We were starting to come out of the pandemic, had just acquired Managed Services Platform, and were beginning on a rebrand. When we looked ahead to 2022, we had no idea what it was going to look like. We wondered how we would be able to hit all our goals.

Well, we can confidently say that 2022 has been nothing short of spectacular.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…”

We have all heard that common saying before, but do we apply it? As we get older, we tend to forget how to have fun. We become focused on the work that needs to be done, or perhaps we are trying to work ahead. However, we need to realize that the to-do list is never really going to be finished. There is always going to be work that needs to be done, but unless we take the time to enjoy ourselves, we aren’t always going to get to have fun.

We are nearing the end of the year, so you know what that means: it’s time for 2022’s Lessons Learned. Lessons Learned is an opportunity for an MSP (or any business!) to discuss the actions they can take to either mitigate a problem or increase success. It’s best conducted at the end of the year so that you can thoroughly analyze everything that happened during the previous 12 months.

You’re probably assuming that Lessons Learned focuses on mistakes made during the year, and what you learned from them – hence, “lessons learned.” While pitfalls are definitely a central topic of discussion, the successes of the year are equally as important to talk about. When things are going well, do you understand why? You need to pinpoint the key to the success you have reached so that you can continue it into the new year.

Happy Holidays from Humanize IT!

People in the IT industry treat the holidays a little differently than everyone else. Some really look forward to the break from the office and the time they get to spend with their families. Others see it as a great opportunity to earn overtime pay while they catch up or get ahead on important projects. And, of course, there are those who look at the upcoming holiday break on the calendar, and think to themselves…man, this is going to be rough. Whether they’re going to be working through the holiday to keep the system running or the time away from the office may potentially make the following week a little more stressful, those of us in IT completely understand that feeling – we’ve all been there.

Many MSPs have this problem where their employees prefer to work in their own silos. They would rather come into the office, work independently on a ticket, and call it a day. However, when everyone is working in their own silos, it diminishes the opportunity for those employees to build relationships with each other or with their clients. What could happen within your MSP if the team adopts a more collaborative approach?

There are two types of people that we run into in the business world: the people that are easy to talk to and have a conversation with, and the people that you can legitimately form a connection and relate with. The latter offer real, genuine interactions. These interactions typically won’t add much to the conversation in terms of business opportunities, but they’re a chance for the participating individuals to be real and not so robotic. It humanizes the conversation.

When the client doesn’t know you, you’re just a faceless technician to them. It’s easier to be unforgiving when a mistake is made. However, when you share that you’re someone who likes to play board games, has four kids, enjoys traveling and camping, etc., you become a real person to that client. You will have created a relationship with them that matters, and they will think about your connection any time you interact together. The faceless person can be replaced, but the genuine person is far more difficult to let go of.

We’ve talked about what you are doing wrong when it comes to compliance and why you should care, so now it’s time to talk about how an MSP can benefit from this important piece of the engineering puzzle.

People process technology. Getting all the right people in place can be a struggle, but partnering with compliance experts will help to bring forward the compliance regulations that your clients need. These compliance organizations are able to walk you and your client through an evaluation process that will help the client to better understand where they stand. They’ll know where your client is doing well and where they’re struggling, which is beneficial to you as an MSP; you can build project work out of the areas where they need help.