Whether you are an owner, in sales, a technician, or any employee within an IT organization, you most likely deal directly with customers. Dealing with certain types of customer personalities can affect your overall mood, coworker interactions, and sanity. Other customers can be understanding and a complete pleasure to work with no matter what the situation.

Understanding how to work with, and best deal with these different types of personalities can be a huge advantage. Lets look at a few different types of people you may encounter and how to best work with them.

• Cool and Collective – These are the easiest to work with. Usually everything is understandable and A-OK with them. However watch out for this personality as they can if pushed too far really blow up. It usually takes a lot to push them over that edge so make sure to never cross that line.
• Intense- Intense personalities are just that and everything requires a sense of urgency. To deal with intense people it is usually best to keep them constantly updated and in the loop of any issue or situation.
• Drab – these personalities can be very hard to read. They generally have a monotone demeanor and figuring out their sense of urgency can be a challenge. It is best to ask many questions in order to understand their level of needs.
• Angry- There are some people that just always seem angry. They are the ones that can leave an employee in tears just for answering the phone. The key with angry personalities is to stay calm, cool, and collective. Never question them about their intent or knowledge. Instead, let them know you understand their issue and layout exactly how you will be taking action. Refrain from allowing their anger to work you up and lash out. This will only end badly.
• Crazy- Ok we have all had crazy customers. There are a number of types, stalker, weird, multiple personality, or any number of odd individuals. These need to be handled on a case-by-case basis. Determine what you are dealing with and prepare to accept it, run, get a restraining order, or hand out free breath mints, whichever you choose will most likely be the wrong initial choice.

Though there are many different types of people, having an understanding of how to best handle different personalities can help to save relationships, revenue, and your own sanity.  Which type of personality are you?

One of the toughest things for MSP’s and IT solution providers to do is to hire good people. Finding qualified individuals that fit into the business culture created, can take a great amount of time and effort. Most companies have gone through scores of candidates and have even hired people that just were not a good fit, wasting time, money, and effort. So how do you minimize the potential for a wrong hire?

The Internet is making it much easier to weed out candidates based on social media profiles, forums, and web presence. This abundance of information can provide a good initial base for determining a candidate’s social and cultural fit within an organization. Before setting up a face-to-face interview it is a good idea to search out this available information. By doing this it also provides potential questions or positive talking points in the interview.

Always conduct a phone interview prior to any onsite interviews. This will maximize your time and effort in determining who deserves a meeting. Schedule each of the phone interviews and have the potential candidate call you. This will test their promptness and ability to follow directions. If a candidate cannot call you at a scheduled time, they are most likely not a good fit, as this initial test is an important one.

When it comes time for a face-to-face interview. Have all of your questions prepared. You may be surprised at how many interviewers are just as unprepared as the candidates. Try to judge less on nerves and more on the answers given. It is common for people to get nervous, that is unless you are hiring for sales, then nerves may not be the best attribute.

Always prepare a written or hands on test for candidates as the next phase of the interview. This will help you determine if the candidate knows their stuff, or if they just look good on paper. This is especially key in higher-level technical positions but is just as much a factor for admin, accounting, and sales positions. Have current employees help design these tests based on expected job functions. However, base tests on general knowledge rather than functions specific to your environment.

By creating a process around hiring and sticking to a plan, you can be assured to hire the right person the first time. Though there is no foolproof method to making sure a candidate is a perfect fit, the more information that you gather, the better of chance you have of making it happen.

With an increase in natural disasters, BDR technology (Backup and Disaster Recovery) is playing a key role in getting businesses back to normal after such tragedies. It is being reported that natural disasters are on the rise in 2013, which is leading to an increase in preparedness for any potential threats.

MSP’s and technology companies should be informing customers, especially in potential natural disaster areas of the threats their business may face without a proper backup and recovery plan for their business. Most MSP’s provide hardware or software solutions, but I have seen very few that take it to the next step and offer and prepare an actual recovery plan.

Understandably this may take some work, but as a value add to customers it could be just the type of differentiator needed. A recovery plan should include step-by-step instructions for the customer, which outlines the process to be followed in the case of a needed recovery. In most cases creating a single plan will provide a template for future customers.

Some things that should be included are as follows:

• MSP Contact Information – Include phone numbers, email addresses, and any other pertinent contact information
• Site Links – List any site links such as webmail/OWA addresses if using archiving services, links to ticketing system, or other available access.
• Step by Step Instructions – Spell out in simple steps, the action the customer must take in the event of a needed recovery.
• Provide Realistic Expectations – Provide documented information with regards to what the customer should expect in a recovery situation. Expected time frames, levels of service, and compatibilities should all be provided.

By providing your customer a detailed plan you will be helping them to prepare in the event they ever need a business recovery. Make sure to provide multiple copies of the plan and label them accordingly. For example you can label them with office, home, or even safe place. Create a secure web file that can be accessed by your customer from anywhere via an internet connection, so you are providing multiple ways for them to access the information needed.

It also may be worthwhile for you to discuss this with your BDR vendor. I haven’t specifically heard of any vendors providing recovery plan templates, but this would be a great differentiator for them as well to help with your BDR sales.

Big news in the MSP world today as well-known industry remote monitoring and management (RMM) player, N-Able, announced in a press release, that it is being acquired by SolarWinds for $120M.

It would appear, from the press release that SolarWinds is looking to enhance its already robust product line to gain more traction in the SMB MSP space, and increase its cloud customer foothold.

The acquisition is supposed to be completed by the end of the month, which brings into question how current customers will be transitioned and affected. According to reports, current N-Able CEO Gavin Garbutt will be retiring but will leave the rest of the staff to remain in their current positions.

All of this may have current customers concerned. With the number of RMM options in the MSP space, it is likely that other vendors will utilize the news to offer customers a reason to switch. Other high profile product acquisitions have seen customers flock to other services in the past, which would lead me to believe that we may see an exodus of current users moving to other providers.

The news makes sense now as N-Able has been very quiet over the last few months. At the beginning of the year N-Able announced huge worldwide growth in 2012, making the company even more attractive to the now known buyer.

With the transition it is also not known whether N-Able’s Global Partner Summit, set for October 23-25^th will still take place. For the time being it should be business as usual for the company, though I am sure the news will come with an increase in inquiries from current customers.

As we all know there are some customers that will just never be pleased. No matter what you do or how you treat them there will always be an issue. In some rare cases walking away from a customer is necessary, but firing a customer should always be the absolute last resort. There are a number of things that can be done to save a broken customer relationship before breaking up.

1. Never Apologize – I know this one sounds harsh but the reality and my philosophy is that apologies are overused. Just think about the amount of times you say or hear the word sorry in a given day. “I’m sorry” or “I apologize” should be saved for when someone dies or when you have really screwed up royally enough to make it sincere.
2. Take Action – People don’t want apologies they want to know you are taking action. We covered this in an earlier post but it goes hand in hand with creating loyalty.
3. Over Inform- You have only updated a customer too much when they tell you to stop, and if that is the case you are doing your job. By keeping customers informed you will make sure that they are aware of the situation and that they will be kept in the loop with any status change. Software tools make this easy, but it is just as important to communicate via phone as well.
4. Communications – Communications are probably the number one reason customers are unhappy or look to other services. Some might argue it is price but the reality is if you are in regular communication with your customers there is no reason for them to look elsewhere for services plus they will usually let you know if there is an issue with your price.
5. Make it About Them- Every conversation that you have with your customer should be about them. It is ok to have things in common with your customers and have mutual conversations, but be aware, when you dominate the conversation the focus is on you. Practice asking questions conversationally to master this technique. Asking questions immediately takes the focus off of you and puts it on the customer.

Turning an unhappy customer into a loyal customer is all about the relationship you have with them. The better the relationship you have with the customer the easier it will be to deal with issues as they arise. A lack of communication will always lead to an upset customer, so over communicating will definitely help.

Running and growing a business for SMB IT providers can be tough. It’s hard to know when to hire more people, how to keep them working, and how to keep a steady flow of revenue coming in. More and more vendors are introducing “done for you services.” These services allow MSP’s and IT companies to focus on selling, while the vendor handles all backend work, installation help, and billing. There are a number of reasons these done for you services are good for MSP’s.

If you haven’t noticed there has been a large number of vendors in the space moving to direct models. These companies are ultimately cutting out the middleman to seek out higher profits and revenues. This leaves MSP’s searching for new solutions and relationships. The done for you model is a happy medium for businesses. It can take a lot of the burden off of the MSP, allowing growth and higher revenues with minimal costs/overhead.

A number of industry experts agree that the future of the MSP or IT business is in service aggregation. This means that rather than labor intensive server installations and hardware projects, companies will become providers of a number of services. The list of products and solutions could be a stack from 50 products/vendors to 200 depending on the needs of the customer. The model tends to look a lot more like a general contractor, home, or pool builder. These companies aggregate many services, personnel, and contractors to reach an ultimate goal for the customer.

You can see how utilizing done for you services looks very much like the model just explained. In this model, the MSP maintains the relationship, designs solutions, manages vendors, and reaps the rewards. MSP’s are able to run their business very lean, as the priority becomes growing sales and consulting teams that are usually commissioned based. This makes for maximized profits for the business.

Got a stockpile of old computer, networking gear, components, and other gear taking up precious space in your office? If you are like most you probably do. Being it’s just about the end of spring, a little spring-cleaning might be in order, either that or an intervention. There are number of ways you can create opportunity while purging out of the accumulation of stuff.

1. Sell it – There are a number of ways to put a few extra bucks in your pocket. If you have a retail storefront create an old-fashioned sidewalk sale. This can increase visibility and drive traffic into your store.
2. List it – This goes along with sell it but specifically you can list your items for sale on sites such as craigslist or ebay. The key is to not ask too much, remember it was just sitting around collecting dust anyway.
3. Donate it- Schools; homeless centers, non-profits, and women’s shelters are all good candidates for a little community outreach. Donate a small amount of your time to setup a couple workstations and help your community at the same time.
4. Smash it- Nothing like a good ‘ole fashioned stress reliever for you and the team. A sledge hammer, gloves, and safety goggles are all that’s needed for some team bonding.
5. Leave it – Of course there is always this option, the one you have been doing for years, letting this pile grow, you know what you are.

It is safe to say that if you haven’t used that ISA Token Ring NIC by now you probably never will. You do know that there are shows about this hoarding issue right? Take some time and go through the pile. Make a few bucks, give it away, or throw it away, no matter what you will have a better workplace, happier employees, and you can finally no longer be a candidate for “Hoarders –Electronic Fanatics Edition.”

Most successful business owners and entrepreneurs got that way by working hard and taking lots of risks. “Sometimes you just have to go for it,” is a saying I have heard over the years from a number of these success stories. It seems to be true, as you hear the stories of how so many made their fortunes, rarely do you hear that it was all based on calculated moves, overanalyzing, or overthinking.

Far too often in the IT industry we are faced with owners that are less about taking risks and more about the latter. Though this may afford a moderate life financially and emotionally, it may never allow their business or themselves to reach their full potential.

Obviously we can’t just go for every idea we have, but the real point is we have to learn to listen to ideas and sometimes take some risks. Over the years I have had some good ideas and some not so great ideas. I have been lucky to have had bosses that were willing to listen, and sometimes take risks based on these ideas. It still gives me great satisfaction to know that some of these ideas have brought great success to companies I have worked for, and even spawned off brand new businesses.

As a business owner you may be surprised at how many of your employees have and are willing to provide great ideas for your business. It is easy to solicit these ideas from them by creating an open door policy and letting them know that you are open to ideas.

Though having ideas and listening to employee ideas is one thing, moving them forward is the step that most people have a hard time with. This is where most businesses miss out. Whether it is your employee or yourself, make sure to write down every idea you have. I use “notes” on my iPhone as I tend to have ideas all the time, in the most random places, and they sync to the cloud. It is always fun to go back and look at the ideas or share them with others.

When you have a great idea is when you must take the next step. Just go for it! When it feels right you should know and the worst that can usually happen is it fails. Find the most cost effective way to make it work. Challenge employees that have ideas and give them a very limited budget to make things happen. You may just be surprised at what people can do when they are passionate about something.

MSP’s and IT companies often find comfort in large vendor products and solutions. For some it is name recognition, while others it’s that happy feeling they get knowing the company has been in business for many years. Intel is one of those companies that gives you the warm and fuzzies every time they attend a channel event. Over the last few years they have been looking for a way to work directly with channel partners in the managed services arena.

Their first solution that I can recall that was directly marketed to MSP’s was a remote management integration with VPro technology, where they were marketing a number of partnerships to push VPro technology while signing up partners for monthly services such as LogMeIn. The overall goal was confusing and Intel pulled back their efforts to market it to the channel.

That is until the Intel Hybrid Cloud solution came along. The hybrid cloud, a Hardware as a Service, server based solution that integrated the best of a monthly service model with a host of cloud based applications had a lot of promise early on. Having worked with a company that developed white box servers for the platform and being a part of early negotiations, I had a lot of experience with the concept.

The timing for the solution was definitely right. With cloud solutions being a big part of conversations amongst IT companies and MSP’s, and with the as a service model already having taken hold, the mix of something that was oh so familiar, the server, and the cloud was a match made in heaven. So what went wrong?

Intel announced through a letter to partners that they are discontinuing the Intel Hybrid Cloud solution and the AppUp service, essentially leaving partners out to dry, with MSP’s left to face customers alone without any recourse.  This swift and abrupt termination would seem to be a usual approach for large vendors, who can often times seem heartless in the face of such partner difficulties.

Intel has cited slow growth and adoption as the reason the service was discounted. In my opinion it was an issue of legalities, licensing, pricing, marketing, and slow growth/adoption that lead to its demise. It seemed that Intel couldn’t figure out if they were a hardware company, a software company, a cloud services distributor, or a bill collector when it came to the hybrid solution. Multiple hardware vendors created servers, all with different pricing and specifications and their own process for billing, shipping, receiving, and hardware support. AppUp services weren’t much different and the MSP was left to figure out who to contact for installation, support, or questions.

I wish I could say I hadn’t seen the writing on the wall, but the bigger surprise for me was that this hadn’t been announced sooner. I do feel for the partners who must scramble to provide new solutions and potentially lose customers over a vendor’s decision. But take this as a lesson that large vendors are not always as reliable as expected and can pull the plug at any time on a solution with no remorse.

As more and more software manufacturers and Line of Business application vendors move to software as a service models, the need for on-premise servers would seem to become less necessary.

As an IT salesman for many years, the number one sale I made was for networked servers. This single device allowed offices to share files, collaborate, centralize their email, and work more efficiently. The server was also the entryway to a vast array of services our company could provide, with managed services as the go to option for taking care of the server hardware and small business employees.

The server has been losing a lot of traction in the current SMB environment. Microsoft has discontinued its very popular SBS (small business server) solution essentially spelling out the future for IT companies and small businesses.

Of course the answer to all of this for vendors has been to create and provide cloud solutions for the IT channel and customers. In the SMB environment the biggest needs for a server was usually attributed to the requirement of email and calendaring, as well as business specific applications.

Hosted Exchange has provided a platform in which a server is no longer necessary for business centric communications, this allows businesses to collaborate without having to make large investments in software licensing, shrink or grow staff as necessary, and access information across multiple types of devices from anywhere.

This provides a huge advantage for small businesses where every dollar counts. As for Line of Business applications, vendors are becoming increasingly aware of the demand to provide solutions, which include software, maintenance, and updates in a single monthly priced solution.

LOB’s can be the number one reason that users must continue to maintain a server, but the numbers are dwindling. The second reason that customers continue to hold on to server environments is based on bandwidth. In discussions with IT providers, especially outside of major cities, the public and private infrastructures can be a hindrance for moving SMB customers to cloud solutions.

Most other server functions have also been replicated in cloud services. Whether this is file sharing, business management, accounting, security, or even voice solutions, the cloud is providing an easy alternative to traditional technologies.

For IT providers, the expectation should be to have a solution for any need. It is now less about a cookie cutter approach and more about bringing together a host of solutions that will provide the customer with the right tools for their specific business. This may include traditional components such as servers alongside cloud services and mobile solutions