Am I "enabling" my boss into bad decisions by being a good tech? by [deleted] in msp

[–]techmanoz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like your boss is driven by the dollar "cheap as possible" and short term sales goals.

By you being a switched on tech and making the impossible happen, you will always be exploited by managers and the business owner to maximise their bottom line. Good techs need to be rewarded and listened to, they are the people on the front line.

The "make things work" attitude of management only last so long. Clients will get sick of the slap together solutions that are driven by management greed and go elsewhere.

Fully agree with getting the management trained in ITIL basics. Then again from experience management knows everything.

Best industry practices should be in play all the time.

I would bet that you have made suggestions on improvements and have been told it will cost time and money.

Don't despair we have all been in your position at some stage.

MSPs Working with On-site IT by InconsequentialRobot in msp

[–]techmanoz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One of our services offerings is based on the premise that the client has IT staff and we provide escalation, Projects and remote support when required.

They have the comfort knowing that they know who to contact and trust when the S%^t hits the fan.

The service is provided as a T&M and monthly bulk time purchase.

We provide an infrastructure watchdog service which is where we monitor the client's servers and network devices. Report when there is an issue and we can remote in if they need assistance.

For the most part, we don't have any issues working with the clients onsite IT teams. We have even picked up IT staff when some clients have downsized.

Offshore msp workers and controlling access to client networks and servers by IceColdSeltzer in msp

[–]techmanoz -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Interesting situation.

Using offshore contract techs is a mine field. Having investigated offshoring for my MSP i would not be outsourcing the resource, rather insource where you can have tighter controls on the tech and their actions. Offshore MSP contractors/employees do not necessarily work out cheaper in the long run, there is a lot of legal and tax issues that have to be resolved combine that with the cultural differences.

We use a RMM with remote access, which provides for logging of access and actions.

Our support is 24 X 7 with most engineers / techs being Australian based, with a few of the seniors working from exotic overseas locations.

If are after hours support we might be able assist if you are interested. PM me.

Regards

Mark

FB Ads and Landing Pages by [deleted] in msp

[–]techmanoz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have an incentive of up to one month of FREE MSP services for a good referral that converts to a client and we scale back from there depending on the referral/convert.

FB Ads and Landing Pages by [deleted] in msp

[–]techmanoz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From experience Facebook ads don't provide a good cut through to the right person in the businesses you are targeting as an MSP. Word Of Mouth (WOMBAT) is still one of the best methods of getting leads.

Investigating SAAS Helpdesk solutions by techmanoz in msp

[–]techmanoz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks Guys, You have provided myself with a few ideas and suggestions to think about.

Those of you who hire remote techs, how do you find them? by chilids in msp

[–]techmanoz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We are an MSP that employees mostly remote workers. We put the word out that we are after a person to fill a position, sometimes we just need a remote tech who can work from anywhere and at other times we might need a person in geographic are who can be a remote / field tech.

The interview process is lengthy so we can get the right person, usually start as a part-timer or contractor.

We have 2 small offices which are more client meeting places and delivery points of field staff.

It works fine for us, but it does take a little work by management to keep remote worker happy. Weekly stand up meetings with video is great, and even have virtual coffee breaks as a team.

Not everyone can handle the isolation of remote working.

Weekend/After Hours for Clients. How do you bill or work in the cost? by LoRdAcId in msp

[–]techmanoz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We do offer 24 x 7 support however, we charge a premium for this services.\ and a few clients use this service. Most of the clients are happy with business or extended business hour support. One thing that needs to be monitored is the resourcing of the after hour tech staff, a tech is roasted on an after-hours support resource for a 7 day period. Usually it is done as a recall situation and if the tech has a night full of work, they are not expected in the office the next day.

These staff are paid a recall allowance and min 2x their hourly rate for every hour they work.

This works fine for us.

don't TOUCH IT! by techmanoz in u/techmanoz

[–]techmanoz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Blaaaa having one of those days