I spent early this morning configuring an HP netbook for a relative. It was purchased from Best Buy. Setting up the system was a terrible user experience (that’s a blog for another time). But I did notice a rather interesting web browser icon on the netbook’s Windows XP desktop. The icon was for 24×7 Geek Squad support. It got me thinking: Are managed services providers (MSPs) putting 24×7 support icons on their customers’ desktops? Should you?
No doubt, some MSPs are worried about losing customer control to large IT vendors, cable companies, broadband providers and large retailers. You only have so many hours in the day to “stay in front” of your customers.
So how can you get more face time — and mind share?
Perhaps it’s an icon that you place on all of your customers’ desktops and notebooks. When the customer double-clicks on your iconic logo, up pops a web browser with a 24×7 support window. Plus, the browser displays your company’s latest offerings and news.
I know this is a pretty basic idea. Lots of white box PC resellers already have icon real estate on their customers’ desktops and notebooks. Are MSPs following suit? Should they? Or will the subtle move trigger more help desk requests and kill your margins?
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Posted In: Marketing | Service Level Agreements
Tags: Best Buy Geek Squad | Help Desk Support | Managed Services Help Desk | MSP Help Desk
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Take a look at our 
I might be mistaken, but I think Kaseya offers on their agent an ability for the end-user to right click the agent running and select “contact for support” which either sends an email, redirects to a webpage or similar.
Maybe I’m dreaming though…
WOW! I think of myself of the newbie around here and am doing break fix exclusively (I still can’t sell myself on the benefits of managed services vs. the cost – how much better uptime do you get vs. the extra $$).
Anyway, for over a year now I use single click VNC and made a distinctive colored icon that I put on client machines when working on them or in the initial build. When people have a problem, I just say ‘double click on my help desk icon’.
Within seconds I can control their PC. I didn’t think much of this but yeah, it gets you eye time with the client seeing that icon on the desktop and promotes your brand.
John, Mike: Thanks for offering your own perspectives. I almost didn’t write the blog entry above because I know it’s an old approach for many VARs. But like many things in IT, everything old can be new again.
Joe
You have hit on a great feature of remote support. We offer a version of an Installable Remote Control or IRC for both our remote support products; NTRsupport Ultimate and NTRsupport Pro. Both of these products allow you to customize these icons and the corresponding chat and session windows with your own logos and place them on the desktop of the end user’s machine. Now support is only one click away.
To avoid the onslaught of service requests you mention, utilize the Pre Session Survy function and screen and prioritize the service requests.
Download a trial of either product and our account service teams can have you customized and up and running very quickly.
Andrew Harsch
VP Marketing
NTRglobal.com
Andrew: Leave it to a blogger like me to have a “big thought” that software providers like you have already implemented widely. Also, thanks for the phone briefing today. I look forward to hearing more.
-jp
We’ve been doing this for several years and had some real success with it. We use Instant Housecall (www.instanthousecall.com), and it can optionally leave behind a desktop icon. It’s difficult to measure how much revenue it generates, but it definitely makes our job easier when we’re talking to customers.
The only caveat I’d mention is this: some customers feel uneasy about having remote software left on their computer. It’s easier, in my experience, to “go with the flow” than try to explain to them how the security works, so we give them two options: one that auto-deletes itself and a second one with the branding.
Hi Melissa: Any idea what percentage of your customers are willing to accept the option with the branding? Is it the vast majority of them?
-jp
@Joe: I’d say about 70% are fine with it. The other 30% uninstall after we’re finished to remove the icon.
I have seen this type of thing implemented time and time again at different MSP’s. From experience (at least within the Australian market), I feel that this type of thing can be detrimental to profits, and as John has suggested, triggering “more help desk requests and kill your margins”. Alas, this is part of the teething pains when progressing from a box moving, break-fix business to an MSP.
The best way to get around this is to put a limited support clause in your documentation (ie. perhaps a 14 day limited 9-5 support), after which each support ticket will be treated as a seperate job and invoiced accordingly. This can also be a valuable sales tool, as clients find it difficult to accept high per-hour, per-incident support charges, and at this point are more willing to discuss a full blown managed services agreement to cover the entire organisation; not only for the PC you just sold them. Time to crunch the numbers and show them the value of managed services versus per hour costs.
And if you’re using a management platform like Kaseya, it costs you every time you put that “logo” onto a machine, so you must protect yourself by limiting initial support arrangements, and upsell to a managed services agreement to get the most profitable outcomes for your business.
Happy selling….
Melissa@8: Thanks for that stat. It bet it will be helpful to readers.
Paul@9: Thanks for some perspectives and tips from the Australian market. Many of your ideas certainly apply world wide.