Friday, March 08, 2024

Women in Tech 2024: A Failing Report Card

I'm sorry to post this on International Women's Day, but the IT industry has been failing women for . . . well, forever.

As the father of a smart, nerdy, left-brained woman, I have tried to do what I can in my business and profession to improve the environment for women in our industry. But I'm sad to report that our industry has been headed in the wrong direction for decades. Like my daughter, MOST women with aptitude for this industry never give it serious consideration as a career.

Only 27% of women ever consider a career in tech. This compares to 62% of men.* There are two primary reasons for this. The well-documented reason is that women do not advance in tech careers the way men do. The stats on this are overwhelming and not improving. We need to create paths for women to move up.

Women in IT 2024 - heading in the wrong direction

The other major reason is that women simply do not choose to enter our industry at all. Why? They do not feel welcome. While we as an industry make some effort to increase awareness and advancement, we have failed on making women feel like this is a great career choice for them.

"The numbers" are one thing. But numbers can change when attitudes change and women feel welcome to be part of our industry.

Note: The focus of my concern is not women in marketing, support services, or front office. Where we are failing is female business owners and female technicians. Those of us who are active in the industry can all name ten or even twenty women in these roles in the SMB IT community. And that is a very, very sad number.

A lot of the stats are driven by large companies (with 10,000 or more employees each). In the SMB space, the numbers are much, much worse. Twenty years ago, more than ten percent of conference attendees in the SMB space were women. Today, it's around three percent.

This is not just about "awareness training" and educating mid-marketing hiring managers. We have active discrimination against women in our industry

No one wants to talk about it publicly, but many women do not feel safe or welcome at many in-person events in our industry. So, they opt out and visible numbers reflect this. 

More than half of the women in our industry say that they have experienced sexual harassment.** But if you ask a group of women in a live setting, they will all jump on that statistic and say it is way too low. Many will argue that the number is closer to 100%.

In "Big Tech," women are about 27% of the employment force. This number is down from just a few years ago. And the situation is worse in SMB. Nationwide, women own about forty percent of all small businesses. That sounds great. But no one would argue that the numbers for SMB IT are anywhere near that.


We Need a More Realistic Action Plan

Planning
I have served on several committees with names that focus on women in IT, but time and time again, the results are the same: These committees are filled with lots of people from sales, marketing, and management, often from larger companies. There are few or no women who own small businesses or are technicians in small businesses.

These groups are very good at getting articles published and good PR. And we need that! But we also need to do more to reach out to young women and make them feel welcome in this industry. We have started the good work of making women more visible in our industry. But we are clearly failing to make them feel welcome

And we are failing at the only thing that will make a difference in the long-run: Convincing women to start IT consulting businesses or choose a career as helpdesk engineers.

A few years ago, I offered $100 stipend to any woman in our industry who wanted to attend a specific conference I was being paid to speak at. The result was tremendous - twenty-five women attended an event with about a hundred total attendees. This was NOT about the money. They could all afford $100. The difference was: There was a concerted effort to invite women and make them feel welcome.

I fully admit: I don't have the answer.

I don't know how we overcome this sixty-year-old challenge.

But we have to do something. Our daughters are missing out because they are opting out. Our industry  and community are missing out because we have alienated half of our potential membership. And women are missing out because IT consulting is a GREAT career. Technicians earn good money. And we generally have flexible hours. Business owners in IT can build a very nice lifestyle. And the flexibility for owners is better than just about any industry, anywhere.

It starts with awareness. I hope there are a few men still reading to the end of this blog. Why? Because it's the men who have to make this happen. We need to figure out ways to make this industry a place where the entire population feels welcome. 

There's an interesting irony in all of this: Tech people tend to be REALLY smart. We solve puzzles for a living. We figure things out. So we absolutely can solve this problem if we try. We just have to decide, as an industry, that it's time to try. It's time to actively encourage women to get into IT, to get the training, get the jobs, and start the businesses.

I'm sorry I don't have the answers, but I do have the faith that we can do anything we set our minds to. We can make women feel welcome and safe at our conferences. We can welcome them to our meetings and events. We can start today to figuring this out.

I am open to any suggestions you might have. Throw them in the comments. 

It's International Women's Day. And I celebrate all the amazing women I've had the pleasure of working with. I just wish more of them were in the industry I call home.

-- -- --

 * AI Bees has a nice historical summary and some sobering statistics here: https://www.ai-bees.io/post/women-in-tech-history-and-the-future.

 ** Jessica Hubbert has a great collection of stats on the Exploding Topics web site, here: https://explodingtopics.com/blog/women-in-tech

:-)

Thursday, March 07, 2024

Do You Own Client Configurations?

Recently, I've come across a new way of looking at the services we deliver: MSPs claim to "own" the configuration of their clients' equipment.

Example One: The firewall configuration is our unique intellectual property. The argument here is that the MSP takes an off-the-shelf firewall and adds their secret sauce to create a unique device. And, by extension, another MSP might be able to learn all the configuration details and thereby improve their own firewall configurations.

Example Two: An MSP has been leasing equipment to a client, including the Domain Controller. The out-going MSP refuses to share directory access so the in-coming MSP can build a backup DC and then update the FSMO roles and promote it to primary. Again, the argue boils down to secret sauce. Somehow, the configuration of the Active Directory is proprietary technology.


I strongly object to this line of thinking for several reasons. Here are the top three.

First: This is simply unprofessional behavior. While thinly veiled, the real motivation here is that the outgoing MSP (the one losing the client) believes that holding onto this information will somehow do something positive for their business. They are sore losers. And this kind of behavior will only piss off the client (and other professionals involved). 

I always think it's a good policy to lose gracefully, if you have to lose. If you handle it well, that client might see the error in their ways and invite you back some day. On more than one occasion, I've lost a client who wanted us back a year later. If we held their equipment or configurations hostage, they would never have wanted to come back.

We'll come back to this.

Second: The client has paid for the configuration work. Unless you have a contract to the contrary, the client pays you to configure all their hardware, software, and services. It's absurd to think that the selection of inputs and menu options is somehow unique and beyond the common practices of every single IT consultant in your market. 

Clearly, the operating system of a firewall is the intellectual property of the firewall designer. But the configuration of a specific firewall is not really some kind of secret sauce, right? That’s just a collection of settings enabled by the OS.

I have seen this kind of behavior (trying to keep owners out of their firewalls, routers, switches, servers, services, etc.) for thirty years. It never works. Ever. Once a client has decided to change IT consultants, the out-going MSP has lost the job. It's too late to try to hang on by denying the client access to the configurations and settings they've already paid for as "work for hire."

A few years ago, I went looking for consultants that would help me fine-tune my Google ads. Some of them were upfront about the configuration changes they would make to my Google Ads account: They considered their genius to be so great that, if I were to ever leave them, I had to agree that they would set my entire account back to what it was on the day they took over. This was written into their contract. 

Of course, I did not hire any of these folks. I think it's a horrible practice, BUT they were not being unprofessional or dishonest. They made it clear up front, so I could choose whether to do business with them. 

Third: There is no secret sauce. Aside from being unprofessional, all of this behavior assumes that an MSP has some amazing Secret Sauce that no on else possesses. I've only been in this business professionally for thirty years, but I have never actually met anyone who has secret sauce. 

Firewalls can be configured well or poorly. Active Directory can be set up sloppily or precisely. Documentation of these might be thorough or sparse - or even non-existent. So, the only "secret" is to do your job well and to act as professionally as you can. Work a bit harder than your competition. Work a bit smarter. Be more consistent. Have better daily practices.

I have long argued that Secret Sauce comes in a clear glass jar with the ingredients labeled on the back. In other words: Everyone knows what it is! If you are dedicated to great service, and providing excellent technical support, then you will always have customers who love you. Your unique selling proposition is the totality of your company, your employees, your processes, and your documentation.

Who needs secret sauce when you have YOU, your processes, your employees, and your excellent habits? 


I hope this trend of claiming "intellectual property" for doing your job is short lived. It is just the latest manifestation of unprofessional people pretending to be professional IT consultants and making our industry look bad in the process. Every time one of these losers gets away with thing kind of behavior, one more client has a story about how horrible IT consultants behave. That reduces trust in all future relationships with IT professionals.

Once again, the warning goes out: Don't let our industry slide into the kind of reputation enjoyed by car salesmen!

:-)


Monday, March 04, 2024

The ASCII Group Introduces the Channel Legacy Partnership Awards at ASCII Edge Events 2024

The ASCII Group Introduces the Channel Legacy Partnership Awards at ASCII Edge Events 2024


Washington, DC – March 4, 2024 – The ASCII Group, a renowned membership-based community of independent North American Managed Service Providers (MSPs), is pleased to announce the introduction of the Channel Legacy Partnership Awards at ASCII Edge Events 2024. As The ASCII Group commemorates its 40th anniversary this year, they are honoring channel vendors who have demonstrated unwavering commitment by partnering with the ASCII community for 20 years or more.

The Channel Legacy Partnership Awards serve as a testament to the enduring relationships between The ASCII Group and its esteemed channel vendors. Through their sustained partnerships, they have played a pivotal role in fostering growth, facilitating networking opportunities, and driving innovation within the MSP community. 

Legacy Awards will be presented at ASCII Edge, the premier multi-city events where nearly 2,000 industry professionals, technology vendors, and leaders come together for two power-packed days of collaboration and growth. With events in nine cities across North America, ASCII Edge is specifically curated for the modern MSP. 

"We are delighted to introduce the Channel Legacy Partnership Awards as part of our 40th-anniversary celebrations," said Alan Weinberger, Chairman and CEO of The ASCII Group. "These awards are a tribute to the exceptional dedication and contributions of our long-standing channel partners. Their steadfast commitment to The ASCII Group and its members exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and community that defines our organization."

The first Channel Legacy Partnership Awards were presented on February 29 at ASCII Edge Costa Mesa, and the recipients included Kaseya, D&H, CompTIA, and Sophos.

"We are proud to celebrate these exceptional channel vendors who have been by our side for over two decades," added Weinberger. "Their commitment to The ASCII Group and the community at large is truly commendable."

For more information about ASCII Edge Events 2024, please visit https://events.ascii.com/


About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, MSSPs and Solution Providers. The Group has members located throughout the U.S. and Canada, and membership encompasses everyone from credentialed MSPs serving the SMB community to multi-location solution providers with a national and international reach. Founded in 1984, ASCII provides services to members including leveraged purchasing programs, education and training, marketing assistance, extensive peer interaction and more. ASCII works with a vibrant ecosystem of leading and major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com

:-)

Thursday, February 29, 2024

The ASCII Group Launches AI Committee to Drive Industry Advancement

 Announcement . . . live from the ASCII Edge event in Southern California . . .


The ASCII Group MSP Business Community Launches AI Committee to Drive Industry Advancement

Washington, DC – Feb 29, 2024 – The ASCII Group, a renowned membership-based community of independent North American Managed Service Providers (MSPs), today announced the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee. As the tech landscape continues to evolve, The ASCII Group recognizes the critical importance of preparing its members for the next phase of industry evolution – the integration of AI technologies into their service offerings.

In an industry marked by rapid transformations, MSPs have consistently demonstrated resilience and adaptability, transitioning from resellers to Value-Added Resellers (VARs) and then to MSPs. As AI rapidly progresses, the managed services sector anticipates significant transformative shifts. While AI integration offers unprecedented efficiency and innovation, challenges persist, such as optimizing operations and tailoring customer solutions. Nevertheless, forward-thinking organizations can seize opportunities by strategically and responsibly embracing AI, unlocking new avenues for growth and differentiation.

The newly established AI Committee, dubbed the 'ASCII AI Pit Crew,' serves as a central hub for knowledge sharing. The objectives of the group include 4 pillars: Identify – Define key areas for future service delivery within the market; Research – Conduct thorough research to assess and validate potential solutions that meet identified market needs; Partner – Forge strategic partnerships with new services to enhance offerings for the community; and Engage – Empower the community by providing market-ready campaigns for the promotion of these AI services.

"Just as our members successfully navigated previous industry shifts, we are committed to equipping them with the tools necessary to embrace the potential of AI," said Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group. "One of the challenges MSPs face is identifying emerging trends before they become mainstream and through the ASCII AI Pit Crew, our members will have analysis and insight enabling them to stay ahead of the curve and seize new opportunities in the AI space."

The committee is comprised of ASCII members including Mike Bloomfield, Carl de Prado, Kathy Durfee, Lynette Furr, Michael Goldstein, Denase Harris, Lisa Hendrickson, Jason Knowles, Joshua Liberman, Rob Lloyd, Stephen Monk, Jay Parisi, Srikanth Pinnaka, and Craig Vickers.

For more information about The ASCII Group and its AI Committee, visit www.ascii.com.


About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, MSSPs and Solution Providers. The Group has members located throughout the U.S. and Canada, and membership encompasses everyone from credentialed MSPs serving the SMB community to multi-location solution providers with a national and international reach. Founded in 1984, ASCII provides services to members including leveraged purchasing programs, education and training, marketing assistance, extensive peer interaction and more. ASCII works with a vibrant ecosystem of leading and major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com


-30-







:-)


Monday, February 26, 2024

Leap Day Say - One Day Only - Save 29% off Everything

Maybe I'm not very creative - but that's okay because YOU can save 29% off everything at our store on February 29th.

I thought about limiting my promotion to expensive stuff, or downloads only, or up to a certain amount. But I'm a big believer in simplicity.

So, we're holding a sale and the only rules are:

1) To take advantage of it, you need to browse to https://store.smallbizthoughts.com

2) On February 29th you'll see a code that takes your purchase price to 29% off your entire order.

3) The sale is on a timer, and I live in the Pacific Time Zone.


You can browse the store now, of course, and even fill up your shopping cart. Don't forget to come back and finish the sales on Thursday.

I recommend you set yourself a reminder. This .ICS file might be helpful:

https://mspwebinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Leap-Day-Sale-at-Small-Biz-Thoughts.ics


What Will You Find?

Great resources for IT Consultants! Authors include Erick Simpson, Manuel Palachuk Amy Babinchak, Debbie Leoni, Jenifer Novak Landers, Dana Goulston, plus me (Karl Palachuk). When no author is lists, the book or resource is by me.

Titles Include:

  • Absolutely Unbreakable Rules of Service Delivery, The 
  • Best I.T. Sales and Marketing BOOK EVER! (Erick Simpson)
  • Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER! (Erick Simpson)
  • Best NOC and Service Desk Operations BOOK EVER! (Erick Simpson)
  • Business Plan Worksheets – Free
  • Cleaning Up Your Email (Manuel Palachuk)
  • Cloud Services in a Month
  • Core Competency Matrix (Manuel Palachuk)
  • Culture and Compass: Cultivate a Successful Environment (Manuel Palachuk)
  • Five Tools That Could Transform Your Company Overnight (Manuel Palachuk)
  • Fully Expressed Living (Jenifer Novak Landers)
  • Getting to the Next Level (Manuel Palachuk)
  • Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice (Erick Simpson)
  • How To Build A Valuable Local LinkedIn Network (Amy Babinchak)
  • How To Document Any Process (Manuel Palachuk)
  • How to Hold a Hugely Successful Event (Amy Babinchak)
  • I Am Fearless (Debbie Leoni)
  • Karl’s Cloud Readiness Checklist – Free
  • Karl’s FAMOUS 68-Point Checklist - Free
  • Managed Services in a Month – 3rd Edition
  • Managed Services Operations Manual – 4 Volume Set
  • Meditating with Pebbles Audio – Free
  • Most Important Documents Every Company Must Have (Manuel Palachuk)
  • Network Documentation Workbook Ebook
  • Network Migration Workbook – 2nd ed. (Karl W. Palachuk and Manuel Palachuk)
  • Process Control for the IT Industry (Manuel Palachuk)
  • Project Management for Small Business Consultants (Dana Goulston and Karl W. Palachuk)
  • Quick Start Guided Meditation – Free
  • Quote Me On This: The Wit and Wisdom of Coleman Cox
  • Relax Focus Succeed – Revised Edition
  • Relax Focus Succeed | An Audio Introduction – Free
  • RFS Sample Chapter – Workaholism – Free
  • Service Agreements for SMB Consultants – Revised Ed.
  • Small Biz Quickstart Workbook
  • SOP: Monthly Maintenance Checklist
  • Standards & Procedures Seed Document (Manuel Palachuk)
  • Successes that Happened without any Effort 
  • Taking Your Business to Version 3.0 and Beyond (Manuel Palachuk)
  • Ten Golden Rules of PSA and Service Ticket Systems Training Webinar (Manuel Palachuk)
  • The IT Consultant’s Year of Intention
  • Working and Tracking Time in Real-Time Whitepaper (Manuel Palachuk)

PLUS there are bundles - so you'll save even more. The bundles are good any time. But when you take off another 29%, they awesome.


Note to Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community Members: You already have access to ALL of my books and white papers inside the Community. They are free in all e-formats. What you will find in our store includes 1) Paperback books, and 2) books and white papers by other authors.

All Community members can find a huge discount code for the store anytime among your regular discounts at https://www.smallbizthoughts.org/member-account/coupons-and-discounts/. It's not quite 29%, but it's pretty good. 


Please join us for the big sale - February 29th!

:-)


Friday, February 16, 2024

NEW - Version 4.0 of my Famous 68-Point Checklist

Karl’s Famous 68-Point Checklist – Version 4.0

Way back in 2005, I published the "68 Point Checklist" as a place for consultants to get started with network documentation and network assessments. This checklist is now famous. Well, at least it's Internet Famous. Google 68-point checklist and you'll find it! 

And now - I totally revised and update the checklist. So now you can get a Free download of Version 4.0  - Copyright 2024.


Over the years, the "famous" 68-point checklist has been used by thousands of IT Professionals to begin their network audits, provide monthly maintenance of client computers, and generally keep client computers tuned up and working great. Best of all, this checklist is FREE for the taking.

You can find it at https://store.smallbizthoughts.com

Best of all - You can use this checklist to create your own. there might be technologies you don't implement or support. Cross them off. You might specialize in something that only mentioned once in the checklist: Drill down.

As always, I offer up tools like this as a place to start. You need to edit and update to fit your business, your clients, your prospects, and your service offering. 

It's hard to edit a blank page. So here's a place to start.

This checklist will become the basis for your network analysis for new clients. That makes it a key component of your marketing process (see the video), and great fodder for a network report. Once someone signs a contract, you might install your remote monitoring tools and have great visibility into all of their network. But in a sales call, you don't have that.

The checklist also includes information you can't get from an RMM tool, like, "Why did you request this analysis?" and "Does the client have a copy of their documentation?"

NOTE: This is a major - and very detailed - update. It is a lot longer and will take longer to execute than Version 3.0. If you need a simpler version, you may wish to also download Version 3.0, also on our store site. 

No credit card required. 



:-)


Friday, February 09, 2024

How Do You Define Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 in Small Business?

What Does "Tier" Support Really Mean in a Small IT Business?

One of my coaching clients asked me to help them define first, second, and third tier support for their service desk. See below.


Before we get to that, please note that the world of SMB support is very different from large companies and even mid-size in-house IT. First of all, all of the people in these tiers know each other in an SMB company, and work together all the time. In very small companies, there might only be one or two people, in which case these "tiers" are not very relevant.

Second, as you grow to five or ten technicians, the lines are never super-clear. We are lucky that the nature of our business means that we go back and forth between dozens of technologies all day long, year after year. That "generalist" experience means that technicians move faster from Tier One to Tier Two than they might in a more focused, specialist environment.

Third, most small IT companies don't charge different prices for different tiers. A "Tier Two" technician might bounce between lower-level and higher-level challenges hour by hour. It's nearly impossible to explain different rates to the client. And, besides, life is much easier when you only have one rate (and twice that for after hours).

Fourth, most small IT companies are lucky if they have ONE true Tier Three technician. And, very often, that person is the company founder who got into this business because they are just amazing with technology. They learn new things fast. They consume technical knowledge like a sponge. And they really do set the standard for the rest of the company.

In my twenty-two years of running IT companies, I had four Tier Three technicians, including myself. And I think they run the gamut you can expect from crazy-good technicians. 

One T3 tech got bored and wandered off to take on bigger challenges than my company could offer. One T3 tech was amazing with technology but could not follow a process or document work to save his life. He came to me when I bought his company, and moved on two years later. And the final amazing T3 tech bought my first managed service business and became the owner.

In my limited, two-decade experience, you are VERY lucky if a true T3 technician stays around for five years. The longest I kept one was six years. Keep that in mind. It's not the focus of this blog post, but I'll just note that it's easier and cheaper to train your own T3's than it is to buy them from job search sites. Stay tuned for that blog post.


The Tier Definitions in SMB IT

Now, here are some definitions you can use to define three tiers of support in your business. Tweak these for you company specifics, then use YOUR definitions for both employees and clients.

Tier One is literally the first line of support. It's the entry point. All "easy" and routine tickets should be handled by Tier One. And with great documented procedures, Tier One technicians should be able to handle most normal maintenance procedures. Any service you deliver routinely should eventually be done by T1 techs (or administrative assistants, but that's another blog post).

At the end of a first contact with a client, Tier One support should have verified that there is a ticket in the system, it has the correct description and title, and that all key settings are correct (status, priority, contract, client, device, etc.). Ideally, simple issues will also be resolved at the end of this contact. 

Tier One technicians should be keenly aware of the limits of their knowledge, skills, and accountability. And that means they should know when it's time to escalate an issue to a more advanced or specialized support team.

Tier Two technicians have more skills and experience than Tier One. They understand a wider range of tools and generally have more specialized knowledge in one or more technologies, whether topic-specific (e.g., routing) or vendor-specific (e.g., Cisco).

While technical training should always continue throughout a technician's career, a good, solid training in one area is generally the basis for elevating a technician to L2. Having said that, the most important Tier-Two-and-above skill is troubleshooting. Second level techs gain troubleshooting skills due to experience with a variety of technologies, hours on the job, and the wisdom to know what to do, what not to do, and when to ask for help.

In very small IT companies, most technicians with good common sense will elevate to Tier Two after one or two years on the job. This is because of the wide variety of technologies they will see and experience. As a rule, in the small business environment, they will see a wide variety of hardware in desktops, laptops, printers, conference room setups, telephones, network equipment, and even servers. The same is true for software brands. Even within the Microsoft world, they'll experience lots of on-site software as well as cloud services.

Tier Three tech support represents the highest level in an IT consulting company. These folks essentially have "a lot more of the same." In other words, they've seen a huge amount of different technologies and have a long history in the industry. Therefore, they've seen a very large number of problems and have a lot of stories to tell.

Here's an odd but useful indicator of Tier Three technical ability: They have a deep knowledge about a technology that is no longer widespread. You might think this makes them obsolete, but if they're still in the game, it's an indicator that they have next-level troubleshooting skills. They can abstract from one technology to another. They can dig back into knowledge that underlies current technology.

These folks must also have a level of wisdom that only comes with experience. They don't just solve the problem in front of them but ask, "How else can we approach this?" They have internalized an approach to solving problems that is over and above technical knowledge or skill. They have a complex view of technology and see a much bigger picture, often solving a problem in the context of the client's entire technical infrastructure.

For this reason, you don't get to be Tier Three just because you've been on the job two or three years, or you’ve got more vendor certifications than anyone else. Very often, a Tier Three tech can see a complicated technology for the first time and still be better at troubleshooting it than a less-experienced but more-trained technician. In a perfect world, T3 techs are also patient, good at explaining problems and solutions, and very good at educating T1 and T2 technicians. In the real world, this is rarely the case. 

Most SMB IT companies with fewer than ten technicians are very lucky if they have more than one true Tier Three technician. It happens, but it’s not common.

Over and above these tiers, technicians may move to a higher level with very focused knowledge and experience in to very specific technology.  This is common in enterprise organizations and extremely rare in the SMB space. In SMB, variety is the spice of life. A T3 Engineer who specializes in Exchange and email traffic shaping would be almost useless in a small IT company.


How Do You Define Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3?

As always, your business is not my business. How do YOU define these tiers? If you have no clear definitions, start with these. Clarify your definitions and then use them both internally and with your clients. 

It's important that people know where they stand. And it's important that clients know what's what. But always remember this: Clients don't really care about tiers. Clients just want their stuff fixed. For the most part, clients see two tiers: New/unexperienced and experienced. They want the good stuff. they always want your best technician.

You should always commit to training your technicians. They should all be moving up with both topic-based training and a variety of technologies. Experience and hours build great troubleshooting. Even training in troubleshooting is useless until it's put into practice.

Most disgruntled technicians are frustrated because the industry needs a lot of Tier One technicians, but skill levels naturally move to Tier Two pretty quickly. As a result, many technicians are stuck at Tier One well past the time that they are skilled to be Tier Two technicians. Again, in small business, we don't have to worry so much about that. But always be attentive to the fact that techs who feel "stuck" will be less motivated.


If you have very different definitions, I would love to see them. Drop your thoughts in the comments.

:-)


Wednesday, February 07, 2024

National Society All-Member Meeting - Join Us Feb. 14th

The National Society of IT Service Providers is holding an all-member meeting - open to everyone!

Wednesday
February 14th
9:00 AM Pacfic / Noon Eastern

Details and registration at

https://nsitsp.org/event/q1-all-members-meeting/


Why Valentine's Day? Because we love our industry!

Join us for the All-members Meeting of the National Society of IT Service Providers (NSITSP)! This inclusive event is open to all, and we invite you to be a part of it. 

Learn about what we've been up to . . . Initiatives and opportunities to get involved and contribute. Gain valuable insights into the latest programs and upcoming activities within our dynamic association.

Mark your calendars and join us to network, connect, and learn from industry experts. Don’t miss out on this informative and engaging gathering of IT service providers. Be there with us to shape the future of our association and the IT landscape!

:-)


Tuesday, February 06, 2024

Class Starts Feb 13th - Managing Your Service Board

Managing Your Service Board - Setup, Core SOPs, and Daily Procedures

Taught by Karl W. Palachuk
Author, Speaker, Blogger


- Five Tuesdays:
February 13 - March 12

- Register Now

- All classes start a 9:00 AM Pacific
- All classes are recorded

This course covers the most important pieces of making your PSA (Professional Services Administration) service board work effectively. Your PSA is the brain center of your entire operation.

Most Managed Service Providers don't use their PSA systems efficiently. In fact, most of them only use 10-20% of the capabilities of their PSA. This costs you money because you have the tool to run everything in your business more effectively. But if you don't put the right information into the tool, then you can't get the reports you need to improve your business.

This course covers the daily operation of a managed service business - or any IT shop with a service board and a one or more technicians who execute the service. It assumes you have a service board or PSA (Professional Services Administration) and a service manager.

Whether you sell “break fix” or flat fee services, a service board will take your company to the next level – if you use it right. In addition to covering setup and core standard operating procedures, we'll get into the "nitty gritty" of running a service board and managing the service department.

Only $399

Which PSA?

I used ConnectWise for four years in my business. Then I switched to Autotask and used that for five years. Eventually, I moved to LogicNow (SolarWinds MSP) and used that for more than five years.

On top of all that, I've worked closely with coaching client who have used all of these products. This course is intended to apply to all PSAs. I will point out areas where differences are most obvious.

You will learn
  • How tickets should flow into, through, and off of the service board
  • How to set up the core components of a service board
  • Priorities
  • Statuses
  • Workflows
  • Time Estimates
  • The most important processes and procedures for making the board work effectively once it's set up
  • Introducing new processes to you employees
  • Getting clients to understand the new processes
  • Time tracking the right way
  • The most important reports you need to run
  • Every Day
  • Every Week
  • Every Month
  • When it's time for client renewals
  • Avoiding the biggest pitfalls with service board management
  • Building an Action Plan that works

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Top Take-aways:
  • Understand How the Components of Service Work Together
  • Managing all the Time in Your Service Business
  • Defining the Perfect Service Ticket
  • The Most Important Reports You Need to Run
  • Building Excellent Customer Service

PLUS lots more.
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Additional Topics Include:

  • Welcome to the Service Department
  • After Hours Work
  • On Call and Night Staff
  • Managing Internal Administrative Tasks
  • Assign Techs or Rotate Them?
  • Approved Tools
  • Employees in The Tech Department
  • Technician Daily Time Management -- includes daily work flow
  • Time Tracking for Employees
  • The Tech on Call for The Day - Managing Daily Workflow
  • How to Maximize Billability of Technicians
  • Email Rules and Etiquette for the Consultant
  • Technician Supplies
  • Final Friday Training
  • Troubleshooting Guidelines
  • Troubleshooting and Repair Logs
  • Service Delivery Policies and Procedures
  • The First Client Visit
  • Guide to a Service Call
  • The Network Documentation Binder - NDB
  • Response Times - Guarantees and Delivery
  • Time Entry and Note Entry in Service Tickets
  • Information Sharing
  • Service Board Backlog Management
  • Daily Monitoring of Client Machines
  • Patch Management Philosophy and Procedures
  • Setting Up Alerts in Your PSA and RMM
  • New PC Checklists
  • Server Down Procedures
  • Third Party Tech Support - Documenting Calls
  • Third Party Tech Support - Rules of Engagement
  • Document Pouches
  • Service Focus: Monthly Maintenance
  • Why We Do Monthly Maintenance
  • Scheduling Monthly Maintenance and On Site Visits
  • Checklist for Major Scheduled Maintenance
  • The Monthly Maintenance Checklist
  • Monthly Single Checklist
  • Outsourcing (some) of Your Monthly Maintenance
  • Backup Monitoring, Testing, and Management
  • Disaster Recovery - An Overview

Only $399

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Here are the specifics of what you'll learn, week by week:

Unit 1 Core Components / Building Blocks of a Great Service Board
Unit 2 Core Processes and Procedures for Success / Time Tracking the Right Way
Unit 3 Implementation and Daily Processes
Unit 4 A Day in the Life of the Service Desk / Policies that Drive Profitability
Unit 5 Build and Maintain a Well-Oiled Machine / Getting the Details Right

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Delivered by Karl W. Palachuk, blogger and author of the very popular "SOP Friday" posts at https://blog.smallbizthoughts.com.

Includes five weeks of webinars with related handouts, assignments, and "office hours" with the instructor. All classes are recorded for download.

This course is intended for business owners and managers. It is particularly useful for the Service Manager, Technician, or Operations Manager.



:-)

Monday, February 05, 2024

Free Give-Away to all IT Consultants

We bought some great blankets to promote the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community - and we want YOU to have one!

I just posted a video announcing the details. View on this page: https://smallbizthoughts.com/blanket


I keep this in my car trunk, just in case there's an emergency picnic. Or if I need to kneel in the mud. Or if I drive by a tempting beach near sunset.

It's soft and fleecey. Pretty good size. And waterproof.


What's the Catch?

Yes, of course there's a catch. You need to agree to let us put you on the Small Biz Thoughts newsletter and the Relax Focus Succeed newsletter. We *think* you'll love them both and want to stay forever. 

The SBT newsletter comes out every Monday and is focused on helping IT consultants to be better at the business side of business. It has an extremely high open rate - not just for our industry but for email newsletters as a whole. There must be something useful in there.

The RFS newsletter is monthly and tries to be educational with my personal philosophy of Relax Focus Succeed. It's all about work/life balance and focusing on self-help and self-improvement. It also enjoys an extraordinary open rate.

That's MyCat Palachuk on the soft blanket.

Note: You can remove yourself from the list once you join. We use Constant Contact for our email lists, so if you remove yourself, we can't add you back. And we will never, ever, ever sell, loan, or rent your email address.

This offer is only valid in the US because overseas shipping, taxes, and customs fees will just make you angry. Sorry.

You may receive ONE blanket under this offer. If you want another, wait to see if we offer this again.

More details and FAQ inside the video. Check out the page https://smallbizthoughts.com/blanket/ for all the details - and the form you need to fill out to get your blanket.

Thank you for your support!

:-)