3 Questions to Help You Discover if Your MSP Provider is the Right Fit

Every business thrives on efficiency. On the flipside, confusion and messy processes will leave your business stunted. Knowing this, many businesses are turning to the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)—and specifically, EOS accountability charts—to improve their business operations.

Interestingly enough, accountability charts can also help you identify whether a MSP provider is a good fit for your company. Read on to learn more about accountability charts—and how they can be applied to MSPs.

Why is an accountability chart an essential part of EOS?

EOS provides tools and resources to help simplify your business. A major component of this is an accountability chart. While at first it may sound similar to an organizational chart, showcasing all your employees, it is much more.

An accountability chart outlines every role and responsibility within a company. These responsibilities are divided into ‘seats’, and every employee fills a seat (or even multiple seats). This ensures that there is never any confusion around who owns what.

While this is a part of EOS, it is something that can be applied to any company. Taking the time to outline who is accountable for each of the needs at your company is a practical way to improve efficiency.

How to fill the right seats in your accountability chart

Filling the right seats in your accountability chart first means understanding what is needed across departments. Each department will establish what those needs are, and from there, the right people are assigned to seats they can succeed in. In EOS, assigning someone to a seat involves asking three questions: do they…

1. Get it?
2. Want it?
3. Have the capacity to do it?

If someone is in line with the purpose and value of a project, they have the inner motivation to succeed, and they have the experience and bandwidth to take on the responsibility, then you have found the right fit for the seat.

Include MSPs in your accountability chart

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are not always the first to be included in an accountability chart. However, leaving out MSPs and other service providers will cause problems in the long run because their role in your company will continue to be undefined. Instead, include seats for your MSPs so you can:

• Establish expectations
• Set benchmarking and goals
• Identify who is managing MSP projects

These are just a few benefits of identifying seats in your accountability chart.

Or, by disregarding your relationship with service providers, employees are often left unsure of how to best utilize this team of experts.

Using an accountability chart to find the right MSP

Understanding that MSPs offer a full team of experts can help departments identify what responsibilities are best designated to MSPs. Plus, accountability charts can help you ask the right questions, so you work with the right MSP to fill the seat your company needs. Here’s how asking these questions can apply to finding the right MSP:

Do they get it?

MSPs do their best work when they are fully aligned with your company’s goals and vision. Think of MSPs the way you would think of any employee—you want someone who is excited about their role in the company. You can even think of this in a more detailed way, by examining whether an MSP aligns with things like:

• Core values
• Company culture
• Company software and tech

MSPs are an extension of your company, so you want to work with one that you have confidence in. And that confidence comes naturally when you are working with a MSP that ‘gets it’.

Do they want it?

Just because a MSP gets it, doesn’t necessarily mean they want to fulfill the seat you’ve outlined for them. The great part about defining seats is that you can let MSPs know exactly what is expected from the start.

Some MSPs’ focus may overlap with skill sets your employees already have—be sure to find an MSP that fills a needed skill gap. By providing a clear outline of expectations from the start, you can find an MSP that wants to do exactly what you need.

Do they have the capacity to do it?

This is the practical question: does this MSP have the industry expertise and bandwidth to deliver? By outlining exactly what is needed, you also have a good understanding of how much involvement you will need from a MSP. Having a frank conversation about expectations and goals can help answer this question.

Of course, seeing testimonials can help you get a feel for an MSP’s experience. Checking out their resources can also give you a feel for what skills they can bring to your company.

Add ProTech to your team

If you need the support that an MSP can give, reach out. And bonus points if you already have an MSP seat outlined (but seriously, this helps us quickly let you know whether ProTech is able to meet your needs)!