Host: Wim Kerkhoff
Guest: James Davis
SUMMARY
Sales handoff to projects and reducing friction.
- Wim Kerkhoff and James Davis discuss how to improve sales handoff to projects in MSP businesses, with a focus on reducing friction and ensuring success.
- Friction between sales and project teams due to differing priorities and perspectives on what information is important.
Improving communication and handoff processes in IT projects.
- Wim Kerkhoff and James Davis discuss the importance of proper handoff and communication between sales and project teams to avoid misunderstandings and ensure successful project delivery.
- They emphasize the need for a structured approach, such as a kickoff call with the client, to clarify project details and ensure everyone is on the same page.
- James Davis suggests that MSPs should spread responsibility among their team members to avoid burnout and improve client relationships.
- By trusting the project team to deliver and only involving the account manager in escalations, MSPs can create more depth in their relationships with clients and improve their financial performance.
Project management and sales handoff for MSPs.
- Wim Kerkhoff recognizes the importance of involving his team in the sales process early on to avoid overloading and ensure consistent throughput.
- James Davis-SLO APAC agrees, highlighting the need for internal leadership and knowledge development to build out projects successfully.
- James Davis and Wim Kerkhoff discuss the challenges of managing multiple projects simultaneously, including the lack of clear communication and project management, leading to delays and budget overruns.
- They emphasize the importance of collaboration between sales and project teams, as well as finance, to ensure projects are profitable and completed on time.
Billing models and profitability in IT services.
- Wim Kerkhoff emphasizes the importance of managing cash flow and profitability, not just relying on cash inflows.
- James Davis agrees, highlighting the need to understand billing components and delivery models to ensure profitability.
- James Davis emphasizes the importance of fixed fee projects for MSPs, citing financial benefits and client comfort.
- Davis advises against using retainer or estimate models, as they can lead to scope creep and client pushback.
Project scope, procurement, and communication challenges.
- Wim Kerkhoff shares his experience with clients who don't understand the importance of setting clear scope and boundaries, leading to scope creep and cost overruns.
- James Davis-SLO APAC highlights the challenge of misalignment between billing and procurement in projects, resulting in delays and poor communication with clients.
Streamlining project management processes for MSPs.
- Wim Kerkhoff mentions that procurement is not a significant pain point for their MSP business, as they mostly manage hardware through cloud solutions.
- James Davis - SLO APAC highlights the importance of clear processes and responsibilities in procurement, and how it can help alleviate problems in project handoffs.
- James Davis and Wim Kerkhoff discuss the importance of setting up success from the beginning of a project and minimizing admin tasks to make project management easier.
- They also plan to cover three buckets of change management, billing for technicians, and minor issues in future videos.
Curious about how TopLeft integrates with your PSA? Schedule a call now: https://www.topleft.team/schedule-demo