Commercial Integrator April 2023 - 10

THE SERVICE DESK
Navigating Diffi cult Client Relationships, Part 1
A selection of ASCII Group members refl ects on how to handle bumps in the road,
including payment issues, cybersecurity carelessness and service disputes.
The old adage that " the customer is always right " might be a good rule of thumb, but MSPs must also consider the welfare
of their businesses when they face disputes with their clients, fi nding ways to resolve them without escalating the situation.
THIS MONTH, rather than featuring a single
ASCII Group member writing at length,
Commercial Integrator presents comments
from four leading members, all addressing
the same topic: what to do when client
relationships get diffi cult. These problems
can manifest in several ways, whether it's
nonpayment or late payment, continual
cybersecurity lapses that expose IT providers
to unnecessary risk, or disagreements
about service levels or support hours. The
old adage that " the customer is always
right " might be a good rule of thumb, but
MSPs must also consider the welfare of
their businesses when faced with disputes.
CI received so large a fl ood of response
to the questions posed below that we'll
continue the conversation next month,
drawing on another set of ASCII Group
member responses to create our May column.
We hope you enjoy this multi-month
presentation!
10
Commercial Integrator APRIL 2023
Commercial Integrator: When you
run into billing/payment issues
with clients, what are your go-to
solutions to avoid or mitigate negative
outcomes?
Marc Bodner (Cohere Cyber Secure):
It starts with the relationship and the
systems we have in place to make sure
that the relationship with our client is prioritized,
even if we have a disagreement.
That means having a solid master service
agreement (MSA) in place, a strong
client manager and an open channel for
communication. Our solutions are to be
clear, transparent, professional and understanding,
even when there is a dispute.
That helps ensure it doesn't escalate into
a confl ict.
Every situation is diff erent. If both parties
have a reasonable foundation for the disagreement,
it's good practice to work to
fi nd a compromise that everyone can feel
good about. At the same time, as much as
the " client is always right, " that shouldn't
be a basis for being taken advantage of.
Bottom line: Communication, transparency
and professionalism win the day. And
a fair resolution is a win for everyone.
Zina L. Hassel (ZLH Enterprises): Spelling
out expected terms at the beginning
of the relationship is the key. We do not
allow clients to be " ahead of us " in terms
of outstanding payments. Worst case is
service curtailment.
Raffi Jamgotchian (Triada Networks):
Most of the time, we let our systems do the
work, automatically sending out reminder
notices. Most of the time, that is enough.
But sometimes you need to pick up the
phone or send a personal text, asking if
everything is OK. Sometimes, it's a simple
" I forgot, " " I didn't get your email " or
" We've hit a rough patch and need to fl oat
a bit. " These are times to have a conversacommercialintegrator.com
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Commercial Integrator April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator April 2023