As they progress along the funnel, leads are being influenced to take certain actions. Ideally, anyone who enters your sales funnel goes on to sign your managed service contract and\u00a0 \u00a0become a loyal client. To achieve this, you\u2019ll need to create an experience that draws prospects deeper into your funnel.<\/p>\n
This is where the customer journey comes in.<\/p>\n
Why is the customer journey so important?<\/h2>\n
A deep understanding of your customers\u2019 journeys enables you to achieve the following:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Get detailed insights into the motivations and behavior of prospective customers and existing clients.<\/li>\n
- Gain a better understanding of customers\u2019 expectations.<\/li>\n
- Effectively market your service in a way that solves the pain points of your customers.<\/li>\n
- Identify opportunities to enhance service delivery and provide more value to your client base.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Successful MSPs understand that technology and IT services make up about 30% of their workload, while communication takes up as much as 70%. This clearly shows the importance of optimizing interactions at every touchpoint along the customer journey. This is why the customer journey remains one of the cornerstones of the MSP business model.<\/p>\n
Further reading<\/span> How to Build a Successful MSP Business<\/a><\/p>\n
Stages of the customer journey<\/h2>\n
To gain a better understanding of the customer journey, let\u2019s take a look at its five stages.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/a>![\"CTA\"](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/763c150f-30b3-4ee2-a2a4-a13a79459ca1.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n- \n
- Acquaintance - This is the initial stage where prospects gather information about your company and the services you provide.<\/li>\n
- Decision-making - At this point, prospects are deciding whether your services are good enough to solve their pain points. They weigh several factors, including features, benefits, pricing<\/a>, etc., and compare them with the competition.<\/li>\n
- Purchasing - After weighing all available options, prospects make a final decision and pay for their preferred service model.<\/li>\n
- Onboarding - The MSP client onboarding process<\/a> is an important part of the customer journey. Here, companies bring the client into the fold and help them understand their business process and workflow and get acquainted with the teams.<\/li>\n
- Retention - Possibly the most challenging part of the entire journey, retention focuses on preventing onboarded clients from switching to other providers<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How to control each stage<\/h2>\n
In the face of today\u2019s competitive global business landscape, it\u2019s not enough to simply understand the customers\u2019 journey. Savvy MSPs look for a way to control the outcome at each touchpoint.<\/p>\n
To help you get started, here are some techniques you can use to control each stage, in order to ensure a more desirable outcome.<\/p>\n
Acquaintance<\/h3>\n
Also known as the discovery stage, this is where you should establish your presence on your target audience\u2019s preferred communication channels . You can establish your company as an authority in the MSP space by providing informative and useful content on your websites<\/a> and social media handles. Such content includes blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, infographics, etc.
\n![\"CTA\"](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/fdf19601-e561-4831-bc45-37562c9fe662.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div><\/p>\nDecision-making<\/h3>\n
While it\u2019s a good idea always to keep your brand in the face of prospects, excessive marketing messages may backfire. Engage prospects by reacting to their comments and questions and sending them appropriate emails that showcase the value of your managed service offerings.<\/p>\n
Further reading<\/span> How to Turn Your MSP Prospects into Clients<\/a><\/p>\n
Purchasing<\/h3>\n
At this point, the major goal is to make the purchasing process smooth. Employ techniques that assure clients that they\u2019ve made the best choice in partnering with your organization.
\nRather than focusing on showcasing your company\u2019s expertise, your team should be willing to help and answer all questions and show clients that you really care about their businesses.<\/p>\nOnboarding<\/h3>\n
An excellent onboarding program<\/a> guides your clients through the initial setup and ongoing use of your services. To create one, you must find out your customers\u2019 expectations and tailor your onboarding process accordingly. When onboarding clients, you should do the following:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Set up appointments to plunge your clients into the process<\/li>\n
- Explain everything they need to know<\/li>\n
- Share some useful materials<\/li>\n
- Prepare and sign the managed service contract and SLAs<\/a><\/li>\n
- Allocate duties and responsibilities to your team members<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"CTA\"](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/2aabd130-e995-4588-8a99-ef1b18557cc7.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/blockquote>\nRetention<\/h3>\n
Although it\u2019s no easy task to get prospects to sign up for your MSP services, getting them to stay and become long-term customers is very challenging. Analyze your customers\u2019 behavior and gather feedback to understand their needs and evaluate their experience. With this, you can tweak your customer-retention strategies to ensure optimal results.<\/p>\n
- Allocate duties and responsibilities to your team members<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n