Network Assessment Lands Client, Leads To Add-On Sales

By Cindy Dubin, Contributing Writer

When an office furniture company began questioning its current MSP’s service, TechGuides was able to step in and take over.

Customer referrals are a valuable sales lead for a managed service provider (MSP), and often the best opportunity to ensure a potential customer turns into an actual client. That’s what happened for TechGuides, an MSP, because of a referral from a client of 12 years.

TechGuides was contacted by an office furniture company that was experiencing a lack of service from its current MSP. The company was dealing with several technology issues that needed the provider’s attention. First, 11 Windows XP PCs were in use, and they were reaching their end of life because Microsoft was no longer supporting that OS. And there would be no more security updates for the machines, making them potential security risks to the entire network. Second, the company wanted remote access to its own information, and to use Outlook Anywhere, but was told by its MSP that functionality would not be possible, either because the MSP did not understand how to set it up or did not want to take the time to set up solutions such as remote workplace or Outlook Anywhere, explains Jeff Sumner, president of TechGuides.