MSP Guide:
New Client Onboarding Checklist

INTRODUCTION

Landing a new client requires managed service providers (MSPs) to invest a lot of time, effort and money. Considering the amount of effort involved in the sign-up process, MSP software integration and so on, it probably isn’t a very good idea to let them handle the new technology all on their own. New client onboarding is an extremely critical task that must be performed with a clear, step-by-step process in mind. It is a great way to build new relationships with your clients and get them up to speed on how you function.

At the end of the onboarding process, your clients should feel confident that they made the right decision to work with you and not the other way around. Poor onboarding could lead to high churn, less efficiency and unhappy clients. You need to incorporate a systematic onboarding process if you want to avoid any of these difficulties.

We have put together a list of seven essential steps you need to follow to successfully onboard a new client. However, before you start the onboarding process, you need to provide your client with an exact timeline on how long it would take to incorporate each of these onboarding steps. By following these steps, you can provide a great onboarding experience to your clients during the initial stages of the relationship and start the project off on the right foot.Coming up with a patching strategy requires time and effort. However, it is an essential part of your overall security framework. If you wish to have a foolproof patching system in your IT network, you need to follow these patch management best practices.

1. ASSESS YOUR CLIENT’S IT NEEDS

The first step in the onboarding process involves collecting data from your clients to identify the users’ real IT needs. This will help you come up with a service level agreement (SLA) that is mutually beneficial to both parties.

The following information must be determined in this phase:

Number of workstations and servers
Specifications of workstations and servers
Cost of workstations and servers
Types of managed services required
Details of existing software
Existing documentation on the IT infrastructure
Working hours and locations of business operations
Warranties on hardware and software
Contact details for emergency responses

2. AGREE AND SIGN THE FINAL VERSION OF THE SLA

This should be done before any work for your new clients commences. SLAs are critical when it comes to managing client expectations and holding accountability when something goes wrong.

Your final version of the SLA should contain the following details:

Scope of the services covered
Roles and responsibilities of the service provider
Roles and responsibilities of the client
Details of payment model (per-device, per-user, etc.)
Performance metrics (response time, resolution time, etc.)
An escalation procedure for customer complaints
Penalties for contract breach

3. INTRODUCE YOUR TEAM TO THE CLIENT

Once you have finalized the contract, it is time to introduce the team members who will be working directly with the client. This will help establish a strong connection between your client and your team.

Your introduction meeting should cover the following:

Technology goals of your client
Schedule for regular contract progress meetings
A review of what is expected from the service provider
What is needed from the client
Restating the SLAs so everyone involved understands the contract
Determining the emergency point of contact on both sides

4. CREATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS

The main purpose of planning documents is to have clear guidelines on the services you will be providing to your client. Once created, this should be shared with the client to get the necessary approvals before going live with the plan.

Your planning document should include the following details:

Detailed information on the tasks to be performed
A project schedule for all the regular tasks involved
Operational guidelines for exceptional activity

5. SET UP AND INTEGRATE SOFTWARE TOOLS

The next step involves the integration of your client’s IT infrastructure into your software tools. This helps you remotely manage your client’s IT infrastructure from anywhere so you can respond immediately to any issues.

The following tasks need to be performed in this step:

Set up a client in the Professional Services Automation (PSA) tool
Install your RMM agents into your client’s endpoints and servers
Install security solutions such as antivirus and 2FA
Set up administrative passwords in relevant cases
Test the network and ensure proper alerts are in place

6. PROVIDE NECESSARY TRAINING

Your client will have employees who need to be educated on how to use the new technology incorporated into their system and how to interact with your team. To do this, you will need to develop a robust training plan to make the process more efficient.

Your training plan should cover the following:

Basic overview on how to use the new tools
Best practices to be followed for using IT
Guidelines for security
Guidelines for data storage
How to instantly fix minor issues
How to raise support tickets

7. TAKE IT LIVE

Once all these steps are properly incorporated, it is time to take the system live. But before you do that, perform a final check using this checklist to make sure everything is in place.

The following tasks need to be performed at this stage:

Document the completion of onboarding in your PSA tool
Send an email to the client stating that you have gone live
Share a guide on how users can get help for IT issues

Once the onboarding is over, you need to do periodic check-ins with your client to make sure everything is running smoothly. Since customers are most likely to churn in the first 90 days, these periodic check-ins are vital when it comes to identifying and fixing errors at an early stage before they can affect your client. Proper onboarding can save a lot of time and effort for you and your clients by streamlining the IT management process and boosting efficiency.

About Pulseway

Pulseway is a cloud-based, mobile-first IT monitoring and management platform that helps remotely perform critical actions on your IT systems. With its range of IT management solutions, Pulseway offers MSPs the right tools to seamlessly monitor their clients’ IT environment while successfully navigating the transition out of lockdown and into the new reality. To help MSPs facing challenges supporting their clients’ remote staff, Pulseway have launched a special Remote Support Software Package with just the functionality you need to securely support these users.