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Deploy Kaseya Script to Install Symantec Antivirus in Server Support
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New Customer: Billing, Collecting, Memorized Transaction Support
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Bay Dermatology Data-Center and Citrix Migration to 2X RAS on Data-Tech Cloud Services Case Study
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Title Onboarding VMS check List      
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Onboarding  VMS check List
You won the new client. What's next?
You won the contract, so clearly your new client believes in your ability as an IT service provider. The time to demonstrate the value you promised during the sales process and start building a solid level of trust starts now, beginning with onboarding and continuing into the next 30 to 90 days.
Account Manager:
A poorly designed or ill-executed onboarding process will quickly erode client confidence and satisfaction, as well as increase service delivery difficulty and cost. No matter how you slice it, this is not the way to begin a new client relationship. However, a successful onboarding process does not begin after you've won the client - it starts beforehand. Read that again. Now consider this: It is impossible to successfully onboard a client if you have not collected the data required to set up and configure the client's account in the systems you will use to support them.
The Discovery Process and data collection process must begin long before contracts are signed.
we'll outline the data collection process and provide all the steps necessary - from pre-sales through service go-live - to achieve client trust and satisfaction during the first 30 to 90 days of service delivery.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    • The IT service provider should conduct a business needs analysis with the prospect.
The Discovery Process
    • At this point that high-level information should be collected regarding the prospect's infrastructure, including hardware, operating systems, application software, services and vendors. It is also important to understand the prospect's business processes and workflows, as well as their growth plans, business goals, bottlenecks and pain points
 
    • Branch Locations If any
 
           
          The Technology Assessment
    • The technology assessment can be conducted rather quickly if you leverage your IT service tools and technology, such as your remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform, to automate as much of the discovery and data-gathering process as possible and evaluate the resulting output to qualify the infrastructure's suitability for services.
 
          Infrastructure Modifications, Updates and Upgrades
    • After the results of the technology assessment have been collected, compare the data against your established minimum requirements to determine if any modifications, updates or upgrades are needed for the environment to qualify for services.
 
The Provisioning Process
After the decision is made to move forward with service and a contract is in place, it is time to begin the provisioning process. The client provisioning process is typically characterized as those processes and procedures required to prepare the client, their end-users and their infrastructure to receive and participate in your help desk and service desk services. A checklist of the steps you should foThe Provisioning Process
After the decision is made to move forward with service and a contract is in place, it is time to begin the provisioning process. The client provisioning process is typically characterized as those processes and procedures required to prepare the client, their end-users and their infrastructure to receive and participate in your help desk and service desk services. A checklist of the steps you should follow during the provisioning process can be found on the following pages. Set  during the provisioning process can be found on the following pages.
??Set up the client's account in your RMM and professional services automation (PSA) solutions, and communication and billing solutions, including all required supported user information
??If your RMM tool is agent-based, configure and deploy agents as required to monitor managed devices, operating systems, software applications and services per manufacturer or vendor recommendations and enable secure remote access, control and communications to and from the end-user or client location and your help desk or service desk
??If applicable, initialize a discovery routine by the RMM tool to identify all network-connected devices and their roles in the environment, or use other means to capture this information and document it in the RMM and PSA solutions
??In the RMM tool, associate the applicable default monitoring templates to all managed devices, operating systems, software applications and services
??Develop base monitoring templates and assign them to all devices, operating systems, software applications and services that the RMM tool did not identify or does not have a default template for
 
??Configure, test and confirm the client's ability to generate properly formatted service requests with all required information via email and the PSA solution's service desk portal
 
 
??Test and confirm proper two-way communication and alerting to and from managed devices, operating systems, software applications and services at the client location and your help desk or service desk
??Configure, test and confirm proper operation of the RMM tool's remote access and control function for managed devices and operating systems
??Configure, test and confirm proper two-way integration with the RMM tool, with raised alerts resulting in properly formatted service request generation, including end-user, device and client identification information, as well as correct status updating and alert cancellation occurring in the RMM tool upon service request resolution in the PSA solution
??Configure, test and confirm proper scripting and deployment of unattended operating system and supported software application patches and updates by the RMM tool
??Configure, test and confirm proper scripting and execution of unattended device and operating system optimization activities, such as deletion of temporary files and disk defragmentation by the RMM tool
??Customize and test client reports in the PSA solution
??Configure, test and confirm proper report generation and automated report delivery by the PSA solution
??Collect all infrastructure information (see checklist on the following page) and ensure it is saved in the PSA solution so the help desk and service desk have access to all of the information necessary to deliver services to the client in one managed location
et
 
 
 
 
 
Infrastructure Information to Collect:
Client contact information
??
Server information (type, make/model, role, warranty, support, OS, version, configuration)
??
Server application information (type, role, warranty, support, version, configuration, licensing)
??
Server services configuration information (IIS, DNS, DHCP, file and print, line of business)
??
Internal Active Directory information (AD Domain, administrator account, users and computers)
??
Network shares, security and distribution groups
??
Line of business application information (type, role, warranty, support, version, configuration, licensing)
??
LAN and WAN information (devices, configuration, addressing, protocols, security)
??
External Domain Registration information (provider, account, domain name, registrar, DNS, expiration)
??
ISP information (provider, account, configuration, expiration)
??
Web and email hosting information (provider, account, configuration, expiration)
??
Router, switch and firewall information (type, make/model, configuration, addressing, support, warranty)
??
Anti-virus, anti-spam and anti-spyware information (type, vendor, role, warranty, support, version, configuration, licensing)
??
Backup, disaster recovery and business continuity information (configuration, processes)
??
Workstation, laptop, smartphone and tablet information (type, role, warranty, support, version, configuration)
??
Application and productivity software information (type, role, warranty, support, version, configuration)
??
Printer, POS and peripheral information (network scanners, faxes, document imaging solutions, credit card terminals)
 
??
Other network-attached device information (type, product, service, role, account, warranty, support)
??
Vendor information (type, product, service, role, account, warranty, support)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Service Team Introduction:
 
After your help desk and service desk personnel have completed their client-specific training and the client has received their support training, a service turn-up or go-live date can be established. This is the date that all systems, processes, services, help desk and service desk staff, and the client, their infrastructure and the end-users will be designated as ready to participate in help desk and service desk maintenance and support services.
Special Attention by Sale Rep and Account Manager
 
The first thirty days after go-live are the most critical, as this is the time when the end-users will be the most finicky and need to be won over by the new support relationship and its service delivery processes. If there are too many hiccups during this sensitive period, it may be difficult to recover the relationship. This is why it is imperative that the entire onboarding process run smoothly, all processes be tested and validated, all required information collected and documented in the PSA solution and all training by your staff and the client completed prior to the decision to go live with support services.
 
Additional Tips for Success
If the reason you were hired is that the printer in the corner is consistently offline, it is important that you address the issue in the first 30 days with a plan of attack. If the plan doesn't work, they will at least know that you attempted to address the issue at hand. If unsuccessful, you may have to simply replace the printer, but you must fix the issue that got the last provider fired. Dealing with concerns that have been voiced will set you up to succeed in almost every instance.
Communication is of critical importance during the early stages of the client relationship. You'll need to get to know the client's business as well as possible and understand the products and services they offer, their corporate culture and what makes them unique to their customers.
         
 
 
Exceed Client Expectations
 
When it comes to pleasing clients, there is no substitute for high-quality work and a cooperative attitude. After all, that's what you're being paid for. But everyone knows there is more to the story. As an IT service provider, you have to distinguish yourself from other contractors in ways that go beyond the essentials. Here are a few tips that will help you surpass clients' expectations and keep you ahead of the competition.
 
Agree to a Deadline You Know You Can Beat: Clients nearly always appreciate when good work arrives before the due date. Of course, you shouldn't nudge clients to begrudgingly accept deadlines that do not suit their needs just so you can exceed expectations later. But the surprise of early delivery is more memorable than an up-front offer to beat a client's proposed due date.
Be an Astute Questioner, Not a Silent Sage: People often overestimate the value clients place on not being bothered while their work is with a contractor. In fact, asking pointed, proactive questions during the process demonstrates your genuine interest and focus. Silence, in contrast, can generate unease.
Be Collegial: You're probably thinking, "Duh, I'm obviously not going to be rude." But collegiality is less about politeness and more about your level of deference. Too much deference, which is what most IT service providers show, makes you seem merely like the hired help rather than a capable complement to the internal staff - and that doesn't inspire confidence. Most clients would rather work with an equal than a lackey, especially if you're providing expertise. That being said, acting like a know-it-all obviously isn't collegial either.
Offer Constructive Suggestions at the End: Every process can be improved and who better to provide insights than someone who just went through it? If you focus solely on the merits and not on how you would benefit, your ideas for improvement won't sound presumptuous or like complaints. A truly useful suggestion offered in good faith and with great tact is one that the client will want to implement, probably with you.
Documentation: Document the additional things you have done in the client's environment that were not on their radar or things they didn't even notice were an issue. You should also document items that you are addressing or remediating
 
 
with auto-fixes to show that you are being proactive by pushing out your standardization into their environment.
 
Report Improvements
 
The last critical step in this initial client incubation period is reporting back to the client with the improvements that have been made.
    • IT Investment Planning: Help clients make better business decisions and                      plan for future IT investments.
    • Differentiate Your Offering: Tell your story clearly and concisely to strengthen your value proposition.
    • Maintain and Increase Service Levels: Use reports to demonstrate how mission-critical business services are performing.
    • Leverage Reports as a Sales Tool: Drive higher-value business by showing clients ways you can reduce their downtime costs.
    • Become a Trusted Advisor: Earn your clients' confidence by effectively managing their IT and measuring results against SLAs.
When reporting, it is also essential to ensure that the data being reported is consistent. In other words, don't report one set of data in a pre-sales campaign and then at the 30 or 45-day mark present a different report. This only serves to confuse the picture. Thus, all reports being utilized for client reporting should be presented in a clear and concise manner to ensure the client doesn't become confused by what data is being reported on.
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Date Entered 5/1/2018
You Tube Link
Type Of Article New Client
Article ID 222


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