12/31/08 at 12:37 PM by Frank Coker In the past 6 months, 71% of IT service companies (MSPs, VARs, and other IT service providers) surveyed by CoreConnex have continued to grow in spite of the global economic down turn. Of these growing companies 80% continue to show healthy profitability. All evidence shows that the economic down-turn is good for IT service businesses.
As we look closer, we see…
11/11/08 at 5:07 PM by admin CoreConnex announced that the latest release of their service management system ConnexIT offered to VARs, MSPs and IT service companies that automates the operation of their service businesses is able to run on the three most popular browsers being used today - Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. What does this mean to CoreConnex customers?
8/5/08 at 11:17 PM by Frank Coker Why do SLAs matter?
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are common with large companies and large IT providers. But only a few small IT service companies have figured out how to take advantage of SLAs for their small business clients. Yet, ifthese small service companies handle it right, SLAs can be a great tool for selling new business, converting existing clients to fixed…
8/3/08 at 8:41 AM by Tony Lael Just because technology gives businesses the capability to work without an office, virtually, that does not mean technology has replaced the need to practice the disciplines of effective business, team and project management. In fact, technology has made virtual team management a requirement in today’s business world. Professional service companies are successfully managing virtual teams and reducing costs while increasing…
4/19/08 at 12:29 PM by Tony Lael The success of business relationships as an IT service provider is largely affected by how well client projects are managed. Many of today’s IT service providers, small and large, use Microsoft Project as their tool of choice, simply because they see no other alternative and it comes free with their Microsoft Partner Action Pack. If you are managing multiple projects…
3/21/08 at 12:18 PM by Tony Lael As Software-as-a-Service applications proliferate through the Internet (‘The Cloud’) many smaller businesses are getting used to the idea of using a browser for their computing needs. The same can be said for networking with others on social networking sites like LinkedIn or IT Link. Social networking on the Internet is about building relationships, sharing knowledge and building a community of…
2/21/08 at 11:48 AM by Tony Lael There is a common misconception that an IT service company, by nature, must be in a constant state of chaos where time commitments are extremely difficult to make, customer service is only whose problem you can get to next, and growing a business is next to impossible because there just is not enough time. There is no doubt that supporting…
1/23/08 at 12:07 PM by Tony Lael The urge to stay with a home-grown and adequately functioning ticketing and time tracking system is tremendous considering that upgrading systems usually requires investment and dealing with change. However, the ‘don’t fix it if it isn’t broken’ mentality eventually impedes natural progression and growth. Today, there are proven Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) systems that require shorter transition times and give added capabilities clients…
11/19/07 at 11:44 AM by Tony Lael 1. Avoid getting caught up in work that is not a priority defined by your clients
The urge to ‘do things the right way’ often times interferes with ‘doing the right things’ for your clients. This subtle way of looking at prioritizing work with clients can save you from wasting time on work that may not be an actual priority…
9/17/07 at 12:15 PM by Tony Lael Do you have a clear idea how you want to grow your IT service business? There are so many service paths and potential offerings that many IT companies spread themselves too thin. This usually results in confused clients and employees and ultimately a loss in business momentum.
The ‘sweet spot’ in growing your business is finding the balance between adding value…
