MSP 501 Profile: DP Solutions Puts Clients First in Solving IT Problems

…other service industries, have not been so fortunate during this difficult time in the world.

CF: What do you love about the IT channel? What do you hate about it?

BS: One thing you can never say about the IT channel is that it is boring. Challenges are inevitable and you have to become accustomed to never-ending change. Normally these shifts are for the better both for us and the customer. Plus, being in an industry that does have such rapid change forces us to keep on our toes and become better as an organization as well as individuals. At the end of the day, it is very satisfying to feel that you have personally grown while you are providing a valuable service to your clients.

While I can’t say that there’s anything we “hate” about the IT channel, there are certainly annoyances and aspects of the business that are less than ideal.  For example, it is never fun to take on a new client and discover that their technology in place is problematic to support. This requires a conversation about investment that you know will be painful for them as they have to keep their costs in check just like any other successful business.

This is especially difficult when the issue you have identified is highly technical in nature. That means from the perspective of the layperson, it does not have the feel of a business investment that improves their bottom line. Most decision-makers are happy to spend a little money in order to see a direct benefit to their operation. It’s harder to make that connection when you are asking for money to replace a device or piece of software that is no longer supportable due to vendor end-of-life deadlines.

CF: What was the single biggest technology or business decision that drive your company’s growth in 2019? How did it do so?

BS: In 2019, we made some serious changes to how we deliver our products and services to our clients, particularly our fully managed ones. They required us to reorganize roles and management structure. But we had reached the point where we felt that in order to provide the best possible service and step up to bigger and better opportunities, we had to devote the right resources to our higher-end clients. Each of our fully managed clients received dedicated account and technical resources designed to stay on top of technology standards, including security standards, as well as regular reviews of strategy.  Many MSPs miss out on having business discussions so that the applicability of technology is appropriate. We felt that by making these changes we could have a more attractive service offering to potential new clients, as well as improve retention with our existing clients.

Obviously making these changes to our organization took significant time and energy. But we can see in our numbers, as well as client satisfaction, that we made the right decision. It has allowed us to scale up and grow for the future.  Furthermore, when it comes to future business planning for DP Solutions, we now have a better sense of how many people and with what skill sets will be required as we add new clients.