[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”50px||||false|false” custom_css_main_element=”z-index:0!important;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ disabled_on=”on|on|off” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||||false|false” sticky_position=”top” sticky_offset_top=”100px” sticky_limit_bottom=”section” motion_trigger_start=”top” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”indice” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||14px||false|false” link_option_url=”#1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Sections<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_css_main_element=”z-index:0!important;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”seccion” module_id=”1″ module_class=”ittopicscontent” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” z_index=”0″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_css_main_element=”font-family:%22Pandora-Light%22;” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Is it possible to square the circle? Can a managed service provider (MSP<\/a>) reduce support hours<\/strong> without compromising customer service agreements (SLA<\/a>)? Yes, but it starts by accepting an uncomfortable truth we often ignore, hoping it will go away: most MSPs don\u2019t scale \u2014 they bloat<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The pattern is familiar: we gain new clients and, to maintain SLAs, we expand staff and add tool licenses. It\u2019s a linear equation we\u2019ve accepted as gospel: acquire 10 clients, hire X more technicians and buy Z more licenses.<\/p>\n But this doesn\u2019t improve profit margins \u2014 it worsens them sooner rather than later<\/strong>, while burning through our candle wick\u2026 or rather, our technical talent.<\/p>\n Instead of bloating, current technology allows us to optimize<\/a>, burn the fat, and add muscle to do more with less.<\/p>\n Still, the first commandment is: reducing support hours at an MSP is never about cutting quality<\/strong> or making the client listen to hold music any longer than necessary.<\/p>\n The core idea is much more fundamental: admitting that the real issue isn\u2019t the sheer volume of tickets flooding in, but rather a flawed operational design that allows those tickets to exist in the first place<\/strong>\u2026 and multiply without control.<\/p>\n If support spends 80% of its time reacting to incidents that have already happened instead of preventing the ones that will, we\u2019re not managing infrastructure \u2014 we\u2019re managing panic. That\u2019s a bad business model.<\/p>\n The client pays an MSP to \u201cmake things work\u201d and for technology to help rather than hinder. But the earlier linear equation cannot be applied to people and daily chaos<\/strong>, just as it can\u2019t be applied to a business model. Any lasting and meaningful action must be strategic \u2014 including reducing support time as an MSP. So, before blindly applying RPA or installing a language model no one will use (and that doesn\u2019t fit our workflow anyway), every strategic move must start with an analysis of what\u2019s actually happening. Time escapes through the seams of a poorly designed system, and the first culprit is often poorly defined alerts<\/strong>. The second major time sink we can plug is low-value manual diagnostics and tasks<\/strong>. The lack of standardization<\/strong> is another frequent issue we\u2019ve seen, with processes and best practices<\/a> that are barely or not at all defined. When it comes to reducing support hours, there is another important point that is not just about beating ourselves up for our lack of efficiency, but also about giving the client a little nudge too. To escape the hamster wheel and reduce support hours, we must change the approach\u2014stop being firefighters and become architects who build fireproof buildings. Which aligns with the antidote to many of the usual suspects mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s forget about monitoring if the server \u201cpings\u201d\u2014that\u2019s a throwback to the 90s. True proactive monitoring<\/a> means observing trends and behaviors<\/strong>. Automation is the only way to scale<\/strong> sustainably\u2014period. If we have clients with similar infrastructures (and we should aim for this to help scale and reduce support load as an MSP), what we learn from one can be applied to another. I\u2019m going to be what I hate the most\u2014a clich\u00e9\u2014but the saying \u201cyou can\u2019t improve what you can\u2019t measure\u201d is true. It\u2019s clear that today, tools make the difference in achieving the holy grail: scaling while reducing support workload in our MSP. Naturally, the technical solution aligns with the best practices<\/a> defined earlier. With Pandora FMS, monitoring becomes truly intelligent thanks to event correlation<\/strong>. Differentiating between clients and their users, with the right access permissions, is a best practice embedded into Pandora\u2019s core. Pandora FMS performs predictive monitoring<\/a> thanks to its MADE engine, essential for reducing support load in an MSP<\/strong>. Pandora ITSM es un balance entre flexibilidad, sencillez y potencia<\/p>\n Y sobre todo, se adapta a tus necesidades.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjM0NDM0MiJ9fQ==@” button_text=”\u00a1Obt\u00e9n tu Trial GRATIS!” button_alignment=”center” button_alignment_tablet=”center” button_alignment_phone=”center” button_alignment_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _dynamic_attributes=”button_url” _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”1em” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_bg_use_color_gradient=”on” button_bg_color_gradient_direction=”90deg” button_bg_color_gradient_stops=”#82B92E 0%|#3CB92E 100%” button_bg_color_gradient_start=”#82B92E” button_bg_color_gradient_end=”#3CB92E” button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”100px” button_use_icon=”off” z_index=”0″ custom_margin=”40px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”10px|40px|10px|40px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”15px|15px|15px|15px|true|true” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_main_element=”right:0!important;||font-family:%22Pandora-Bold%22!important;” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”on|hover” button_bg_color_gradient_start__hover=”#05201F” button_bg_color_gradient_end__hover=”#05201F” button_bg_color_gradient_stops__hover=”#181818 0%|#181818 58%|#181818 100%” button_bg_use_color_gradient__hover=”on”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sections Why Support Load Limits MSP Scalability Where Time Goes: Anatomy of Reactive Support SLA \u2260 Constant Urgency Designing an Operating Model with Less Reactive Load How to Measure Support Reduction Without SLA Degradation Use Case in MSP Environments with Pandora FMS Is it possible to square the circle? Can a managed service provider (MSP) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":414792,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3505,7798],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-414796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-it-topics","category-msp-operations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414796"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":414808,"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414796\/revisions\/414808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Why Support Load Limits MSP Scalability<\/h2>\n
\nSo that support load poisons the MSP in 3 main ways:<\/p>\n\n
Where the Time Goes: Anatomy of Reactive Support<\/h2>\n
\nAnything else will apply band-aids where there\u2019s no wound, while leaving others to fester.
\nThat analysis must not be superficial, because otherwise the conclusion will always be \u201clack of time\u201d when perhaps it\u2019s really \u201clack of filtering.\u201d Or maybe we\u2019re just reacting all day instead of preventing issues\u2026 And that\u2019s no way to live.
\nAt school, we were probably told we were special and all that, but when we examine our operations, we\u2019ll find the same usual suspects repeating across almost every MSP overwhelmed by support volume<\/strong>.<\/p>\nToo Many Alerts \u2014 Bad for the Heart<\/h3>\n
\nThere is nothing more destructive to productivity than noise.<\/strong> If our monitoring system sends a critical alert every time a CPU hits 90% for two seconds, our technicians will learn to ignore the dashboard. It\u2019s the IT version of \u201cThe Boy Who Cried Wolf\u201d \u2014 and when the real failure arrives, no one is watching.
\nThis is a common area to optimize, but it\u2019s not the only one.<\/p>\nManual Work Isn\u2019t Better<\/h3>\n
\nFor example, a typical user ticket comes in: \u201cThe server is slow,\u201d nothing else.
\nThe technician then connects via remote desktop, opens Task Manager, checks logs, inspects disk space\u2026 Twenty minutes go by just to understand what\u2019s happening.
\nNow multiply that by fifty tickets a day\u2026 This is where a good Language Model and strategic scripts can help \u2014 but let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves.<\/p>\nDifferent People, Different Processes<\/h3>\n
\nIn many MSPs, solving a problem depends on who picks up the phone. If it\u2019s Laura, she solves it in five minutes with a script she wrote and won\u2019t share. If it\u2019s Javier, it takes him half an hour manually because he doesn\u2019t know how to prioritize or has no action flow to follow in the knowledge base.
\nThat tribal knowledge \u2014 undocumented and unstandardized \u2014 is inefficient and unprofitable.<\/p>\nSLA \u2260 continuous urgency<\/h2>\n
\nThis is where pedagogy comes in, both internally and with the user of our service.
\nPoor Javier takes half an hour manually and, on top of that, does not prioritize because, as always, urgent is confused with important<\/strong>.
\nBut the client does that too and we will live with too much stress if we equate the SLA (a legal contract on availability and response<\/a> times) with the user\u2019s subjective sense of urgency.
\nNot everything is a priority, and if everything is urgent, then nothing is.
\nClearly, the client will always perceive their problem as the end of the world, but a mature MSP must have the ability to distinguish between technical criticality and perceived urgency<\/strong>.
\nA down email server is critical, but a user whose email signature doesn\u2019t load is annoying, and shouldn\u2019t wake anyone at three in the morning.
\nHere comes the key: to reduce hours we will have to design an operational redesign<\/strong>. This involves configuring our tools so that the distinction between urgent and important is automatic, without depending on Javier\u2019s therapist finally teaching him to say no.
\nLikewise, SLAs are met by ensuring availability and resolving what is important right away, not by replying to every email within three minutes saying, \u201cWe are looking into it.\u201d
\nEmpty immediacy adds no value; effective resolution does.
\nOkay, we already know what we will often encounter in our analysis and what fundamental principle should guide us. Now let\u2019s go into the how, detailing that redesign that reduces support hours in the MSP.<\/p>\nDesigning an Operating Model with Lower Reactive Load<\/h2>\n
\nThis must be built on three technical pillars:<\/p>\n\n
Proactive Monitoring Based on Real Technical Conditions<\/h3>\n
\nWe don\u2019t want the monitoring system to alert us when the disk is full\u2014we want it to notify us when, based on recent growth trends, it predicts it will be full in 48 hours. That predictive capability allows for planned resolution, not panic-driven reactions<\/strong>.
\nSo, we need a tool capable of that, as well as configuring smart thresholds and custom alerts for each infrastructure. Like Pandora FMS and ITSM, but again\u2014let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves.
\nA memory spike may be normal during a backup process\u2014no alert needed. But if the web service stops processing transactions, even if the server is online, that should trigger an alarm.
\nWe must measure the real experience\u2014not just bits, metal, and blind processes.<\/p>\nAutomation with Measurable and Controlled Impact<\/h3>\n
\nBut we’re not talking about complex orchestration projects. It\u2019s about automating the thousand small, low-value tasks that bleed us dry.
\nHow? With tools such as:<\/p>\n\n
Standardizing Responses and Reusing Knowledge<\/h3>\n
\nStandardization means that alert configurations, response scripts, and procedures should be reusable templates<\/strong> whenever possible.
\nThere are no awards for reinventing the wheel\u2014we should aim to deploy our own \u201cStandard Monitoring & Automation Package\u2122\u201d and fine-tune it based on each client\u2019s needs.
\nLikewise, internal knowledge within the MSP should be shared by all and not isolated in silos<\/strong>, dependent on the particular wisdom of whichever technician is available.
\nThis requires easy-to-access, shared, and up-to-date knowledge bases<\/strong>. In fact, another language model could be useful here<\/strong>\u2014an agent trained or at least fine-tuned with our knowledge base, technical manuals, and monitoring\/support tools.
\nOf course, this does not replace another key element: Good internal training in processes and knowledge<\/strong>.
\nWith all this, we will reduce the learning curve for our technicians and ensure consistent quality.<\/p>\nHow to Measure Support Reduction Without Degrading SLAs<\/h2>\n
\nNow, the enemy here is vanity metrics.
\nIf we want to truly quantify reductions in support workload within the MSP and other improvements, we need to compare before and after using honest KPIs such as:<\/p>\n\n
Real-World Use Case in MSP Environments with Pandora FMS<\/h2>\n
\nAt Pandora, we often encounter clients using a thousand disconnected tools (a network monitor, a server monitor, a log analyzer, and of course, the indestructible Excel), instead of one unified brain that not only consolidates but also thinks with that data to help us manage.
\nPandora FMS was built understanding (and suffering) this pain of service providers.
\nThat\u2019s why it eases support burden in an MSP by:<\/p>\nReducing Reactive Tickets Through Smart Alerts<\/h3>\n
\nExample: If Server A loses connection, and so do B and C (which are on the same switch), don\u2019t send me three server-down alerts\u2014send one switch-down alert.
\nThis clears the inbox and goes further, thanks to Pandora\u2019s predictive capabilities<\/strong>, allowing us to act before the SLA is even at risk.<\/p>\nMulticlient Segmentation with Full Traceability<\/h3>\n
\nTicket management with filters by company, users within those companies, and granular permissions<\/a> (to define who can access what) is key in Pandora ITSM<\/a>.
\nThe same applies to reporting\u2014with complete flexibility and customization, also for creating dashboards<\/a> that give us clear control panels at a glance, rather than diving through logs across a thousand clients.<\/p>\nTicket Automation, AI Monitoring, and Predictive Capabilities<\/h3>\n
\nBut it doesn\u2019t stop there. In Pandora ITSM, automation through Chatbots and AI<\/a> is applied to support and knowledge bases, with language models and conversational AI based on process-specific knowledge<\/strong>, tools in customer infrastructures\u2014not just what someone posted on Reddit.
\nThe best processes\u2014and more importantly, the technology to implement them like Pandora FMS and Pandora ITSM\u2014are the only way to achieve the apparent miracle of doing more with less, making life better for our tech teams and more profitable for the business.
\nIf we can make our technicians bored due to a lack of trivial incidents, we\u2019ve won. Because they\u2019ll focus on what matters: helping clients use technology to grow, not just to keep the screen from going black.
\nThat\u2019s where the margin lies\u2014both in improvement and in profit.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjM2MjI3MCJ9fQ==@” button_text=”\u2190 Back to IT Topics” button_alignment=”left” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _dynamic_attributes=”button_url” _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”1em” button_text_color=”#0C312F” button_bg_color=”#FFFFFF” button_bg_color_gradient_direction=”90deg” button_bg_color_gradient_stops=”#82B92E 0%|#3CB92E 100%” button_bg_color_gradient_start=”#82B92E” button_bg_color_gradient_end=”#3CB92E” button_border_width=”1px” button_border_color=”#eaeaea” button_border_radius=”100px” button_use_icon=”off” z_index=”0″ custom_margin=”60px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”10px|50px|10px|50px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”10px|20px|10px|20px|true|true” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_main_element=”right:0!important;||font-family:%22Pandora-Bold%22!important;” global_module=”367749″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” button_bg_color_gradient_start__hover=”#eaeaea” button_bg_color_gradient_end__hover=”#f4f4f4″ button_bg_color__hover=”#eaeaea” button_bg_enable_color__hover=”on” button_bg_use_color_gradient__hover=”on” button_bg_color_gradient_stops__hover=”#eaeaea 0%|#f4f4f4 100%”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Final CTA” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#161327″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(22,19,39,0.75) 16%|rgba(22,19,39,0.45) 100%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/pandorafms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/banner-trial-itsm.webp” z_index=”1″ max_width=”1080px” max_width_tablet=”98%” max_width_phone=”98%” max_width_last_edited=”on|tablet” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”80px||80px||true|false” custom_padding=”40px|20px|120px|20px|false|true” custom_padding_tablet=”40px|0px|120px|0px|false|true” custom_padding_phone=”40px|0px|120px|0px|false|true” scroll_scaling=”40|55|85|100|100%|120%|100%” motion_trigger_start=”top” background_last_edited=”off|desktop” border_radii=”off|20px|20px|20px|20px” border_color_all=”#ffffff” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ box_shadow_vertical=”0px” box_shadow_blur=”80px” box_shadow_color=”#506da0″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”550px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font_size=”2em” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”0px||20px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n