Why Watchman Monitoring?
When transitioning from break/fix to MSP I needed to find ways to provide constant value to my clients that will be paying monthly for something intangible – something they could see the value in. After all, why would someone want to pay for a monthly service but never see anything from it? When I made the change to MSP, I tested the waters first on a few regular clients. It turns out they needed some validation as to why they should go to this model. Ultimately the combination of tools I use helped clients see the value of the MSP model. A large component to this toolset is Watchman Monitoring. Building off of the warnings provided, customization, and integrations, Watchman Monitoring is the main tool in my belt, and I look to it daily.
Contact Menu
The Contact Menu provides a constant, visible reminder of, “Hey we’ve got a really easy way to get help.” The Contact Menu (branded with my logo) is a top notch and professional way of showing every computer user, “If you run into a problem, here is who to call.” For this reason, every customized version of the menu has multiple ways to contact me. Clients can easily open a ticket, start an instant chat, send an email, start a remote session, call my phone number, or schedule an appointment. Every time I point to this small icon in their menu bar, the general reaction is “Oh that’s easy/cool.” With no phone trees or obscure steps, it is just easy for my clients to get help.
Quick Wins
Watchman Monitoring helps me find quick wins that I can use to show the value an MSP can provide. For example, I can show a client that is under the false impression their computer is properly backed up that it actually hasn’t backed up in weeks, or find a failing hard drive on a computer that has been “acting up.” These show value, potentially save a client from an expensive and time consuming disaster, and allow me to explain how they could be in deep doo-doo with their current setup. By providing the installer to potential clients, I can quickly and automatically gather all the specs on their computers. In turn, I give them a copy of the computer reports so they can see what I see. They may be able to take care of a few issues themselves, otherwise I’ll come in and take care of it. I can always count on Watchman Monitoring to find some issues on a group of potential client computers, especially if they’ve never had any kind of managed services before.
Long Term Gains
When I show the monthly report of what Watchman Monitoring has found for a specific client, they quickly see the value of my behind the scenes work. I’ll take these reports and put together regular meetings with my clients to keep them in the loop, and I use this information to provide guidance on future changes. Integrating Watchman Monitoring with a ticketing system gives me a workflow that keeps me on my game by making sure all of the large and small problems are taken care of in a timely manner. This also helps keep my clients up-to-date on my Proactive Support activities while informing them of the steps I’m taking to keep their computers humming along.
Single Pane of Glass
With the integrations Watchman Monitoring provides, I have the added efficiency of going to one portal and getting to all of the computers I monitor. Using BlueSky to get a SSH or GUI connection is easy and quick. Need an integration with Zendesk? Check! Need to keep everything documented? IT Glue integration! All from a simple to use interface. Cool integrations are added regularly. These updates add to Watchman Monitoring’s value for the MSP, which in-turn increases my value to the client with increased response times and a more proactive approach to issues. All of this leads to greater uptime and lower stress in my clients’ lives.
Watchman Monitoring is one of the only monthly bills I don’t mind paying!
— Dan Monge
Mac IT Pros
https://mongeit.consulting/
(224) 280-0926