IT services is a busy line of work – even grueling, at times. So, it’s no surprise that feelings of workplace exhaustion are on the rise for managed IT professionals. The persistent demand to deliver high-quality service to existing customers coupled with the ongoing pressure to generate revenue and attract new business can leave MSP stakeholders run down, discouraged, and uninspired. This heightened workplace stress, if not properly managed, can lead to a range of negative business outcomes, like strained customer relationships and poor-quality service – and it can spill into life outside of the workplace, too. In this blog, we’ll share some common indicators of MSP burnout and its causes, plus strategies to reduce burnout and maintain a state of wellbeing – personally and professionally.
Recognize the signs: What does MSP burnout look like?
Burnout isn’t just a bad day that’s resolved after a good night of sleep. Burnout is a specific condition – recognized by the World Health Organization – with potentially serious ramifications.
If employees begin to present the following feelings at or about work, they may be experiencing symptoms of burnout:
- Increased criticism of themselves or others
- Irritability or impatience with coworkers
- Lack of motivation to come to work
- Decreased energy and productivity
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sudden dissatisfaction with achievements
- Persistent fatigue
Burnout isn’t specific to managed IT, of course; it can be present in all types of work and occupations. But there are conditions prevalent in managed IT, due to the fast-paced and demanding nature of the work, that may take a toll over time. Recognizing these signs early can help address the underlying causes and provide the necessary support employees may need.
The most common causes of MSP burnout – and how to avoid them
Burnout in IT services occurs so often that it’s largely recognized as normal – but it shouldn’t be. The most crucial factor in preventing burnout is to treat it proactively, not reactively. Putting non-negotiable processes and practices in place to navigate around everyday workplace stressors not only protects team members, it can benefit the business as a whole. Here are some of the most challenging circumstances that arise in managed IT, and strategies to stay ahead of them.
Cause #1: Unclear roles and responsibilities
For MSPs, it’s common for employees to wear multiple hats – or, in many cases, most of the hats. But when roles and expectations are not clearly defined, critical tasks and projects risk being overlooked or completed hurriedly at the last minute. Scrambling to meet a deadline is stressful to everyone involved, and long-term effects, like high turnover, can result.
Solution: Establish measurable goals and expectations.
If identifying clear goals proves challenging, fast-forward to the outcome: What will be true once this goal is achieved? Pinpointing a desired result and working backwards to determine the steps needed to achieve it can help team members orient themselves effectively.
And it shouldn’t stop there. Defining goals is important, but to maintain momentum among your team you must get specific. SMART goals is a popular framework that uses five elements to create goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Finally, be sure to establish accountability among your team. Even the best-laid goals are likely to flounder without a clear delineation for who owns what. As you work to outline the steps required to meet your targeted objectives, assign one or two people for each step and hold them responsible for making sure the step is completed. Schedule daily or weekly “huddles” for the team to come together to share progress, tackle roadblocks, and keep priorities aligned.
Cause #2: Unrewarding customer relationships
A company’s IT is, arguably, its most critical asset – which makes IT management complex. When a customer recognizes the value of an MSP’s expertise, it’s rewarding and fosters a mutually beneficial partnership. In contrast, supporting a customer who doesn’t appreciate the role well-operating IT plays in a business’s success can create a breeding ground for miscommunication and impatience, leading to a fraught customer relationship.
Solution: Discuss each party’s expectations and set guidelines with existing and prospective customers – early and often.
No customer relationship is perfect, but there are measures that can be taken to ensure the positives outweigh any downsides.
Before even a first interaction, there should be an established target customer profile (TCP). Identifying the types of customers an MSP intends to attract – based on the pain points its services address – can save time by weeding out customers that may not be the right fit in the long term.
Once a prospect has entered the sales funnel, there should be ongoing checkpoints to assess the potential health of the partnership and establish aligned goals. Be sure to fine-tune and leave nothing to the imagination; there should always be documentation to point back to, to realign expectations in the future.
The most challenging customers may be pacified simply by feeling their pain points are understood. Pain points are best uncovered not in the heat of a difficult situation, but through regular discussions about goals, expectations, and values. When a customer’s priorities are understood, their services can be tailored accordingly, leading to higher satisfaction all around.
Related: Four Steps to Successfully Perform a QBR (Quarterly Business Review)
While terminating a customer relationship should be a very last resort, it shouldn’t be out of the question. If a customer depletes more resources on a sustained basis than it returns, it may be in the best interest of your MSP to part ways.
Cause #3: Insufficient tools and technology
We all know the saying: “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply in managed IT. If your end user customers aren’t prioritizing routine hardware and software upgrades, they’ll be prone to bugs, network issues, security threats, and more, leading to a higher volume of support requests that could have been avoided with the right systems in place.
Solution: Establish a technology refresh schedule.
As a company’s IT provider, you have a responsibility to educate your customers about the risks of using unsupported software and hardware. Positioned correctly, these conversations won’t be seen by your customers as a source of added costs; rather, you’ll earn their trust as a technology advisor looking out for the best interest of their business. By proactively working with customers to evaluate their existing systems and inventory and developing a plan and budget for upgrading, you’ll be saving them from the very real pitfalls of outdated technology, including bugs and system crashes (at best), and security vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches – or worse.
Start these conversations early and revisit regularly. Customers who are accustomed to using old technology may be hesitant to adopt a lifecycle strategy, but once they understand the peace of mind that comes with having functioning and up-to-date technology, they will thank you for it.
This goes for your tools and technology, too. If your MSP isn’t continuously investing in updated technology, your technicians could be left feeling as though they’re not properly equipped to do their job, which is sure to cause frustration.
Cause #4: Unsatisfactory vendor relationships
Well-maintained vendor relationships are important for any company, but with the average MSP retaining 10 or more vendors, careful management of your supplier partnerships is critical – and a lot of work. What’s more, if you’re not able to get the level of support you need from your vendors and partners, it puts stress on your technical team, forcing them to shoulder issues beyond their control.
Solution: Streamline the vendor management process with an outsourced provider.
If vendor management is a persistent pain point for your MSP, it might be time to consider an outsourced provider who can manage those relationships on your behalf. In the same way you offer value to your managed IT customers by funneling multiple tools through your unified solution, a third-party service provider can offer the same for your MSP. Collabrance, for example, manages the tools needed to administer our services on behalf of our MSP customers, acting as a single intermediary for all licensing, billing, and to handle any issues that may arise. And because we do a high volume of business with our technology partners, our service provider customers often gain access to pricing and perks they wouldn’t qualify for on their own.
Related: Vendor Management: Maximize Value With These MSP Best Practices
Cause #5: Ineffective communication – internally and externally
It’s a phenomenon we all experience: Communication today is both easier than it’s ever been, yet more complicated than ever before. Despite the many modes of communication at our fingertips, a lot can get lost in translation. In a business setting, communication is vital, and with no one “right” way to engage customers, conveying value, intentions, and even the most objective information can be challenging. Issues with communication can be a major source of stress both for customers and staff.
Solution: Create processes that promote thorough and consistent communication.
Internal tools like Microsoft Teams can soften some of the technological barriers to team-wide communication, and it’s rare that anyone would ever think they’re getting too much information from their company and leaders (within reason). When it comes to keeping team members informed and engaged, a multi-pronged approach is key. Examples of effective inter-team communication tactics include:
- Goal setting
- Regular recognition
- Daily or weekly “huddles” to align priorities
- Team-wide communication to cover previous or upcoming events and milestones
- Investing in training and development opportunities for employees to advance their skills
Don’t forget to experiment with different communication channels. What works well for one team may not resonate with another.
A similar approach should be taken with customers. Collabrance, for example, sends a monthly email newsletter to highlight the resources available to customers as well as a quarterly newsletter focused on news and any forthcoming changes. In addition, our service team leaders facilitate regular alignment meetings with service providers for structured, one-to-one opportunities to discuss ongoing projects, evaluate goals, share candid feedback, and determine any needed changes. Our sales and service teams also host regular customer trainings and reviews, which helps maintain an open line of communication. Employing a variety of methods and tactics for both internal and external communication is prudent, but consistency and ongoing experimentation is essential to discovering what’s most effective.
Additional resources to alleviate MSP burnout
Burnout is all-too common in the IT industry, but it doesn’t have to be an inevitability. A sustainable and productive work environment can be created for MSPs by recognizing the signs of burnout early and taking proactive steps to combat it. If there are team members who can’t seem to resolve their symptoms of burnout with the strategies above, it may be time to seek support from outside your company in the form of a consultant or executive coach. Peer groups and interpersonal connections are also effective resources for breaking out of a rut.
Don’t let your MSP suffer the consequences of burnout. Implement the best practices outlined here to support your team and business to function optimally now and into the future.
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