Customer service is a critical part of the MSP business – the “S” does stand for service after all. However, the definition of customer service continues to evolve, and it means something different for each customer.

As cloud technology becomes more prevalent, an increasing number people have the skills necessary to manage a cloud infrastructure. This does not mean the MSP is going away – far from it. Many enterprises do not want to invest in their own cloud infrastructure, security, maintenance, etc., but they do have people on staff who are adept at managing the cloud.

This shift has brought about the emergence of on-demand or self-serve cloud, a low-touch model that works incredibly well for customers with the skillset to manage their own environment.

On the surface offering self-serve cloud can seem counter-intuitive, but with the right tools it becomes a huge win for the customer and the MSP.

HyAlto Equals Win-Win

HyAlto has several key self-serve features that benefit both the MSP and the customer.

Marketplace

The HyAlto marketplace provides customers (and channel partners) an easy way to search for and order the products they need. Depending on how the product catalog is set up, ordering can be an effortless process.

• Bundle public, private or hybrid cloud services with additional products like back-up, disaster recovery and more.
• Customize an all-in-one solution to make getting started quick and effortless for even the most novice of customers.
• List products and services a-la-carte for more advanced clients who know exactly what they require.

Providing an on-demand marketplace increases client satisfaction by allowing them to order products proactively. This frees up employees for other critical tasks.

Automation

While the marketplace gives customers the ability to order any time, HyAlto’s automated provisioning feature means they never have to wait for a new service to be online. After all, what good is a self-serve marketplace if it takes days for order fulfillment?

HyAlto’s automation delivers for the MSP every time an order is placed. With support for IaaS, PaaS, SaaS and XaaS products, the MSP can be completely removed from the order fulfillment process.

Self-Serve Portal

Offer clients ability to manage their own cloud environment via a web-based self-serve portal that can be customized according to their technical ability. HyAlto allows clients a measure of control while once again saving the IT team valuable time by removing them from simple tasks that the client can now perform.

A few uses for a self-serve portal:

• Order new virtual datacenters, virtual machines or other cloud services
• Start or stop services
• Resource management and monitoring
• Review service details, including consumption and pricing.

A portal can be a huge time saver for the MSP and the customer. Because it’s do-it-yourself (DIY) by nature, it reduces service costs for the provider. Customers can conduct business as usual with minimal outside involvement.

Self-service equals better service!

It seems somewhat contradictory, but self-service is one way to deliver better service to customers and it’s proving to be a big win for providers who have this capability.

Many customers prefer the immediacy offered by HyAlto’s self-service capabilities.  No calls to make, no waiting for approvals, just log in and complete a transaction. The convenience translates into higher customer satisfaction AND it allows the provider to streamline sales, order fulfillment and support processes.

Did we mention HyAlto equals win-win?

If you’re considering the self-serve option for some or all of your customers, or are looking to implement a complete revenue-focused cloud management platform, contact us today and let’s get started.