Here is a realistic MSP invoicing issue, handled three ways, with three very different results.
#1 Chopped Tech (Low Trust)
Customer: I think my billing is wrong.
Vendor: What makes you think that?
Customer: You billed me for 15 endpoints and I only have 14.
MSP: Can you send me a list of endpoints so I can check mine?
MSP: (Calls back) I found the difference and fixed it. We are issuing you a credit. Sorry about that!
On to the next fire…
#2 Hammer Head MSP (Medium Trust)
Customer: My billing is wrong.
Vendor: I am so sorry! What is the problem?
Customer: Your invoice lists all the endpoints I’m being billed for, and Jim’s laptop is still on there. He left last month.
MSP: (Calls back) You’re right. We missed a step in our offboarding process and didn’t remove Jim’s laptop from the bill. We are issuing you a credit. Sorry about that!
Better. But “sorry” doesn’t fix the process breakdown.
#3 Sigma Technologies (High Trust)
Customer: My billing is wrong.
Vendor: I am so sorry! What is the problem?
Customer: Your invoice lists all the endpoints I’m being billed for, and Jim’s laptop is still on there. He left last month.
MSP: (Calls back) You’re right. We missed a step in our offboarding process, and that is completely unacceptable to us. We have a checklist in place and a person reviews the checklist to guard against this very thing, but this step was skipped and the review didn’t catch it.
That’s exactly why we include endpoint details on the invoice—to make it easy for you to check our work if something ever slips through. I’m putting this first on our agenda for Monday’s team meeting so we can strengthen the process. I’ll personally get back to you with the fix. Sorry again, and thank you for catching it. Is there anything else I can do to make it right?
Wow! These guys are amazing! I’m leaving a review and recommending them to everyone!
The Leaps of Faith
As a customer, I’m taking big leaps of faith that my MSP is doing all the right things behind the scenes: assessing the threat landscape, evaluating new tools, patching holes before the bad guys find them, keeping up with the latest and greatest tech and heaven knows what else.
The truth is, I can’t see any of that. So, when something visible breaks down—like billing—it makes me wonder what else might be broken that I can’t see. I don’t just want it fixed. I want to know how the process will be improved so it doesn’t happen again. And I want to know you take that seriously.
Moral of the Story
Make sure you have a solid, documented process for your billing. Not just to get the money right, but to pass the trust test.
