Whether you’re contemplating outsourced support for your managed IT business for the first time or have been partnering for years, you know not all MSP support resources are created equal. At Collabrance, we prioritize the success of our customers and work to surpass industry expectations by focusing on relationships and service over commoditization. There are many things that make Collabrance unique, but the following attributes are what differentiate us from the competition.
1. 100% U.S.-based, live-answer service desk
Yes – really! Every member of our service team lives and works within the continental U.S., with most of our technicians working from our Midwest-based office, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This means any security or compliance issues that may arise with an overseas help desk are averted. Additionally, by working with a U.S.-based help desk, you can avoid time-zone concerns, hidden costs, and communication barriers.
Our white label customer support line is answered live, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. CT, by a friendly technician ready to troubleshoot the user’s issue – we aim to never send your customers to voicemail. Our U.S.-based service team is available to answer support requests via white label email address and desktop chat feature as well. Customers using our Network Operations Center (NOC) will benefit from 24x7 remote monitoring and alerting, so incidents within your customers’ environments never get missed.
Collabrance ticket priority SLAs are challenging to compete with. Every ticket is assigned a priority based on urgency and impact, and each priority has a corresponding response plan. After-hours, weekend, and holiday support is available for an additional charge. Click here to see our ticket priority SLAs.
By the way, we answer calls from our service providers live, too. We want it to be easy for our customers to reach any member of the Collabrance sales or service team at any time.
Watch the video below to take a virtual tour of the Collabrance office and NOC.
2. Independently owned
Private equity is a dominant force in managed IT, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise how often we’re asked “Is Collabrance for sale?” The answer to that question has always been no. As a privately held company and wholly owned subsidiary of GreatAmerica Financial Services – a family-owned business founded in 1992 – you do not have to worry about mergers and acquisitions that might impact the way you do business with our team.
There are many benefits of being privately held. For example:
- A personalized and consistent service experience
- Deep expertise of our customers’ needs and industry trends
- Flexibility to make changes to our products and offerings based on customer needs
- The ability to support and give back to our local community
Our founder, Tony, has a pretty incredible story. Learn more in the video below.
3. Flexible, flat-fee offerings
We know being stuck in a contract you’re not happy with can negatively impact your margins and your customers. Instead of multi-year contracts that can make customers feel trapped in an unending cycle, Collabrance offers flexible term options with room to scale your services and user counts as you grow. Our MSP support solutions are structured to deliver basic user assistance, remote monitoring, or both – all sold at a fixed monthly price so you can control your profitability. We also offer a comprehensive portfolio of managed security solutions, and some services can be purchased a la carte.
Our core offering includes:
NOC Services
Starting at $16.55 per workstation per month and $69.50 per server per month.
- 24/7 remote monitoring and alerting
- SentinelOne endpoint detection and response (EDR)
- Proactive patch management for MS Windows and 25+ third-party applications
- Complete RMM management including all maintenance and licensing
NOC + Service Desk
Starting at $44.10 per user per month and $89.25 per server per month.
NOC + service desk includes all NOC services, plus unlimited live-answer service desk support during business hours, with access to triage through tier 3 technicians.
Basic User Support
Starting at $29.40 per user per month
Basic User Support offers live-answer tier 1 user assistance for the day-to-day IT support needs that commonly arise.
Click here to see a side-by-side comparison of our core MSP support solutions.
Additional Collabrance Services
In addition to our core MSP solutions, we offer:
- Managed security services
- Professional services and project work
- Co-managed IT support
- Office technology support solutions
And more! Choose the Collabrance offering that works best on a customer-by-customer basis. We know not one size fits all. Visit our Services page to learn about the solutions we offer.
4. 90%+ remote resolution rate
Are escalated tickets bogging down your high-level in-house techs? Collabrance averages a 90% remote resolution rate for in-scope issues, meaning nine of out 10 tickets will be resolved without the service provider needing to take any action. Additionally, 60% of tickets are resolved on the first call to Collabrance, on average.
In the event an issue must be escalated, we follow an expedient process to collect and document the details and pass it to one of our higher tier technicians. If vendor engagement is necessary, Collabrance will make our best effort to work directly with the vendor to resolve the issue on your behalf. An issue will only reach your team once all other resources have been exhausted.
Our proven resolution rates decrease down time, enabling you and your team to pursue big-picture goals. Click here to learn more about the scope of responsibilities Collabrance will manage on your behalf.
5. Personalized experience
MSPs who have the most success with Collabrance are not simply searching for an outsourced vendor, but rather seeking a partner who can operate as an extension of their team. How you position Collabrance with your end customers is up to you; some service providers prefer Collabrance to operate completely white label on their behalf, while others highlight Collabrance as a trusted independent vendor. Regardless of how we’re presented to your customers, we take a “customer first” approach to understand the user’s need and provide a support experience that’s tailored accordingly. Many end customers get to know our technicians on a first name basis! We pride ourselves on maintaining an average 97% customer satisfaction rating.
Hear more about how we interact with your customers from Drew, a Collabrance user support specialist, in the video below.
In addition to an exceptional support experience for your customers, we keep you informed with regular alignment meetings and monthly reporting so you can run your business with confidence.
6. Vetted, cross-vendor technology stack
Collabrance offers a powerful portfolio of technology products, working with a number of the best MSP tools and vendors in the industry today. These tools are included as part of your monthly costs. While that may be an attractive benefit for providers new to managed IT, we know many MSPs have spent years building a technology suite of their own. We understand flexibility is key and will work with you to ensure the best experience for your customers, whether that means using our tools, or integrating your tools with ours. Learn more about the tools we use here.
Related: How To Choose the Best MSP Tech Stack in 2024
7. Value-added services
We know every MSP is different, and every MSP requires a different kind of support. Collabrance is committed to building a partnership with your company and customers beyond a faceless business transaction. Hands-on support in the following areas is included with all Collabrance services at no additional cost.
Sales, marketing, and solution support
Our business is structured so that our success is dependent on your success. We want your managed IT business to grow, and we will do whatever we can to help make that happen. Our sales engineering experts can assist in selecting the right products and solutions for your customers, our sales team is available to provide training to your internal teams and join you on customer calls, and we provide a white glove onboarding experience for your customers. To help you attract leads and acquire new business on an ongoing basis, we provide pre-packaged materials for marketing campaigns and educational resources to provide value to your prospects. To ensure your established customer relationships remain strong, we provide comprehensive reporting and quarterly business review (QBR) support.
From prospecting to long-term customer relationship management, we’ll provide the enhanced sales, marketing, and solution support you need to succeed. Additionally, Collabrance is SOC 2 accredited to have the highest operational standards to meet the core trust principles of security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
Vendor engagement and service delivery
The tools we need to deliver service are provided as part of our many solution offerings, and, when necessary, we will engage with vendors directly to resolve customer issues on your behalf. To ensure a seamless service experience, we provide the following:
- Complete RMM management including all maintenance and licensing
- Proactive patching for MS Windows and 25+ third-party applications
- Vendor engagement and consolidated billing
- A service provider portal with white label service catalog documents
- Detailed service documentation through IT Glue
- Access to service desk and ticket activity through ConnectWise PSA integration
Training and education
When we bring a new service provider on board with Collabrance, we provide comprehensive training to familiarize your team with our people, tools, and processes. You’ll be invited to visit our Cedar Rapids office for onsite training, if you wish. Ongoing support from a dedicated Collabrance account manager will be provided for the life of your partnership, and you’ll have unlimited access to instructional materials, thought leadership, peer group opportunities, and more. Education is one of the most effective tools to attract and retain customers, and we want to provide the information you need to serve as a trusted resource to your prospects and customers. (Subscribe to the Collabrance Blog for MSP insights delivered monthly!)
Hiring assistance and best practices
Collabrance offers solutions and best practices for hiring, training, and retaining technical talent. PathShare® HR Services, a GreatAmerica Company, can help you find the right people, develop compensation plans, and build a dynamic company culture.
Watch the video below to hear from GreatAmerica Vice President of Sales, Hannah O’Donnell, about some of our own best practices for hiring and retaining talent.
Learn more about Collabrance
Collabrance was created to address a need in the industry and we built our MSP support model differently. To learn how we can build a strategic relationship aimed at helping your managed IT business scale, get in touch with a member of our team today.