Managed IT services Service delivery
Seven Reasons Collabrance Is a Technology Provider's Best Choice for Outsourced Support
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. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at what sets us apart from the competition. Without further ado, here are seven reasons Collabrance is your MSP’s best choice for outsourced support.
1. 100% U.S.-based 24/7 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, located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and from our Texas HQ in Plano. 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 – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year – by a friendly technician ready to troubleshoot the customer’s issue. We aim to keep wait times under five minutes, and our U.S.-based service team is available to answer support requests via white-label email address and desktop chat feature as well.
Every ticket is assigned a priority based on urgency and impact, and each priority has a corresponding response plan.
Customers using our Network Operations Center (NOC) will benefit from 24x7 remote monitoring and alerting, significantly reducing the chance of incidents being missed in your customers’ environments.
By the way, calls we receive from our Collabrance service providers are answered live, too. Just as you want your customers to receive speedy live support, we want it to be easy for the providers we serve to access that same level of quick, reliable assistance.
2. Independently owned
Collabrance is a wholly owned subsidiary of The 20, an acclaimed MSP growth platform. The 20 helps small and medium-sized MSPs transform into elite and scalable companies with its suite of solutions and processes. It also provides its MSP members with their overall growth plans and, when the time comes, M&A strategy.
As part of The 20, Collabrance gives providers access to a national network of forward-thinking MSPs, industry-leading expertise, and a broader range of solutions and offerings. And because The 20 operates independently, it isn’t beholden to external investors, allowing us to focus entirely on the success and growth of our members. Simply put, with The 20’s support, Collabrance service providers gain the freedom, flexibility, and resources needed to thrive in an evolving marketplace.
You can learn more about Collabrance’s relationship with The 20 here.
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 essential IT security solutions, and some services can be purchased a la carte.
Our core offering includes:
NOC Services
- 24/7 remote monitoring and alerting
- Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
- Proactive patching for MS Windows and 100+ third-party applications
- Complete RMM management including all maintenance and licensing
- Service provider access to PSA ticketing and billing integration
NOC + Service Desk
Our NOC + service desk solution includes all NOC services, plus unlimited 24/7 live-answer service desk support, with access to triage technicians and up to tier 3 technicians.
Basic User Support
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:
- Network security and other essential security solutions like multi-factor authentication for VPN, servers and workstation login, and content filtering
- Backup disaster and recovery services and data loss prevention policy management
- Email security, Microsoft cloud backup, and real-time monitoring and alerting for M/O365
- Professional services and project work
- Office technology support solutions
And more! We know not one size fits all. Choose the Collabrance offering that works best on a customer-by-customer basis. Visit our services page to learn about the solutions we offer and check out our packaged offerings to see common ways our products are bundled and sold.
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 downtime, enabling you and your team to pursue big-picture goals.
Related: Vendor Management: Maximize Value With These MSP Best Practices
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 is 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.
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. Moreover, our recent acquisition by The 20 expanded our toolset, giving us even greater flexibility to tailor solutions to your specific needs and enhance the services we provide.
While this 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 unique, 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. Finally, we provide a white-glove onboarding experience for your customers.
To help you attract leads and acquire new business on an ongoing basis, we also 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 regular service provider alignment meetings with Collabrance sales and service leaders.
From prospecting to long-term customer relationship management, we’ll provide the enhanced sales, marketing, and solution support you need to succeed.
Additionally, as part of The 20, we benefit from SOC 2 certification, and Collabrance will be incorporated into this certification to further enhance our commitment to these principles of trust.
Vendor engagement and service delivery support
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:
- Vendor vetting, relationship management, and consolidated billing
- Detailed service documentation through IT Glue
- Access to a robust RMM platform with established automation and scripting
- A service provider portal with white-label service catalog documents
- Support ticket visibility through ConnectWise PSA integration and Streamline IT
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!)
Notably, our commitment to training and education is one of many reasons we joined forces with The 20. With their robust marketing and sales programs, The 20 is well-positioned to help MSPs unlock new growth and expand their reach, ensuring members are equipped with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in a competitive market.
Learn more about Collabrance, powered by The 20
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.