Expert Opinion: The savvy cloud customer gets more choosy

16 Feb 2012

The technology that a managed service provider uses may be important in its delivery of cloud services, but what really counts for customers is the level and quality of service and support, says Rob Norman, CEO of MSP Vnetrix. 

The discussions that followed, among potential customers and other MSPs in the audience, got me thinking about what is driving cloud adoption at the moment and how apprehensions regarding cloud adoption have evolved.

What is changing for customers, I believe, is the concept of cloud choice. Customers do not have to go to a large, ‘faceless’ cloud platform provider for their cloud services, be these public, private or hybrid. Over the last few years, while cloud has ‘grown up’, potential cloud service customers have become more savvy in understanding what they want, what they can get and where to get it from.

It’s the same old story: if an offshore customer call centre is enough to put you off choosing one bank over another, then surely a cloud provider that can only be contacted by email would put off a customer, too?

Can we really expect businesses to put mission critical business services into the cloud, without the guarantee that, if it goes wrong, someone is on the end of the phone to fix it? Now, you could say that that’s what an SLA [service level agreement] is for, and any company that has done its homework will have ensured that it has a watertight agreement in place. 

But if something really goes wrong – what happens? Is there a person who understands the business and even cares what you are about? What we are seeing in our business today that yes, there is a demand for cloud services – but customers want flexibility and, dare I say, agility too.

As an MSP, the CA Applogic platform we use provides the technology that we need to deliver a cloud service – but what we do as a company is to wrap that technology in a layer of great customer care and technical support.

The majority of our business has been won through word-of-mouth and referrals. Being a cloud provider is about building something tangible: a relationship.  Businesses would not be signing up to cloud services with us had they not had the opportunity to pick up the phone and talk to someone who can help them understand whether cloud is right for them or not.

We offer competitive pricing, but we aren’t the cheapest. Presenting a number of options and demonstrating an understanding of a customer’s business often means they pick Vnetrix over price because of the service that comes with it. In other words, you get what you pay for.

It’s so easy to go and sign up for a cloud service, but how does a customer really know it’s the right thing? Large cloud providers may not be interested in helping to ensure that it is.

The real barrier to cloud adoption is the insurance that someone is there to help and advise. People won’t migrate unless they know what they are going to experience once they arrive at their destination.