An Interview With Raja Pagadala
In this episode, Richard talks to Raja Pagadala, managing director of London-based MSP The Final Step. It’s one 
of London’s oldest and most well-established IT businesses and a 2022 winner on the MSP 501, and can be described as a white glove MSP.
Raja is actively sought out by some of the industry’s top vendors and businesses to act as an advisor and confidant. This interview was recorded live at ConnectWise IT Nation in Orlando, Florida.
What is a White Glove MSP?
A ‘White glove service’ is delivered with special care and attention, which is how I define what The Final Step does for their clients, many of whom they’ve worked with for years. I asked Raja what it means to him, and how it contributes to business success.
Raja has been in business for 36 years and attributes the fact that they have clients from the first year of trading to the fact that they pay a lot of attention to customer satisfaction. “We listen really carefully to what they want and need.
“It also helps that we work in partnership with them. I see things in the long-term and find planning easier when it’s not for the short-term. I get to know their businesses and we work together to help them grow. And in turn, our business grows too.”
How to Have Tough Business Conversations
Although Raja has good relationships with his clients, there have been times in the past when they’ve pushed for something he knows isn’t a good fit for them. He explains that it’s his job to help them to make informed decisions, no matter what they’re considering.
“So, I go to my clients and say, ‘Your options are A, B, or C, and here are the pros and cons of each’. If they want to go for option B but I don’t think it’s the best choice, I’ll explain why.
“But I’ll also say, ‘If that’s what you want, we’re right behind you’. Don’t ever shy away from tough conversations, because that’s how you build trust. And if it turns out that option B wasn’t right, then they can come to you and say so, and you can help them explore something else instead.”
Why a White Glove MSP Should Go Deep into Client Businesses
Being a white glove MSP means you know your clients’ businesses inside and out. “It’s a mindset and a particular way of approaching their business. It’s not just about the underlying technology; you need to take a holistic view and talk to clients about every aspect of the business.”
Raja explains that this works especially well for backup and disaster recovery. They take a strategic approach to ensure business continuity and encourage their clients to do the same. “Every six months or so, we look at their existing set-up and review if it’s still fit for purpose. If not, we find better solutions.”
How to Help Clients Break Their IT Bottleneck
If a potential client calls to learn more about what you do and their first question is ‘How much do you charge?’ that’s a red flag, says Raja. Because they’re not taking a strategic view of their IT. And while price is a consideration, value is more important.
“I explain that if you pay £X for a product or service and I deliver Y value, then you’ve got value. So I ask them to consider where are you now, and where you want to be. We have an audit process to help them, which looks at IT from the point of view of tech, business, the clients and their end users. That helps to see if what they have is fit for purpose.
“They’re calling you because they’ve got a problem, so the audit lets you dig into the root cause and present a roadmap of the solution. They can start to see how things will improve, and how long it will take them to get there. And then they appreciate your value.”
How to Remind Clients of Your MSP’s Value
Of course, sometimes you have to remind existing clients of your value too. “Many MSPs feel that they have to continually justify their existence. So in our business, when we have client review meetings we share CSAT scores, ticket data and the progress that we’ve made to date.
“And then we ask for constructive feedback, and do the same for them. Having an open conversation demonstrates why they should value you. And for us, the follow-up process we’ve put in place is the reason why our clients stay with us for so long.”
Why White Glove MSPs Should Think Strategically About Clients
Raja says that by looking at every aspect of a client’s business, they start to see for themselves where you provide value, and that you’ve solved the problem properly for them – it’s not just a sticking-plaster solution.
He adds that the review process is time-consuming, because you need to do a full audit and speak to management, end users and key stakeholders to get their feedback. “The audit isn’t easy, because you need to look at the data and identify what you need to do next. But it’s a very worthwhile process, for you and the client.”
Raja admits that it’s not for everybody, because it takes time and requires experience and patience. “But if you are serious about developing an MSP that is worth its weight, and then I think it’s a very valuable process to go through.”
How to Connect With Raja Pagadala
- The Final Step
- Email Raja
- Follow The Final Step on Twitter
- Like The Final Step on Facebook
- Follow the Final Step on LinkedIn
How to Connect With Me
- Subscribe to TubbTalk RSS feed
- Subscribe, rate and review TubbTalk in iTunes
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- Follow TubbTalk on iHeartRadio
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Mentioned in This Episode
- HTG
- CompTIA
- The Tech Tribe
- ConnectWise
- The IT Nation
- Acronis
- Author and speaker Jim Collins
- DattoCon
- Kaseya
- The Final Step downloadable ebook: How to break the IT Bottleneck
- Book: Bob Burg: The Go-Giver
- Raja’s inspiration: Hardin Byars of Innovus Consulting, LLC
- Book: Simon Sinek: Start With Why
- Book: Patrick Lencioni: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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