Legal Tips for Dealing with MSP Clients During a Pandemic
MSPs are looking for innovative and effective ways to maintain stability during this difficult period. As the pandemic continues to create confusion and lack of certainty, MSPs do have tools available to help them bring calm and stability to their clients.
Some of these tools involve modifying your existing managed services agreements to build in flexibility to allow them to adapt to changing client needs. Some of these tactics include:
- Free trials: Used to encourage new clients to sign up, free trial periods do not mean all the risk lands with the MSP. An effective managed services free trial should have some legal framework underneath it to protect both MSP and client.
- Flexible contract terms: as clients have uncertainty themselves, they naturally seek out flexibility from their vendors, including MSPs. Whether you have a 3 year, 1 year, or month-to-month term in your agreements, make sure they are written so they will benefit your client without adding unnecessary risk to your practice.
- Force Majeure clauses: inability to perform on a managed services agreement is a worst case scenario for any MSP. Having up-to-date force majeure clauses in your agreements will ensure you are not in unreasonable risk due to unforeseen events.
Guest: Rob Scott, partner at Scott & Scott LLP
