In this article 5 sections
Why prospects can’t tell MSPs apart
Every MSP says the same things, so prospects compare price. To a prospect who isn’t technical, a well-run MSP and one cutting corners look the same on paper. When nothing separates them, the decision comes down to the quote.
“It can be incredibly frustrating to make a really solid proposal to someone and be lined up against someone else’s proposal as if they’re like for like when you know that they’re not.”
Nick Haley, Founder, Little Big Tech
Not a real MSP. It is built from the claims UK MSP websites make most often.
| Claim | Share of UK MSP websites making it |
|---|---|
| “Proactive” | 40% |
| “Fast response times” | 19% |
| “Your trusted IT partner” | 11% |
| “Peace of mind” | 10% |
Three in four claims on UK MSP websites can’t be checked by the reader.
Source: Assurix study of 2,776 UK MSP websites, September 2026. “Your trusted IT partner” includes close variants.
The price trap
Picture four proposals making the same claims, quoting £1,500, £2,500, £1,500 and £3,500. The prospect can’t see what the extra spend buys, so it treats the job as a £1,500 problem.
How to use this checklist
Each proof point gives you a question to ask your prospect, how a premium MSP shows it, and a line for your next proposal. Then score yourself in the grid at the end. Your lowest row is where to start.
| Your lowest score | Your level | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0 or 1 | Normal MSP | Somewhere, you look the same as a cheaper quote. Your 1s are the quickest wins: the work is done, it just isn’t visible. |
| 2 | Premium MSP | You show all seven with your own data. What’s left: a prospect still has to take your word for the numbers. |
| 3 on every row | Proven MSP | All seven are checked by someone other than you. That is the gap a cheaper quote can’t close. |
The 7 proof points
Points 1 to 5 are what clients see. Points 6 and 7 are what clients can’t see.
1. Response you can show
Why it matters
A client forgets the target in the contract. It remembers the time nobody picked up. “Fast response times” is on 19% of UK MSP websites.
Ask your prospect
“Last time something urgent broke, how long before someone picked up?” This finds a slow-response problem.
How a premium MSP shows it
- Response and resolution against SLA, month by month, from your PSA.
- A written escalation path: who picks up an urgent ticket, and when it goes up.
- The same figures shown at every client review, good months and bad.
Put it in your proposal
“Last 12 months: [x]% of urgent tickets answered inside SLA. Figures from our PSA.”
2. Problems fixed for good
Why it matters
A fault that keeps coming back tells a client the root cause was never fixed.
Ask your prospect
“Anything that has been broken, or half-broken, for a while?” This finds problems that keep coming back.
How a premium MSP shows it
- Repeat issues flagged and tracked to a fix, so a ticket isn’t closed only to reopen.
- A root cause recorded for every repeat problem.
- An owner and a review date for each open problem.
Put it in your proposal
“Repeat issues are tracked to a root cause. We’ll walk you through the log at your first review.”
3. No surprises
Why it matters
Clients judge an MSP on whether they know what’s going on, and whether the invoice matches what they expected.
Ask your prospect
“When things go wrong, do you know who owns it?” This finds poor communication and surprise invoices.
How a premium MSP shows it
- A regular service report, with an owner for every open issue.
- Client satisfaction (CSAT) collected after tickets, and the score shared.
- Invoices that match the agreement, with any change agreed first.
Put it in your proposal
“Monthly service report. CSAT shared at every review. No invoice line you haven’t agreed.”
4. Proactive, on the record
Why it matters
Every MSP says proactive. The record shows which problems were fixed before the client found them. “Proactive” is on 40% of UK MSP websites.
Ask your prospect
“When did they last call you with an idea?” This finds a provider that only reacts.
How a premium MSP shows it
- Problems found and fixed before the client reported them, with examples.
- Alerts that reach a named person, with response times tracked.
- Ideas raised with clients, as well as fixes.
Put it in your proposal
“Last quarter we fixed [x] problems before you noticed them. Three examples are below.”
5. Advice as well as support
Why it matters
Every MSP calls itself a partner. The paperwork shows whether it is one. “Your trusted IT partner” is on 11% of UK MSP websites.
Ask your prospect
“When did they last talk to you about where the business is going?” This finds a lack of strategic advice.
How a premium MSP shows it
- Reviews with each client on a set cycle, booked in advance.
- A written roadmap covering device lifecycles, risks and budget.
- Actions from the last review tracked through to done.
Put it in your proposal
“Quarterly review with a written roadmap and budget. A sample pack, names removed, is attached.”
6. The invisible work, made visible
Why it matters
Clients notice a slow response. They don’t notice patching stopping, or a backup that won’t restore.
Labyrinth’s own reporting showed patching at 95%. A vendor setting had left the real figure at 47%. Assurix flagged it, and it was fixed. (Source: Matthew Dunn, COO of Labyrinth, on LinkedIn.)
Ask your prospect
“When did anyone last show you a successful restore test?” This finds a worry about security or backups.
How a premium MSP shows it
- Critical patch compliance across all clients, including the hard ones.
- Restore tests on a schedule, with the result recorded.
- Weaknesses found and fixed on a set timeline.
Put it in your proposal
“Critical patch compliance across all clients: [x]%. Last restore test: [date], passed.”
7. Your own house in order
Why it matters
Nobody in a client’s business has more access than their MSP. You watch every client’s systems. Who checks yours?
Ask your prospect
“Who at your provider can get into your systems, and how is that removed when they leave?” This finds a worry about who has access.
How a premium MSP shows it
- MFA and named admin accounts for every engineer.
- A dated review of who has privileged access, repeated on a set cycle.
- A leaver checklist showing access removed the same day.
Put it in your proposal
“Every engineer uses MFA and a named admin account. We review privileged access every [quarter] and can show you the last review.”
Find your level
Tick one box per row. Your level is your lowest score.
- 0 · Say it. We say it.
- 1 · Do it. We do it, but don’t show it.
- 2 · Show it. We show it with our own data.
- 3 · Checked. It’s checked independently.
| Proof point | 0 · Say it | 1 · Do it | 2 · Show it | 3 · Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Response you can show | ||||
| 2. Problems fixed for good | ||||
| 3. No surprises | ||||
| 4. Proactive, on the record | ||||
| 5. Advice as well as support | ||||
| 6. The invisible work, made visible | ||||
| 7. Your own house in order |
Start with your 1s. The work is done, it just isn’t visible. Put one figure in your next proposal.
Your numbers are good, but a prospect still has to take your word for them. See how they look when someone else checks them.
Want to talk your score through? Book a demo
How Assurix checks each proof point
A certificate proves a date. Assurix proves today. Most Assurix customers already hold Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus or ISO 27001. Assurix builds on them and checks all seven proof points between audits.
| Proof point | Control that must stay met | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Response you can show | Escalation | Live: response and resolution SLAs |
| 2. Problems fixed for good | Repeat problems | Assessed on a set cycle |
| 3. No surprises | Reporting, Billing | Live: client satisfaction (CSAT) |
| 4. Proactive, on the record | Catching problems first, Monitoring and alerting | Assessed on a set cycle |
| 5. Advice as well as support | Linking technology to your goals, Quarterly reviews | Assessed on a set cycle |
| 6. The invisible work, made visible | Backups, Finding and fixing weaknesses | Live: critical patch compliance |
| 7. Your own house in order | Administrator accounts, The provider’s own management tools | Assessed on a set cycle |
Live measures depend on the integrations you connect, and refresh every six hours. Everything else is assessed on a set cycle, and an Assurix assessor signs off.
There are 59 controls in total: 40 for security, aligned to NCSC CAF 4.0, and 19 operational. Both sets must pass. A failure opens a 30-day window to fix it. If it isn’t fixed, the Trustmark is suspended publicly in the Trustmark Directory.
You choose how your Trust Portal looks. You can’t change a single result on it. Read every control in plain English.
