New To Kelser Managed IT Support? Here's What To Expect

By: Lisa Carroll on June 05, 2025

New To Kelser Managed IT Support? Here's What To Expect

Now that you’ve signed on with us as your managed services provider (MSP) — welcome to the family!

We know you had several options to choose from, so we’re proud and delighted that you picked us. At this point, you probably still have lots of questions about what happens next.

In this article, we’ll spell out those next steps and cover issues that could cause delays in the projected timeline.

With this information, you’ll know what to expect during our onboarding process, have answers to some commonly asked questions, and have a better understanding of the way we work.

At Kelser, we treat our clients like partners.

We work to develop lasting relationships by fostering an open line of communication to help you align your IT needs and business goals and drive your business into the future.

As a trusted MSP with decades of experience, Kelser has helped businesses large and small eliminate their IT headaches and spearhead their digital transformation.

This has allowed our customers to reduce costs, boost efficiency, improve their cybersecurity strength, and increase their competitiveness in the marketplace.

What Is Kelser’s Client Onboarding Process?

For starters, how does Kelser define onboarding?

Now that you’re part of the team, you’ll likely hear the term "onboarding" as we discuss our new partnership.

By onboarding, we mean gathering the information we need to install our tools and software on your devices.

This allows us to remotely monitor your network, patch and update your software, configure your systems, and perform other services to ensure your infrastructure stays up and running efficiently and securely.

The MSP onboarding process can be complicated, particularly when a new client is switching from a different managed IT provider. We understand that it can also feel a bit overwhelming for clients.

That’s why it’s important to have a clear plan in place.

A Step-by-Step Outline Of Kelser’s Onboarding Process

The responsibility to manage onboarding of our new customers lies mostly with one of our service delivery managers (SDMs), who will serve as the project manager and oversee the process from beginning to end.

The SDM will take the lead in communicating key information to make sure that both parties stay in the loop throughout the onboarding process and thereafter. This will help the onboarding go as smoothly as possible and help eliminate any surprises.

1. Email Introduction

Within 24 to 48 hours of contract signing, you’ll receive an email introduction from your Kelser SDM. This email will confirm our new partnership.

Within the email will be a request to set up a 30-minute virtual kickoff meeting with your team and ours.

2. Meeting Confirmation

After providing your team's availability for the kickoff meeting, you will receive an email from your Kelser SDM confirming our meeting date and time, along with a meeting link.

3. Deliverables Confirmation

During the kick-off meeting, we’ll confirm the specific services and devices that we’ll manage as your MSP, and what’s excluded.

Once everything is confirmed, the planning can begin.

This is a fundamental step when signing on a new client because it avoids unnecessary confusion, delays, and potentially costly mistakes.

4. Documentation

At the start of the onboarding process, Kelser will start documenting as much information about your environment as possible. This is necessary so we have an accurate layout and inventory of your infrastructure.

This information will then be used once our IT management and helpdesk support for your business goes live.

If you have an outgoing MSP with any vendors shared by Kelser, we’ll make sure to transfer all ownership at this time.

5. Kick-off Meeting

A project kick-off meeting signifies our formal project launch to manage your contracted services.

At the meeting, which will include representatives from both sides, we take the opportunity to once again welcome you into the Kelser fold.

We’ll then go over the exact contract specifications a final time to ensure both sides are clear on what to expect and what the responsibilities of each party are within the relationship.

During this virtual meeting, we’ll:

review the services included in your contract
highlight what’s in scope and what’s out of scope
provide your onboarding timeline step by step
identify any necessary knowledge transfer from your current provider
outline roles and responsibilities as we move forward together
detail our ticketing and escalation process (including how to open a ticket)
ensure you have the contact details for your main Kelser point-of-contact
answer any remaining questions you have

6. Follow-Up Email

After the team kickoff meeting, you will receive an email from your SDM to recap the meeting.

In this email, you’ll receive:

a welcome video introducing your new Kelser team members
a copy of the slide deck that was presented at the kickoff meeting
an electronic copy of our helpdesk contact card
a reminder of when, why, and which Kelser team members will visit your site and what they’ll need to access
a document titled, “What To Expect When Kelser Begins Managing Your IT”

7. TAM Scheduling

Next, your SDM will send an email with the date and time of the on-site visit from your technical alignment manager (TAM).

One day before your site visit, your assigned TAM will email you to confirm the appointment, explain what they will be doing and why, and let you know what they will need to access during the visit.

8. TAM Visit

Your TAM will visit your site to gather first-hand information about your technology infrastructure.

This data helps us gain a deep understanding of your environment and how it operates, so we can provide optimal service from the very beginning of our relationship.

The information the TAM collects is entered into our centralized system, so that every member of our technical staff has access during service calls. When issues come up, this ensures that they have the background information they need to resolve issues quickly and efficiently the first time.

During this visit, the TAM also will provide printed copies of our service desk contact cards for each member of your staff.

Your contract includes unlimited calls to our service desk and we encourage all of your users to reach out any time!

9. Transitioning

Kelser will work with the client, and coordinate with the outgoing MSP, if there is one, to map out a timeline of events in order to complete the transition between providers as efficiently and smoothly as possible to minimize disruption to your business.

During this period, we’ll work with your internal stakeholders to confirm that all of the devices included in your contract are accounted for.

Then, we’ll ensure that your equipment, including desktops, laptops, servers, switches, firewalls, and other hardware, get our agents (Kelser’s security stack and software applications bundle) put on them.

In addition, if any unaccounted for devices are discovered or added after our final confirmation, we’ll update your managed serves provider agreement (MSPA) accordingly.

10. Separating From An Existing MSP

If you have a current MSP that you’re transitioning from, we’ll work with your team and the outgoing provider to ensure as seamless a transition as possible.

The process of disentangling clients from an existing MSP relationship can admittedly be tricky. At Kelser, we have years of experience deftly handling such maneuvers, having gained many of our clients who were dissatisfied with their previous managed IT providers.

We’ll communicate with your team and representatives from your outgoing provider to ensure the transition coincides with their deadline to remove their software stack, and end support.

We’ll then set up new administration credentials for our team, begin configuring networks and servers, and remediate any critical issues that need immediate attention.

In doing so, we’ll ensure that your devices and data remain secure during the switch.

How Long Does Onboarding Usually Take?

Although every business is different, the onboarding process generally takes approximately 30 days from the date of your signed contract.

The exact length of time will depend on many different factors, however, such as the number of users you have, the number of covered devices, the complexity of your infrastructure including legacy devices and software, and whether or not you’re moving from an existing MSP.

What Factors Can Affect The Onboarding Timeline?

Despite the best-laid plans, issues can pop up unexpectedly. At Kelser, we believe in process, schedule, and accountability, but we also recognize the need for flexibility.

For example, a client may want to wait until their business has its annual slow period to upgrade its server to minimize potential disruption.

Your business and prioritized needs are the main focus in our onboarding process.

Here are some of the things that our experience has shown can affect the onboarding timeline:

Number of Users

Some of our customers have a small number of users at one site. Larger workforces can take more time to coordinate, depending on what is included in the scope of work.

Complexity of Environment

How many brick-and-mortar and remote sites do you have? What is the physical layout of your IT within each facility or office?

To properly evaluate your infrastructure and ensure we have the right tools and resources in place, some of the things we’ll need to understand are:

Do people at all of your sites need to share files?
Does everyone need to share all files or do you need to limit access to certain things?
Do you have multiple shifts?
Are there documents (like your engineering design specs) that need special protections?
Do you have international sites?
Is your work subject to government or industry regulations?
Do you use specialized or legacy software that is no longer supported which may integrate with specific business processes?

Scheduling issues

Oftentimes, coordinating calendars to schedule on-site visits can be one of the biggest holdups.

For example, in most cases, our team will need to be given keys or badges to access your building and restricted parts of your building, such as your on-premises data center.

Most clients require that visitors be escorted within their building(s). Even if this isn’t the case, we’ll need someone to show us where the data closet is or where the servers are located.

Scheduling can also depend on your own timeline and business plans, so keep that in mind for the onboarding process.

Age of infrastructure

If your devices, network, servers, firewalls are all up-to-date, the transition will be easier.

If you are operating with end-of-life devices, such as outdated desktops, laptops, and network switches, that will impact the timeline. Similarly, if you’re using a legacy operating system, we’ll likely recommend upgrading your operating system to minimize security risks.

Other things to consider:

Are your servers and devices up-to-date with the latest security patches?
Is your server capacity maxed out?
Can your server support your current users and your projected number of users in the future?

All of these factors (and more) play a role in how quickly (and safely) we can begin managing your network.

What Happens Next In Our Onboarding Process?

After reading this article, you now have a full understanding of our onboarding process each step of the way, as well as factors that could impact the timeline.

If questions come up as we begin working together, reach out to your SDM! We’re here to help. While this may be the first time you are using managed IT support, we do this every day and have answers to your questions.

Kelser is ready to help lead your organization’s digital transformation to ensure you’re more efficient, secure, and positioned for the future.

We look forward to working as your strategic IT partner providing the services and guidance you need to optimize your network and help drive your organization’s future success.